On 7th of August Russian NGOS Friends of the Baltic and St.Petersburg Association of environmental journalists join the environmental bicycle campaign within the Baltic Green Belt project.

Baltic Green Belt is a conservation project under the Umbrella of European Green Belt, imitated by BUND. The project takes care of protection of the nature and cultural habitats пояс Балтики, it ranges from Travemunde in Germany to the Gulf of Finland coast in Russia. Project participants (environmental NGOs in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia) take actions which help to save the Baltic Sea environment.

Bicycle campaign starts in Rostock and runs to the East via Warnemunde, Stralsund, Greifswald, Lubmin, Peenemunde, and then to Miedzyzdroje (Poland).

Thanks to the common effort of many NGOs Greifswald and its surrounding has got a chance to transform previous “nuclear zone” to the environmental friendly green area - the NORD NPP situated in Lubmin near Greifswald will be decommissioned to 2035 year.

But now these achievements could be lost because of new plans to construct a coal power staion and nuclear waste temporary storage. Local public and environmentalists consider that Baltic Sea shore, famous Greifswald white sands, must be conserved as an opportunity for development of nature friendly tourism and recreation business for present and future generations. Within the bike campaign the public action “No Nuclear Waste on the Baltic Shore”.

Visit to Lubmin is of special interest of Russian bike tour , because right here the Nord-Stream gas pipeline comes to Europe, Russian environmental NGOs together with partners form other Baltic Sea countries for many times participated in the public hearings, organized round tables, attracted independent experts, defended project scenarios which bring less impact to nature, insist on adequate compensation of unavoidable loss in such large-scale projects.

BUND has a successful experience of expert opposing to the projects dangerous for environment. Their interaction with NS company has brought a result which will help to conserve the Baltic Sea, and such experience is very useful for Russian NGOs for more effective opposing to the projects which bring risks for environment.

Participants of the bicycle campaign will hold an information actions and exhibitions in every town on the way. Friends of the Baltic will present and distribute its publication: the booklet “Let’s Help the Baltic Sea Together” which describes the simple solutions for reduction of human load to the environment. This booklet also presents some environmental achievements which we have learned from Nordic Countries.

Our contacts with BUND started within the CCB - Coalition Clean Baltic, the international network uniting 26 NGOs from all countries, which belong to the Baltic Sea catchment area. The CCB supports cooperation for experience exchange and promotion of environmental solutions for better Baltic Sea environment.

During the way we will meet local people, journalists, politicians, ecologists, and will try to share our impressions and findings.

The weather in the region of our bicycle tour is not very good – shower rains and even floods, but we hope it will not disturb our campaign.
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Rostock, Germany