service to borrow items

This is so cool and definitely environmentally friendly action; service to borrow and lend items. You can find suitcases, backpacks, tents, music equipment etc. Its in Finnish, but since its just easy vocabulary you may go and translate while reading (have you used for example www.sanakirja.org online dictionary?)

http://www.kuinoma.fi/

the terms and conditions are pretty well planned as well so try to check them out. Good way as well to borrow your items you rarely use :)

Trekking trip to Helvetinjärvi national park on 30.10.2009

Its really beautiful, I really recommend this one!

Trekking trip to Helvetinjärvi national park on 30.10.2009
Are you interested in joining your fellow students in an outdoorsy
trekking experience in the beautiful Helvetinjärvi national park? It's
going to be an enjoyable day amidst the stunningly beautiful and
peaceful environment of traditional Finnish lake-forest scenery. The
participants consist of UTA, TUT and TAMK students.

For the trip you need:

-comfy shoes to walk with
-clothes according to the weather
-some warm clothes for breaks
-something to eat during the day

The departure is at 9.00 (the bus that takes us there tours the
campuses to pick students up) and we'll be back in Tampere at
approximately 17.00. It takes around 1½h by bus to reach the national
park (80kms) so the time spent inside the park is about five hours.
We're offering you a guided tour to the uniquely GORGEous Helvetinkolu
gorge and from there to Haukanhieta. We're also going to have a break
when it's possible for you to eat around a warm campfire. The total
length for the trekking part is around 7kms.

All this costs a mere 5 euros which will be paid by the bus in cash. Sign
up for the trip by sending e-mail to liikunta@tamko.fi with
"Vaellus09" as subject. Remember to tell which school you're coming
from (UTA/TUT/TAMK.) Deadline for signing up is 22.10.2009.

Everyone who signs up will receive further information later.

We welcome you to come and enjoy the astonishing nature Helvetinjärvi has to offer!

picture: Hannu Kopra, taken from www.joet.info/isohelvetinjarvi.JPG

COP15 - opportunity to travel to climate negotiations in December

Interested to go to Copenhagen to see the global COP15 climate negotiations in December? There is a rather ecological and cheap way to travel there from Finland + accomodation available included in the price. See more below, as much as I would love to have time to translate the whole stuff below into English, I dont, so here really briefly (international students please ask more from your Finnish fellow students). I would love to see few brave enves going there and keep on reporting shortly about the negotiations and the events in the city in December, if there are some, let me know and lets post greetings here then from you. Anyone?

briefly the points in the Finnish text below:
1. Deadline to enrol to the bustrip and accomodation is 31.10.2009!
2. informs the travel times and dates for accomdation available.
3. prices.
4. how to enrol, information concerning that.
5. everyone who participates is responsible for themselves and arranges their own programme in Copenhagen, this is only the trip and the accomodation.


----------------------------------------------

Saa levittää!!

LOPULLINEN ILMOITTAUTUMINEN KÖP15-MIELENOSOITUSMATKAA VARTEN ON ALKANUT!

Tervetuloa ilmastovallankumoukselliselle matkalle Kööpenhaminan
ilmastokokouksen mielenosoituksiin!
Lue ohjeet ilmoittautumista varten tarkkaan, ja noudata niitä.

BUSSIMATKAN FAKTAT

1. Ilmoittautumisten takaraja
Kaikki henkilö- ja ryhmäilmoittautumiset tulee tehdä 31.10. mennessä.
Tämä tarkoittaa, että matka tulee olla myös maksettu silloin.
Ilmoittautuminen on sitova, eikä maksua palauteta 31.10. jälkeen
lähtönsä peruville.

2. Matka-ajat, bussit ja majoitus
Matkaan lähtee näillä näkymin neljä bussia. Ilmoittautuneiden määrästä
riippuu, montako bussia saamme täyteen. Kaikki bussit lähtevät
liikkeelle torstaina 10.12. klo 17.00 Helsingin rautatieaseman luota.
Mukaan voi tulla myös suoraan Turusta.

Paluumatka alkaa maanantaiaamuna 14.12. Saavumme Turkuun tiistaina
15.12. klo 7.35 ja Helsinkiin n. klo 10-11. Yksi bussi on
Kööpenhaminassa 20.12. asti, ja palaa maanantaina 21.12. Turkuun klo
7.35 ja Helsinkiin n. klo 10-11. Tällä bussilla palaavat maksavat hieman
enemmän, sekä joutuvat huolehtimaan itselleen majoituksen 14.-20.12.
väliseksi ajaksi. Jos lähtijöitä pidemmälle matkalle ei tule
riittävästi, matka peruuntuu.

