The Finnish Ecobus was visited by 12,000 citizens during five days.
Photo: Ari I. Aalto
The bus was actually a mobile exhibition room with seats replaced by posters, models, examples of hazardous waste, etc.
Photo: Ari I. Aalto
The Finnish ecobus was invited to visit St. Petersburg by Mr Anatoly Bayev, Head of Environmental Protection in St. Petersburg. The campaign was organized by the cities of Helsinki, Lappeenranta and Turku and additionally financed by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. It aimed at presenting how waste management has been organized in the urban areas of Finland and what future prospects are.
A mobile exhibition room
The bus was actually a mobile exhibition room with seats replaced by posters, kitchenware (even a traditional wood stove!), various detergents, models, examples of hazardous waste, compostors, recyclable products, etc. The focus was on the environmental impact of daily life at home. The information was as practical as possible, for instance how to save water in cooking, what some environmentally friendly means of removing stains are and which materials can be safely burned. The Finnish waste management system as a whole was also presented.
12,000 visitors during five days
The bus moved round St. Petersburg in order to reach ordinary citizens. Mainly, however, it was parked at Nevski Prospekt. It also visited two schools to reach pupils in addition to those classes which visited the bus. A local theatre performed a puppet show with an environmental theme and a Swedish band entertained the visitors. A total of over 12,000 people visited the bus during the five days.Citizens were interested in the ecobus and their comments were positive. Topics that interested them most were composting and the use of alternative detergents (e.g. vinegar). A brochure in Russian called " A Healthy Environment - the Challenge of Our Times", available in the bus contained information on these and other issues. The rest of the 300,000 copy edition will be distributed in St. Petersburg through schools.
For further information, please contact Ms Anja Vallittu in Helsinki, fax. +358 9 73122235 or Mr Ari I. Aalto in Turku, fax. +358 2 2303518.
