BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Good beginning with plausible optimism in “Hopenhagen”

Eugene Eteris

The UN Climate Change Conference kicked off on Monday, 7 December, with a strong sense of confidence that countries can seal a comprehensive, ambitious and effective international climate change deal in Demark and with an unprecedented sense of urgency to act on climate change. And important initiative followed…

The two-week meeting, the fifteenth Conference of the 193 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the fifth meeting of the 189 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, is the culmination of a process set in motion in Bali, where Parties to the UNFCCC agreed to conclude negotiations on a new global deal in Denmark in 2009 (see our report from COP-15, 6 December 2009 in the BC).

According to speakers at the opening ceremony, the highly anticipated conference marks an historic turning point on how the world confronts climate change, an issue with profound implications for the health and prosperity of all people. Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced that 110 heads of state and government would attend the closing part of the conference and in making its final concluding document.

The Danish PM acknowledged that the climate changes transcend state borders: these changes do not discriminate, they affects us all, he said. “And we are here today because we are all committed to take action. That is our common point of departure – the magnitude of the challenge before us is to translate this political will into a strong political approach,” he concluded.

New competition for the "Environmental Award of the Year"

The Ministry of the Environment announces new competition for the Environmental Award of the Year. The competition is organised in three main categories and all individuals, institutions, companies and organisations that have contributed to the conservation of the environment in the last year are invited to participate.

Candidates for the Environmental Award and the Junior Environmental Award of the Year can be nominated by everyone; nominations can be made by others or by the candidates themselves. Companies can apply for the Environmental Award for Business and it is permitted to nominate oneself in this category.

In order to nominate a candidate, the applicant should fill out the questionnaire of the competition and submit it to the Ministry of the Environment by e-mail or regular mail, appending any relevant materials to present the nominated achievement. The questionnaire can be downloaded from the homepage of the Ministry of the Environment at www.envir.ee/keskkonnategu.

The nominations will be assessed by two panels of environmental experts and representatives of the public and non-governmental sectors.

Renewable energy will grow to 25% of all energy consumption in Estonia

Juhan Tere

The Estonian government approved on Thursday of the proposal of the economy ministry to compile an action plan of renewable energy till 2020, according to which the share of renewable energy will grow to 25% of all energy consumption in Estonia, E24/LETA reported.

Economy ministry’s energy sphere deputy chancellor Einari Kisel said that Estonia has sufficient potential to fulfill that aim much sooner than that.

“Decisions already made in the renewable energy sphere allow hoping that Estonia will fulfill the aim faster,” he said.

The action plan for increase of share of renewable energy is based on the new EU renewable energy directive that sets an aim of renewable energy forming 20 of all energy consumption for the EU.

Since in Estonia, renewable energy consumption formed 18% of final consumption in 2005, Estonia’s aim was set at 25%.

Estonians in town for Healthy Buildings 2009 soak up Syracuse's green expertise

by Marie Morelli

Syracuse, NY - Among the 45 nations represented at this week's Healthy Buildings 2009 conference in Syracuse is Estonia, a nation of 1.3 million people on the Baltic Sea.

There are 20 Estonians at the global meeting of the International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate, being held at the Oncenter until Thursday. By comparison, the more than 900 delegates, 14 are from Canada, 69 from Japan and 577 from the U.S.

"Because of our situation in the north, we use a lot of energy to heat," said Indrek Peterson, of Tallinn, Estonia, who heads a construction trade group. "This ... is a high priority for us."

The Estonians are making the most of their visit with field trips to learn more about green engineering, construction and architecture. Syracuse has plenty to show them.

Monday, a group of Estonians visited C&S Companies in North Syracuse.

Tuesday, Peterson and seven countrymen toured two green building sites eight blocks apart.

Tree Planting Company, Touch of Green, wins Student Business Award

Students devise innovative plan to show people exactly how much of their carbon footprint they have offset by purchasing a tree planting service.

Tallinn - The Estonian innovative student tree planting company Touch of Green won the European competition for the best student company of 2009, which was held by JA-YE on July 2 to 5 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The internationally active Estonian entrepreneur and owner of KC Grupp, Margus Reinsalu, is pleased to hear of the tremendous success of his young compatriots. The entrepreneurial students behind the start up company came up with an inspired idea - allow people to buy tree planting services and show them how much of their carbon footprint they have offset.

Student companies from 32 European countries, winners of their national competitions, were involved in the 20th JA-YE Europe Company of the Year Competition. The second runner-up after the winner Estonia was Switzerland, third prize went to Germany.

The ingenious idea behind Touch of Green is to provide a way to neutralize one's carbon footprint through tree planting. After purchasing the plantation service the customer receives a certificate claiming how much CO2 has been neutralised and the exact coordinates of the planted trees. The creative brain power representing this wonderful idea at the competition consisted of five enthusiastic students from two different schools: Margus Potisepp, Richard Pikmets, Kelli Kuligina, Kristel Reino and Vahur Koort.

Central Tallinn tunnel

The central station of Tallinn (population 400 000) adjoins the historic core of the city, Vanalinn or Old Town. It is a terminal station, and it would also become the terminal of the proposed standard-gauge high-speed line to Riga. The tunnel proposed here is intended only for urban-regional services (at present operated by Elektriraudtee), and perhaps for some regional services. It would not be used by the proposed metre-gauge regional rail line to the island of Saaremaa.