Matkojen tarkka aikataulu ja bussien lähtöpaikat ilmoitetaan lähtijöille
sähköpostitse marraskuussa.

Bussien hintaan sisältyy lattiamajoitus koulussa 11.-14.12. Voit myös
halutessasi järjestää itse itsellesi majoituksen.

3. Hinnat
Matka A, 10.-15.12.
150 eur/hlö

Matka B, 10.-20.12.
180 eur/hlö.

Vasemmistonuoret tukee omien jäsentensä matkoja. Lisätietoa:
http://www.vasemmistonuoret.fi/?/forum/viewthread/3158/

4. Ilmoittautuminen ja maksaminen

Henkilöilmoittautumiset

Yhden hengen ilmoittautuminen tapahtuu tilisiirron kautta: Maksa sinua
koskeva maksu (riippuu, valitsetko matkan A vai matkan B ja oletko
Vasemmistonuorten jäsen) tilille 152130-4160. Viimeinen maksupäivä on
31.10. Laita viestiosaan seuraava teksti: KÖP15 sekä nimesi,
syntymäaikasi, sähköpostiosoitteesi ja puhelinnumerosi.
Esimerkiksi: KÖP15 Antti Aktivisti 130783 antti.aktivisti@gmail.com
040-1234567.

Ryhmäilmoittautumiset

Useamman henkilön yksilöilmoittautuminen tai ryhmäilmoittautuminen
tapahtuu seuraavasti: Maksa edellämainitulle tilille kaikkien ryhmässä
matkustavien maksut 31.10. mennessä. Laita viestiosaan teksti KÖP15 ja
ryhmän nimi. Lähetä kampanjan sähköpostiosoitteeseen
(ilmastokampanja-ät-vasemmistonuoret.fi) 31.10. mennessä viesti, jossa on
ryhmän nimi ja jokaisesta matkustajasta seuraavat tiedot:
- nimi
- syntymäaika
- sähköpostiosoite
- puhelinnumero
- onko Vasemmistonuorten jäsen
- matka A vai matka B

Laita sähköpostiin liitteeksi kuitti tapahtuneesta maksusta. Jos sinulle
on mahdotonta saada sähköistä kuittia, kerro se sähköpostissa, niin
kampanjakoordinaattori tarkistaa maksun saapumisen.

5. Vain toiseen suuntaan matkustavat, matkan varrelta kyytiin tulevat

Bussikyyteihin otetaan ensisijaisesti molempiin suuntiin matkustavia
ihmisiä. 9.11. jälkeen voi kysellä vapaata tilaa busseista, jolloin
kyytiin voi tulla myös Tuhkolmasta ja vain toiseen suuntaan voi
matkustaa alennetulla hinnalla. Nämä hinnat sovitaan myöhemmin.

6. Vastuu ja alaikäiset matkalle lähtijät

Matkalla jokainen vastaa itsestään ja omasta osallistumisestaan
toimintaan Kööpenhaminassa. Matka toteutetaan force majoure -varauksin.
Matkavakuutuksen ottaminen matkaa varten on suositeltavaa.

KÖP15 - ilmastokampanja
Vasemmistonuoret
kampanjakoordinaattori Minna Sumelius
ilmastokampanja@vasemmistonuoret.fi
puh. 045-2373907

KÖP15 - climatecampaign
Vasemmistonuoret - The Left Youth of Finland
campaign coordinator Minna Sumelius
ilmastokampanja@vasemmistonuoret.fi
+358 45 237 3907

A poll, please vote!

Once you have voted please take a moment to comment on your answer below. For example if you answered that you use a third party  application please share with us which one. Also feel free to let us know if you would like to see more polls on this blog.

A perfect news story?

Now I am not saying this story is perfect in respect to it's writing or it's content. However what I really do like about this story is it's scope, and the potential that it offers.

Curbing Climate Change by Sealing Gas Leaks

In terms of scope, the ability to see a way to deal with the problem at hand is there, the areas of greatest concern are well highlighted and the facts are well established and clearly differentiated from conjecture.

