Hiab method

perspectiveFrom problem to possibilityBaltic Sea Action Groupco-founder Ilkka Herlindiscusses his involvementin the work to save theworld’s most polluted sea.Since 1993, Ilkka Herlin has worked activelyfor the improvement of the state of what hascome to be recognised as the most polluted seain the world. With Anna Kotsalo-Mustonenand Saara Kankaanrinta, he started the BalticSea Action Group (BSAG) in 2007. The groupaims to bring together actors – organisationaland governmental – as well as facilitate andspeed up efforts to save the Baltic Sea.How and why did you firstbecome involved in this work?Back in 1993, when I started out, the state ofthe sea was already quite difficult, but therewas little awareness or public discussionabout it. This fight, to encourage and facilitateimmediate actions on behalf of the Baltic Sea,felt close to my heart already then. In 2007,the time was right to build a more consistentnetwork around these actions – and take themto an international level. Saving the Baltic Seademands immediate actions and in today’sworld, commercial, non-profit and governmentalorganisations can strive together tofulfil such a common purpose.What, in your opinion, are thecentral challenges facing the sea?85 million people live in the Baltic Sea region,and the amount of countries and actorsaround the sea is quite staggering. The areahas been industrialised for a long time, andthere is also extensive agriculture in theregion. The sea also has little water. For example,if the Mediterranean were to have a similarlylow water-to-people ratio, there wouldbe 14 billion people living in the region. Andfinally, the waters also change very little; oncerefuse and toxins build up in the Baltic Sea,they stay there. All these matters are characteristicto the Baltic Sea, and make saving itchallenging – as well as very important.How is Bsag working toimprove these matters?Work for the Baltic Sea involves a complexvariety of actors, as governments and organisationstry to find common solutions to problems.A group such as the BSAG can speed upprojects by creating awareness and facilitatingthe collaboration of the varied network ofactors. We also aim to find the most efficientsolutions and bring actors closer to each other;to get people to speak the same language andlearn to appreciate the greater good which weare working for, together.We believe that the best way for the BSAGto help is to combine complementary areas ofexpertise, and help where we can. Our advisoryboard consists of political figures such asFinland’s President Tarja Halonen, businessrepresentatives such as Shell Chairman JormaOllila, as well asscientists such aseconomist BengtHolmström. As agroup, the BSAGis also varied.Our members Ilkka Herlin is the Chairman ofCargotec’s Board of Directors.are organisationsof all sizes and individuals of different backgrounds.Drawing on these differences we areable to find innovative solutions for facilitatingwork for the Baltic Sea.What’s next for the group?The problems we face here in the Baltic Searegion are, unfortunately, not unique in theworld. This is why our operating model of facilitationand coordination is raising global interest.We believe that our operating model of facilitatingand speeding up environmental effortscan be of great use anywhere. And, indeed, weare already involved in such work. For example,I myself am going to go speak at the WorldOcean Summit in Belfast, where we deal withchallenges facing the seas on a global scale.What can we as individuals do?Individuals are warmly welcome to take partin the group’s work by donating their timeand talent as well as money. In fact, we havealready built a reserve of individual membersto call upon when needed. But most importantly,all of us as individuals need to rememberthe importance of leading our daily livesresponsibly. We need to believe that ourchoices make a difference.PHOTO: SAMI KULJUCargotec is committed to save the Baltic SeaCargotec has been involved in a joint venture to save the Baltic Sea since 2007. On 10February 2010, around 500 persons, including heads of state, government officials as wellas NGOs and business’ leaders, attended The Baltic Sea Action Summit in Helsinki. The aimof the summit was to present concrete commitments to protect the Baltic Sea and improveits ecological condition. Cargotec made a commitment to promote understanding about theneed to prevent climate change, which also has an effect on the health of the Baltic Sea. As awhole, about 140 commitments were made.The Baltic Sea Action Summit was hosted by President of the Republic of Finland, TarjaHalonen Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and Chairman of the Baltic Sea ActionGroup and Cargotec’s Board of Directors, Mr. Ilkka Herlin.PHOTO: BSAGHiab Method 35