The purpose of the tunnel is to balance traffic on the radial lines, to create an east-west through service in the urban region, and to give better service of the central area. It would also facilitate a new eastern line through Lasnamäe to Maardu, for instance along Laagna tee.

The existing radial lines run to Aegviidu (on the main line to St. Petersburg via Narva), and to Paldiski via Nõmme and Keila. At Keila, there would be an interchange station for the metre-gauge services, which could include a re-opened line to Haapsalu.

The metre-gauge line itself would approach Tallinn, either on parallel tracks though Nõmme, or via Laagri to the existing alignment from Saku. Suburban trains on the 54-km line from Rapla via Saku could also use the tunnel, if the line was electrified. Re-conversion of this isolated line to metre gauge, might be a better option.

The central tunnel would run in a semicircle from the main station Balti Jaam, on the north-west edge of the Old Town. The tunnel would serve a second central-area station, east of the historic core. Before or after that station, the line would split. One section would connect to the Aegviidu / Narva line. The other would go to Tallinn-Välke station, or to an existing connecting line via Luite. Via a short new link at Järve, trains could then reach the Keila line. Near the second central-area station, the new line to Maardu would also diverge. The new lines are shown schematically in green, existing lines in black.

New head of the Environmental Board in Estonia selected

Andres Onemar was selected yesterday as the new head of the Environmental Board which will start work in the beginning of next week, reports Eesti Päevaleht/LETA.

Yet another Reform Party member becoming a top-level State executive again confirms that the members of this party have highest chances of achieving high positions in the administrative area of the minister of environment Jaanus Tamkivi.

Three out of five regional directors of the Environmental Board appointed by the ministry are also members of the Reform Party. Maintaining partisan direction in appointing high-level officials has been kept up by Tamkivi ever since he took the position of a minister in April 2007.

EC scrutinizes Estonia on air quality

TALLINN - Estonia and nine other EU member states have come under the scrutiny of the European Commission over their excessive air pollution levels.

The Commission has launched an infringement procedure against Estonia, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom that reportedly do not meet the bloc's air quality standards concerning coarse particles known as PM10.

EU countries were sent a request for information in June 2008 and the Commission subsequently gave a first warning to 10 member states that had failed to bring the PM10 concentration down to the required level.

Depending on a particular country's response to the warning, the Commission may decide to send it a so-called reasoned opinion explaining why it finds the country in violation of EU legislation and urging it to ensure observance of law by a set deadline which usually is two months.

If a member state fails to comply, the EU executive may refer the case to the European Court of Justice.

PM10 particles emitted by industrial enterprises, motor vehicles and household boiler houses can cause asthma, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and premature death.

The new air quality directive that stepped into effect in June 2008 allows EU member states to apply on certain conditions for a period of grace to bring the PM10 concentration into line with the norm.

Estonia lets half of its forests go to waste

Toomas Hõbemägi

While only several years ago Estonian sawmills imported about 2 million cubic metres of roundwood from Russia, the imports have now fallen to around 300,000 cubic metres.

Postimees writes that loss of Russian roundwood has put the Estonian forest industry in a tough situation since Estonia fells about half of what it should to make forests sustainable.

Andres Talihärm, managing director of the Estonian Forest Industry, says that Estonia fells about 5 million cubic metres of forest a year, of which half comes from private forests.

“However, forest experts claim that Estonia could easily fell about twice the amount or up to 12 mln cubic metres a year since otherwise half of this amount will go to waste,” said Talihärm.

He added that even if Estonia felled 10 mln cubic metres of forest a year it would have no need to import roundwood. “One reason why there has been less demand for roundwood on the market is that Estonia’s construction market has been drying up and prices of sawn timber have been falling. In addition, some paper plants that were big customers of Estonian forest in Scandinavia have been closed and all this is affecting the business.”

ECOBAY Focuses on Sustainability

One thing we're seeing for sure is an increasing amount of activity in the masterplanned, sustainable city area.  Last January, schmidt hammer lassen architects won an international competition to design ECOBAY, a new town situated on the Paljassaare peninsula near the Estonian capital of Tallinn. 

In collaboration with Buro Happold Consulting Engineers and Møller & Grønborg, ECOBAY has been designed with everything one would need in close proximity : housing, schools, local shops, businesses, and other amenities -- all within walking or biking distance.  In addition, the town will utilize geothermal, small-scale wind, and surplus energy from the nearby wastewater facility. 

Although fluid in appearance, the buildings have all been situated with strategy.  Building spacing has been calculated to maximize solar gain and, at the same time, diminish heat loss due to overshadowing.  The masterplan also creates "dunes" that absorb and filter harsh winds blowing in from the Baltic Sea.

Structures within the town will vary in terms of size, shape, and sustainability.  Some homes will be designed to reduce energy consumption by up to 70% over conventionally designed structures.  The entire town will accomodate roughly 6,000 people and should be completed over the next 15-20 years.  It should be exciting to watch the city as it sprouts into existence.