In terms of potential. Well anyone who feels like they really want to "clean up" the oil industry has an instant in. Be they students or already in the job market. Students looking for something to right about ethics, Environmental or otherwise, are well served. If they need to discuss some economic factors or issues in the current light are presented with a wealth of information and a very good place to start. Then there is the ability to discuss the perception of environmental problems. There are references all over the article for this. I could go on and on...

The New York Times did not make it in to my top three of sources for good stories, mainly because they don't have a single destination for all their stories on the environment (they have a blog, the "By Degrees" sub heading and several by-lines) but this story, I feel, just highlights my point that there is always a story or article out there related to what you want to talk about. And sometimes, as in this case, you have an article that presents itself as both a really good article and a really, really good source for much further reading and writting!

News, news and more news...

But can there be a case made for "too much news"?

Over the yeas that I studied in TAMK the amount of environmental news stories and sites dedicated to covering such news grew tremendously. And while my old habits of hitting up the big "news corporations" continued I also had to contend with the corresponding "agenda's" that cane along with the stories from these sources. On some sites this was easier to spot, and for me to read between the lines so to speak. And of course no matter the source of the story, it was but the work of a moment to search for and read up on alternate reports on the same subject.

Then of course there is the massive amount of blogs, from the rarely, if ever, updated to the fanatics who post comments on any story that barley touches on anything to do with the environment! These days it is almost impossible not to be able to find any environmental story covered by people who share the same outlook as you.

But in theses days of social media and "mashups" is there a case to be made for there being "too much news"?

So with this in mind I would like to ask you to note down in a comment on this article what sources, be they internet or not, do you always find yourself turning to for environmental news, make it your top three, and which sites, if any, you always avoid, again and if you have that many, a top three. If you want you can give a very short explanation as to why you read what you read. Over the next few weeks, I will be making a note of a what you have all said and will post again later in the Autumn, an "ultimate guide to all things environmental news". That way then, never can an environmental engineering student ever utter the line "I couldn't find anything to write about..."

Top three sites I read for environmental news and stories:

1) Planet Ark News. Quite simply my ultimate one stop shop for news, analysis and ideas.
2) BBC News Science and Environment. I always find myself coming back to Auntie for it's perspective and more in depth reporting, along with it's diverse range of issues covered.
3) The Washington Post. Green. American, right at the heart of D.C. A newspaper that is always top notch with it's coverage of the American effort and perspective on all things environmental.

Top three sites I avoid for environmental news and stories:
1) CNN. Very little coverage outside of natural disaters, very basic reporting.
2) Sky News. The latest search I did on this site for the word "Environment" returned, as it's first result, a story that was from July 2008. Oh boy...
3) The Times Online. ...

So there you go. Not exactly the most provocative of lists, but my top three's none the less. I look forward to reading all of yours.

TAMKO trip to St Petersburg

Worth checking out? (Map from Lonelyplanet.com)

TAMKO trip to St Petersburg 26.-29.11.09

Taken from: Aikamatkat.fi :

Awesome road trip to St Petersburg for TAMKO students! Special offer -guided tours to the State Hermitage museum and Catherine's palace for free! This trip has always been very popular, be sure to not be left out!

MEKONG AT THE CROSSROADS -seminar on 15th October

Interesting event, in Helsinki, but worth checking out especially if you're interested in water issues.

MEKONG AT THE CROSSROADS
– HYDROPOWER, LIVELIHOODS & GOVERNANCE

WHEN: Thursday 15th October at 12.00 – 14.00
WHERE: Lecture hall 127, Tietotie 1A, Espoo, Water Resources Research Unit (Vesitekniikka), Helsinki University of Technology TKK

Seminar programme

12.00 Opening remarks: Mekong at the crossroads
- Olli Varis, Water & Development Research Group, TKK

12.15 The promise of flood protection: case Mekong Delta
- Bach Tan Sinh, National Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategy Studies (NISTPASS), Vietnam

12.45 Discussion

13.00 Hydropower & fisheries in the Mekong Region: what are the likely impacts?
- Marko Keskinen, Water & Development Research Group, TKK

13.20 Anti-politics of Mekong knowledge production
- Mira Käkönen, Finland Futures Research Centre / University of Helsinki

13.40 Discussion & conclusions


For more information, contact Marko Keskinen (keskinen@iki.fi, 050-3824626). Welcome!

