Discovering Helsinki's Natural Environment
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BULEVARDI 2/4, www.ahjoclub.fi ISSUE 5 • 6 – 12 JUNE 2007 • € 3 (SIS.ALV) FINLAND NEWS CULTURE SPORT G8 greenhouse European Samba Finland emissions rise Chemicals carnival in badly INTERNATIONAL NEWS page 9 Agency Helsinki needs a win Procurement law renewed page 4 page 12 page 14 BUSINESS page 11 SAMI SALLINEN Helsinki drafts world’s first underground master plan HELSINKI’S city planning committee derground transport plans, includ- held a meeting on 31 May over what ing the extension of the metro line is thought to be the world’s fi rst un- to the west of Ruoholahti, and from derground master plan. Kamppi to Pasila and Katajanokka, Helsinki wants to guide and coor- as well as the construction of the so- dinate the use of new space carved out called Pisara-rata, a circular under- of the primary rock on which the Finn- ground railway service that would ish capital is built. One of the aims is to link Pasila, Sörnäinen, the city cen- secure the future of the council’s own tre and Töölö. underground construction projects, According to Eija Kivilaakso, head including transport tunnels. of the city planning department, Hel- Demand for underground space, sinki will have more underground especially for storage and park- spaces designated for leisure, culture ing areas, has experienced strong and sport facilities than ever before. growth since the beginning of the The plans will now be distributed decade, resulting in an increased for comments and further develop- need for guidance from the city ment, and are expected to reach the planners. The master plan includes decision-makers of the Helsinki City ten new underground car parks. Council towards the end of this year. Helsinki has many ambitious un- STT/ HT A sea of gerberas created by Kaisa Salmi has transformed Parliament House into an environmental art installation. Finland to cut carbon Flower power dioxide emissions at the Finnish parliament THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION an- crease costs and reduce competi- A MAGNIFICENT sea of gerbera liament House will be growing ger- yard of Lasipalatsi, which will now nounced on Monday that Finland tiveness. Stefan Sundmann from fl owers is covering the steps of beras and other tropical plants in become a permanent installation. must trim its 2008-12 annual car- Metsäteollisuus ry claimed that Finland’s Parliament House this the year 3007 because of global The fl owers from the EDEN III in- bon dioxide allocation plan by 5%. the industry had already reduced week, in a powerful demonstration warming,” Salmi told Helsingin Sa- stallation will be given away free to The cut is smaller than those faced its carbon dioxide emissions below of fl ower power. Entitled Gerbera- nomat, as she was conducting her the public and can be collected from by many other EU countries. Fin- the level required by the Kyoto Pro- meri, EDEN III, the environmen- mass fl ower arranging session ear- the steps of the Parliament House land had proposed a national alloca- tocol, despite increasing production tal art installation is the creation lier this week. She hopes the work this Saturday and Sunday. tion plan with a cap of 39.6 million by 40%. of Finnish artist Kaisa Salmi, and will stimulate people to think about With Helsinki enjoying a heat tonnes of CO2 emissions a year. “I Meanwhile, Finland’s Ministry consists of about 60,000 gerberas the relationship between power wave this week, the fl ower instal- am very pleased with this solution. of Foreign Affairs has decided to in- in 10,000 pots. and the environment. lation is being diligently watered We can live with this quite well,” vest 25 million US dollars in the Asia The giant fl oral display has been Salmi’s artistic fl ower installa- by volunteers. A security compa- said Mauri Pekkarinen (Centre Par- Pacifi c Carbon Fund, through which timed to coincide with the United tions on the environmental theme ny is keeping a watchful eye on ty), the trade and industry minister. it can purchase emissions credits Nations World Environment Day, have been enjoyed in Helsinki since the installation around the clock. Metsäteollisuus ry, which rep- from the projects of the Clean De- celebrated on 5 June, and the arrival 2000, when her musical green- The fl owers have been donated by resents Finland’s forest industries, velopment Mechanism, which re- of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of house was on show in Töölönlahti. the Lepola garden centre in Turku, has challenged the reduction of the duce greenhouse gas emissions in Norway for a state visit to Finland. Last year she created a musical ger- which is renewing its stock of ger- allocation plan, saying it would in- developing countries. STT “My crazy vision is that the Par- bera and citrus garden in the court- beras. STT / HT Subscribe