John Nurminen Foundation and Moomin join to save the Gulf of Finland
One of the world’s most researched seas, the Baltic Sea has a unique and delicate ecosystem. Currently, it is suffering from serious damages: big pollution, modifications of ecological equilibrium in the water, biodiversity changes, and life threats to sea species.
Finnish marine protection organization John Nurminen Foundation has joined forces with popular and worldwide children’s story brand Moomin to clean the Gulf of Finland. The international #OURSEA campaign has attracted the interest of Japan, and their goal is to help fight against one of the most pressing environmental problems in Northern Europe.
Facts about the Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is inserted between nine countries: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, and it is one of the most polluted sea areas in the world. It is an ecologically sensitive and vulnerable sea that is exposed and affected by the activities of people who live, work, and spend leisure time in the catchment area of the Baltic Sea. Climate change is also affecting and worsening its already serious environmental problems.
John Nurminen Foundation – Baltic Sea protection and marine culture
The John Nurminen Foundation was established in 1992, and the purpose of the foundation is to rescue the Baltic Sea and its heritage for future generations. The Foundation’s Clean Baltic Sea projects aim to improve the condition of the Baltic Sea, and their work and results have a valuable impact towards reducing the environmental risks directed to the sea. In the Gulf of Finland, the John Nurminen Foundation has been applying the scientific solutions and has cooperated with its partners in order to achieve more considerable outcomes for the problem. The Foundation currently has new projects, and through partnerships such as #OURSEA campaign carried out with Moomin
Characters Ltd, the Foundation’s mission is to obtain more impact on its work. For more information see John Nurminen Foundation.
Moomin characters
The Moomins are one of Finland’s biggest exports and have worldwide popularity. The books, novels, and comic strips about the Moomins were written and illustrated by Tove Jansson (1914-2001), a Finnish-Swedish female writer and artist. The Moomins are a family of friendly, round trolls who live in Moomin valley together with their friends and acquaintances. The stories about the courageous, adventurous, and home-loving Moomins have been translated into more than 50 languages. For more information visit Moomin.
International #OURSEA campaign
The international #OURSEA campaign tries to involve and get the attention of partners from all fields of society. When Moomin Characters Ltd, the official copyright holder of the Moomin characters, chose a topic and a partner for its charity campaign in order to celebrate the Moomin 75 anniversary in 2020, the sea and John Nurminen Foundation was clearly a good option.
For Tove Jansson, the creator of Moomin stories, the Baltic Sea was a very important inspiration, therefore, Moomin Characters want to participate in saving the Baltic Sea by engaging the wide Moomin audience in the search and rescue of the sea. As Sophia Jansson, Creative Director and Chairman of the Board at Moomin Characters says: “We want to take care of the sea and do everything we can to protect it. Amazing work is being done for the future of the Baltic Sea, and we want to join this effort and also inspire as many people and different organizations as possible to join.”
The #OURSEA campaign’s mission is to collect one million euros for John Nurminen
Foundation’s work for the Baltic Sea and its heritage and raise awareness and sense of
urgency about the state of the Baltic Sea. The funds for the activities of the John Nurminen
Foundation will be collected through corporate donations, direct donations from consumers, campaign products and events. The #OURSEA campaign engages participants from cities and municipalities to corporations, NGO:s, retailers, schools and various cultural institutions and media outlets from around the Baltic Sea and beyond.
Even before being officially launched, the campaign has attracted international attention beyond the Nordics, with participation and dragging attention and interest of media from Japan and Great Britain. The full campaign program including all partners and events will be launched at the International Boat Fair in Helsinki on February 7, 2020.