Rings in Water - involvement of immigrants and Russian speaking inhabitants through environmental activities.

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Although number of projects to raise environmental awareness and thus minimise negative impacts on nature, funded either nationally or internationally over last 10 years, the amounts of household wastes that are dumped in waste sites tend to increase. Vaste majority of funded projects have been oriented to children and other Estonian or Finnish speaking adults. Two large inhabitant groups both in Estonia and Finland have never been targeted before - elderly (60+ years), and Russian speaking inhabitants. The project idea is raising environmental awareness of Russian speaking or elderly inhabitants in municipalities where Russian speaking inhabitants dominate (Narva, Lasnamäe and Põhja-Tallinn), and Russian speaking immigrants in Finnish municipalities (Lahti, Hollola, Nastola). Also municipal servants are trained to obtain skills to involve Russian speaking inhabitants practicing to take care of environment in neighbourhood and minimise household waste, energy and water consumption. Project activities are divided into five logically binded groups: 1. Analysing public involvement methods, implemented in Estonia (Tallinn, Narva) and Finland (Lahti Region) in environmental awareness raising in different target groups.The results of the analyse give input for development training programs. 2. Providing target groups in Estonia (elderly and Russian inhabitants) and Lahti Region (Russian schoolchildren and adults) with knowledge and skills to control energy and water consumption and household waste separation, introducing the environment in neighbourhood and demostrating the implications of human behaviour (waste site, waste water treatment plant). Knowledge and skills obtained during training sessions give an input for active networking and dissemination of project results. 3. Encouraging Russian speaking inhabitants to network - in municipality, between municipalities (Tallinn-Narva, Lahti-Hollola-Nastola), as well as between target groups in Estonia and Finland. 4. Disseminating the project results to other municipalities where Russian speaking inhabitants dominate in Estonia and Finland, publishing training materials and brochures, writing articles in local and national newspapers, maintaining project web site. 5. Providing project team members and activities with management support. Completion of planned activities in time will result in achievement project objectives.

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