Hartwall’s water brand Novelle will donate EUR 70,000 to the WWF’s Operation Mermaid campaign. As decided by popular vote, EUR 50,000 of this sum will be used to prevent the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. Hartwall Novelle will donate the remaining EUR 20,000 to fund environmental education at schools.
Operation Mermaid is a massive, multi-year WWF campaign to improve the state of the Baltic Sea and protect endangered species that are dependent on the sea. In summer 2008, Hartwall Novelle participated in the campaign for the third time by donating one cent to the WWF for every bottle of Hartwall Novelle mineral water sold in June-August. The total donation for 2008 is EUR 70,000. In 2006-2008, Hartwall Novelle has supported the campaign with a total of EUR 180,000.
“Co-operation with Hartwall Novelle has enabled the WWF to carry out many projects to protect the Baltic Sea and generated substantial visibility for Operation Mermaid. Our co-operation has enabled us to achieve a great deal,” says Anne Brax, Communications Director of WWF Finland.
“Donations in previous years have been used to set up a pilot wetland site to trap emissions that cause marine eutrophication as well as to produce and publish a report on the impact of climate change on the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. We have also used the donations to campaign for the manufacture of phosphate-free detergents and the prevention of wastewater discharges by international shipping companies in the Baltic Sea. In addition, we’ve produced learning materials about bodies of water for schools,” adds Brax.
Donations help in environmental education and the prevention of eutrophication
Hartwall wants to do its part to protect the Baltic Sea in order to preserve the Finnish natural environment, keeping it in a good and clean shape for generations to come. Donating for a good cause by buying a product makes it easy for consumers to make a difference.
“This year, too, Finns could decide where Hartwall Novelle would allocate its donation. Voting was carried out online, at the Hanko Regatta and during the Baltic Sea info sessions at the Kotka Maritime Festival. The prevention of eutrophication was voted as the most important target. This work continues. The WWF will use EUR 50,000 of the donation for a project to establish wetlands and to fund its ongoing phosphate and ship wastewater campaigns,” says Karla Frisk, Brand Manager for Hartwall Novelle.
In addition, Hartwall Novelle wants to contribute to the environmental education of children and youth. EUR 20,000 will be donated. The theme of the WWF’s environmental education is bodies of water.
“We hold training events for teachers. For students, we arrange a variety of assignments about bodies of water, the Elävä vesistö (Living Bodies of Water) writing competition, a fishing event and school visits by environmental educators,” says Brax.
For additional information, contact:
Hartwall Ltd, Brand Manager Karla Frisk, karla.frisk@hartwall.fi, tel. +358 20 717 2849
WWF Finland, Communications Director Anne Brax, anne.brax@wwf.fi, tel. +358 50 3671 888
Operation Mermaid projects:
Environmental education for children and youth
The WWF’s environmental education efforts seek to promote sustainable lifestyles. The WWF wants to challenge children and young people to learn the facts about these issues, observe the state of the environment and be environmentally responsible. Naturewatch is the WWF’s environmental education programme, intended to spur schools to take environmental action. The theme for the 08/09 school year is the Baltic Sea. In addition, the WWF supports the sustainable development efforts of schools by organising events, awareness raising campaigns at schools and competitions for students, educating teachers and publishing suitable teaching materials on current issues.
Preventing eutrophication
Eutrophication has taken a severe turn for the worse in the Baltic Sea due to human activities, such as emissions from agriculture and traffic. Eutrophication leads to greater algal growth in the water, including toxic blue-green algae. It is the number one challenge targeted by the WWF’s Operation Mermaid. Eutrophication cannot be brought under control solely by purifying the wastewaters of St Petersburg. The WWF is thus working to reduce eutrophication emissions from agriculture and sparsely populated areas and to both establish and rehabilitate wetlands that prevent eutrophication. The WWF is also keeping a close watch on the realisation of the Baltic Sea protection programme of the Finnish government and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
Oil spill response efforts and improving marine safety
The threat of a massive oil spill hangs constantly over the Baltic Sea. The consequences would be catastrophic. In 2006, 140 million tonnes of oil were transported in the Gulf of Finland – five times as much as in 2000. Operation Mermaid is successfully taking action to reduce the risks of oil spills and improve oil spill preparedness. For instance, over 4,500 Finns are part of volunteer oil spill response teams. The WWF campaigned for years to have the Baltic Sea designated as a particularly sensitive sea area. Stricter regulations now apply to shipping on the Baltic Sea.