Clean Baltic Sea, job for a Finnish speaker - puhdas Itämeri - avoin työpaikka

Interesting jobs open now for any graduated enve with some work experience already, any alumni reading this site already? And for us still studying, yes there are jobs in Finland for us :) (sorry that this is only in Finnish the add, I know enves are international people, but hope you can still follow it and some people find this useful?)

See also: www.puhdasitameri.fi

Carrot mob of Tampere (Porkkanamafia) is on!

Friday 9th October the carrot mob Tampere is on! (see more about carrot mob in: carrotmob.org)

This time the target is a supermarket. The best bid to carrot mob Tampere was given from K-market in Tullintori and on Friday if you go shopping your groceries there all the extra income that the K-market gets on that day is spent (100%) on investements for energy efficiency in the store! How cool is that? So shop your weekend groceries from K-market Tullintori on this coming Friday :)

Did you know that at the moment we are also living "energy saving week" in Finland? This event is part of all events organized during this week.

info about the event in Finnish:

Tervehdys porkkanamafiasta!

Ensi perjantaina 9.10. Porkkanamafia tempaisee ensimmäistä kertaa
Suomessa päivittäistavarakauppaan. Tapaus on historiallinen myös
siksi, että kyseessä on ensimmäinen kahdessa kaupungissa yhtä
aikaa järjestettävä tempaus.

Kilpailutuksella kohteiksi valikoituivat K-market Tullintori
Tampereella ja K-Market Kotikontu Helsingin Rautatieaseman
asematunnelissa. Molemmat kauppiaat ovat sitoutuneet käyttämään
sata prosenttia tempauksen lisämyynnistä energiatehokkuuden
parantamiseen omassa myymälässään.

Käytännössä tämä voi tarkoittaa esimerkiksi kylmälaitteiden
parantamista, henkilöstön koulutusta tai vaikkapa
elintarvikevalikoiman suuntaamista vähähiilisemmäksi.

Tule tekemään viikonloppuostoksesi kauppaan, joka sijoittaa
ympäristöön!

Tempaus on osa Motivan järjestämää Energiansäästöviikkoa.

Lisätietoja osoitteesta www.porkkanamafia.fi

Tampere celebrates the 230 years birthday!

Thanks to Leena, here we go, still chance to go to events in Tampere on saturday evening or Sunday (sorry the ones on saturday and friday are already gone since the late posting of this one...!!) :)

Hi happy enves,
just to let you know, there are lots of happening in the city centre this weekend, also free of charge.
Tampere celebrates the 230 years birthday!

For example:

Saturday 3.10
9-18 Free entrance to Lenin museum (Hämeenpuisto 28)
10-17 Big handicraft happening in Tallipiha. "Design" and sweet are sold. Calligraphy, ceramics, music, horses, nice atmosphere (Tallipiha)
18 Fast dating in church! For 22-25 years old. (Aleksanterin kirkko)

Sunday 4.10
9-17 Tampere orthodoxian church is openfor public
10-16 Moreenia Tampere city environmental centre is open (Patosilta, Satakunnankatu 13 b, 3. floor.)
10-16 Tampere city central fire station. See the cars etc. Free. Satakunnankatu 16
10-16 Manse RG offers Tampere people free try of minigolf in Koulukatu
10-18 Muumilaakso, free entrance to Momin museum, (Hämeenpuisto 20)
10 - 18 Museokeskus Vapriikki, Museum Vapriikki, free entrance to the exhibitions (except the Sitting Bull)
10 - 18 Tampere Art museum, free entrance (Puutarhakatu 34)
10 - 18 Amuri työläiskortteli (museum part) How people lived before? Free entrance (Satakunnankatu 49)
10 - 18 Kivimuseo, Rockmuseum (stones not music! :) ) Freen entrance (Hämeenpuisto 20)
10-18 Big handicraft happening in Tallipiha. "Design" and sweet are sold. Calligraphy, ceramics, music, horses, nice atmosphere (Tallipiha)
11-15 Police station is open for public and they show eg the places for drunken people found in the streets :) Also a famous auction. (Tampereen pääpoliisiasema, Sorinkatu)
11-16 Tampere club has an photo exhibition of Tampere. (Raatihuone ground level)
11 - 18 Työväenmuseo Werstas, free entrance, workers museum(Väinö Linnan aukio 8)
11 - 18 Sara Hildénin taidemuseo, art museum Särkänniemi, free entrance

This is just a summary of all what is going on, check Tampere web sites for more information.
Happy birthday Tampere!