to Subscribe now! Get Helsinki Times HELSINKI delivered to your home for one year 120€! News from Finland in English every week TIMES E-mail your contact information (Name, Address, Telephone, E-mail) to [email protected] 2 6 – 12 JUNE 2007 VIEWPOINT HELSINKI TIMES said&done "In my opinion, it is good that Russia is no longer in a weak po- Heidi Hautala is a Member of Parliament and chair of the sition. Weak states may always contain unexpected risks." Committee on Legal Affairs. She has also been a Member of the European Parliament (1995-2003) and the Green League President Tarja Halonen quoted in Helsingin Sanomat, 3 June. candidate in the Finnish presidential elections (2000,2006). “There are more jobs to be fi lled than during the 1989 economic boom. At the same time there are about two hundred thousand Dreaming people who are unemployed. ... The incentive and income traps have decreased since the mid-1990s. But still for 15% of the un- employed, working isn’t worth it.” of normal Kauppalehti, 31 May. “But few of the households who survive on salaries have be- neighbourliness come overheated, except about their living costs.” Heidi Hautala Martti Ristimäki, comments on fi nance minister Jyrki Katain- en’s warnings about the ‘overheating’ of the Finnish economy, Talous-Sanomat, 31 May. HEN fi rst started to get and the Soviet Union col- edly called his friend. Black be- their passports until their “Jorma Ollila, the chairman of the Finnish Business and Poli- Winvolved in foreign pol- lapsed just a bit later. comes white, white becomes fl ight has taken off. I agree, cy Forum (EVA), was bragging about his own fi tness level at the icy matters towards the end black. it was utterly unwise that launch of the report. It should be excellent too, because just his of 1980s, I was a young leader IN THE early 1990s every- the German government de- wage-earnings in 2005 were 4.27 million euros. When everyone of a very young (Green) par- thing seemed to be moving in BUT, BUT... Isn’t it true that nied some critical journalists else is promised the same reward for raising a sweat, keep fi t en- ty. Our natural orientation, the right direction in Russia. one must be patient since access to the recent G8 sum- thusiasm should spread like tuberculosis did in the olden days.” as a grassroots movement, At least so it seemed. Russia never had a chance to mit. It simply undermined was to make contact with the learn democracy? Hasn’t Pu- the credibility of Chancellor Apu, 31 May, commenting on EVA’s campaign to improve mens’ fitness. old dissidents and new move- IT IS not just me who thinks tin, after all, created order Angela Merkel who had just ments in Gorbachev’s Soviet that things now look worse in chaos, and doesn’t Rus- a couple of weeks earlier told Union. This was not popular for the political “dissent- sia need stability fi rst, in or- President Putin to allow crit- “This is a police state. Finland has always been a land of prohi- among Finland’s political elite ers” than they did prior to der to have democracy? Why ical opinions at the EU-Rus- bitions, soon you can’t do anything here. Luckily I have a fi eld of the time. Our only “allies” the Gorbachev era. In Russia defend the rights of just a sia summit held in Samara. and a terrace where to smoke.” were a few elderly gentlemen today, just the hint of a dif- handful of people who are in Finnish politics, who had ferent political opinion gets dissatisfi ed with the political RUSSIA is so close; Moscow Actress Hannele Lauri responds to the smoking ban in restau- been banished to the politi- one into deep trouble. Even system? is just one night’s train trav- rants, Ilta-Sanomat, 30 May. cal desert by President Urho worse, the security appara- el away from Helsinki. What Kekkonen because of their tus is immediately alarmed if WE SHOULD not be misled a fantastic country we have sharp opinions about our Big anyone dares to address the by such arguments. Russia next to us. It is sad that we “It feels so good when foreigners are praising a Finn. However, Neighbour. It was not always still ongoing confl ict and vio- has, fi rst of all, joined Euro- cannot have normal relations a friend of mine said such journalism is the spiritual masturba- so much fun to be supported lence against the civilians in pean institutions such as the with our neighbour. Normal tion of the Finns. He is clearly unpatriotic.” by them, I can tell you. Chechnya. Council of Europe and the Or- means that we can meet with ganisation for Security and them without being accused Janne Metso, Uutislehti 100, 31 May, commenting on the Finnish me- IN 1987 I participated in a for- THIS IS what happened to Cooperation in Europe, which of “foreign” intervention in dia’s enthusiasm to ask foreigners about Finland’s star ice hockey bidden human rights confer- Oksana Chelysheva and Stan- oblige them to guarantee po- their internal business.