On 21 September 2019, we celebrated European Cooperation Day under the slogan „Green Space Tour“. Destination and meeting point of four different routes, starting from Riga, Tartu, Aluksne and Pärnu, was Tartu Observatory in Tõravere, Estonia.
Event gathered more than 200 participants from Estonia, Latvia and Russia. The focus of the full day was on environment, waste management, recycling, re-use and raising awareness on how to behave in an environmentally friendly way.
In Tartu Nature Nature House PhD Mait Kriipsalu from Estonian University of Life Science presented good practices, trends and future of waste management in our world as well how to live greener.
Environmental issues are undoubtedly one of the top priority areas for collaboration between neighboring countries. Numerous cross border cooperation projects acting in this field and funded by Estonia-Russia and Estonia-Latvia programmes were presented at the European Cooperation Day.
Hands-on activities by project partners were educational providing new knowledge on energy saving, waste management, environmental protection, Lake Peipsi biota etc. Workshops attracted participants regardless of age on our four journeys as well on spot in Tõravere Observatory. Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation represented projects „CuNaHe“ and „GreenMind“.
“Only the sky is the limit for cooperation”, said in opening words Mr Keit Kasemets, the head of EC representation in Estonia. Mr Aleksei Kotelnikov, the First Secretary of Embassy of the Russian Federation in Estonia noted in his speech that cross-border cooperation has an important role to play in the development of border regions, as well as countries and it delivers tangible results.
As a symbol of the Green Space Tour and EC Day, we unveiled the Rocket, which, according to the theme of the day, had been recycled and transformed into art from the so-called useless waste by Latvian artist Gatis Kreicbergs.
The head of managing authority Ms Ege Ello said at the opening of the sculpture: “Today we celebrate European Cooperation Day in European Union and across its external borders, as well today takes place World Cleanup Day in more than 150 countries over the world. This sculpture is a symbiosis of these two meanings”.
The day offered positive emotions, new skills, an exciting discovery in the telescope tower and space related knowledge in the Tartu Observatory.
Event was organized in cooperation with Interreg Estonia-Latvia Programme.
The next European Cooperation Day is already in a year’s time!
Photos by Glänel Tirrand and JTS of Estonia-Russia CBC Programme
Please visit the photo gallery of event HERE.