Põhja- ja Baltimaade koostöö ja Põhjamaade Ministrite Nõukogu Eesti esinduse 20. juubeli tähistamiseks kutsume kõiki eestikeelsesse Vikipeediasse Põhjamaade-teemalisi artikleid kirjutama alates 23. märtsist 2011.

Teemavaliku hõlbustamiseks oleme loonud viis kategooriat. Iga kategooria parimat kirjutajat auhinnatakse 1000-eurose reisivautšeriga vabalt valitud sihtkohta Põhjamaades. Lisaks jagub tublimatele panustajatele mitmeid väiksemaid auhindu.

Auhindadele kandideerimiseks tuleb kirjutada või toimetada nõuetele vastavaid artikleid eestikeelses Vikipeedias hiljemalt 30. aprillil 2011.

Artiklite kirjutamise võistlusel on kolm peamist eesmärki:

• suurendada Põhjamaade koostööd puudutava asjatundliku ja usaldusväärse info hulka eesti keeles;
• täiendada ja täiustada Põhjamaade kohta käivat materjali eestikeelses Vikipeedias;
• saada eestikeelsesse Vikipeediasse uusi kaastöölisi ja toimetajaid.

Nõuded tekstidele:

• ootame artikleid Põhjamaade koostööst, mis kirjeldavad konkreetses valdkonnas Põhjamaade ühiseid algatusi, avaldusi ja omadusi;
• kirjutis(t)e sisu sobitub vähemalt ühte nimetatud kategooriasse;
• kirjutiste põhimaht ei tohiks koosneda (ajas) kaugele ulatuvatest ajalookirjeldustest.

Võistluse reeglid:

• Võistlus toimub 23. märtsist kuni 30. aprillini 2011.
• Osaleda saavad kõik Vikipeedia registreeritud kasutajad, välja arvatud žüriiliikmed. Registreerumiseks tuleb kasutada Vikipeedia lehekülje ülaosas leiduvat nuppu "Logi sisse / registreeru kasutajaks".
• Kasutajanimi jätab võistleja anonüümseks, kui ta oma nime ise ei avalda. Auhinna vastuvõtmisel tuleb oma nimi avalikustada.
• Võistlusele registreerumiseks tuleb lisada enda kasutajanimi ja kirjutatavate/toimetatavate artiklite pealkirjad lehele "Osavõtjad ja artiklid".
• Hinnatakse eeskätt oskust koostada sidusat, hästi ja arusaadavalt sõnastatud põhjalikku, kuid ülevaatlikku entsüklopeedilist teksti, mis põhineb usaldusväärsetel viidatud allikatel. Eruditsioon, huvitav teemavalik, tõlkimisoskus, Vikipeedia nõuetele vastava vormistamise oskus jms ei ole peaauhinna määramisel otsustavad, kuid žürii võib määrata eriauhindu.
• Hinnatakse nii uue teksti kirjutamist kui ka olemasoleva teksti toimetamist.
• Kirjutamine toimub Vikipeedia põhimõtete ja reeglite alusel kasutajate koostöös.
• Ei hinnata mitte niivõrd artikli(te) lõplikku kuju, kuivõrd konkreetse kirjutaja panust artikli(te) kvaliteeti.
• Artikkel peab olema varustatud allikaviidetega, plagiaat ei kvalifitseeru.

Viis kategooriat (ja näiteid teemadest)

1. Energia ja keskkond
   (Põhjamaade ühine poliitika, algatused, tegevuskavad, avastused, tehnoloogiad)
   Näiteks: Põhjamaade Tippteaduse Algatus (Nordic Top-level Research Initiative), Skandinaavia Vesiniku Maantee (Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway), Põhjamaade keskkonnamärgis Luik (Nordic ecolabel), Põhjamaade Nõukogu keskkonnaauhind, HELCOM (Helsinki Commission); Helsingi konventsioon (1992); NEFCO (Nordic Environment Finance Co-operation); NordGen (Nordic Genetic Resource Centre); Maailma Seemnepank Teravmägedes (Global Seed Vault); Põhjamaade energiapoliitika tegevuskava 2010-2013; Nordpool; Läänemere strateegia ja Põhjamaad.
2. Kultuur ja pärand
   (Põhjamaade ühine kultuurivaramu, tegevuskavad, ettevõtmised )
   Näiteks: Põhjamaade disain; Põhja- ja Baltimaade kultuuri mobiilsusprogramm; Põhjamaade raamatukogunädal; Põhjamaade Nõukogu kirjanduse, filmi ja muusika auhinnad; Valhalla (noorte projektid); BIBBI – virtuaalne Põhjamaade lasteraamatukogu; Põhjamaade Filmi ja TV Fond; Põhjamaade kirjanike atlas; Põhjamaade mänguprogramm; Põhjamaade kultuuripunkt; Skandinaavia keeled; Põhjamaade saagad; orkester Norden.
3. Majandus
   (Põhjamaade majanduselus silmapaistvad ühised jooned, tegevuskava ja poliitika)
   Näiteks: Uus Põhjala Toit; KREANORD; Põhja-ja Baltimaade ettevõtluse ja tööstuse mobiilsusprogramm, Põhjamaade Investeerimispank; Nordjobb; Põhjamaade e-maksuportaal (Nordisk eTax).
4. Teadus ja haridus
   (Põhjamaade ühine poliitika ja tegevuskavad, saavutused, leiutised)
   Näiteks: Põhjamaade Kompetentsikeskused (Nordic Centres of Excellence); Põhjamaade Teadusnõukogu NordForsk; Põhjamaade Energiauuringute Keskus (Nordic Energy Research); Nordplus hariduskoostööprogramm; Põhjamaade Magistriõpe (Nordic Master Programme); Põhjamaade Rahvatervise kõrgkool; Nordregio (Põhjamaade Ruumilise Planeeringu Keskus).
5. Põhja- ja Baltimaade poliitiline koostöö
   Näiteks: Euroopa Liidu Läänemere strateegia ja Põhjamaad; Põhja- ja Baltimaade avaliku halduse mobiilsusprogramm; Põhja- ja Baltimaade koostöö (Nordic-Baltic 8, NB8); Põhjamaade heaolumudel; Põhjamaade Ministrite Nõukogu; Punkaharju peaministrite kohtumine; Valgevene Euroopa Humanitaarülikool; NORDEFCO (Põhjamaade kaitsekoostöö); Põhjamaade piiritõkete foorum.
   

Kirjutada võib ka teistel kategooriasse sobivatel teemadel.

Auhinnad
Parimad viis saavad 1000-eurose auhinna kätte 20. mail Tallinnas Hopneri majas (Raekoja platsi ääres), kus terve mai vältel toimub Põhjamaade disainikuu Nordic Look.

Žürii
Teele Vaalma (Vikipeedia); Madis Kanarbik (Põhjamaade Ministrite Nõukogu esindus Eestis); Liina Kümnik (Rootsi Suursaatkond), Silvi Teesalu (Taani Kultuuri Instituudi esindus Eestis); Madis Tilga (Põhjamaade Ministrite Nõukogu esindus Eestis).

Vastused küsimustele
Küsimustele saate vastused, kui jätate need lehele Vikipeedia arutelu: Põhjamaade-teemaliste artiklite võistlus
(alates 23. märts).
Kontakt Põhjamaade Ministrite Nõukogu Eesti esinduses: Madis Tilga, tel 627 31 03 või
e-post madis.tilga(at)norden.ee

Inspiratsiooni ja teemasid leiab meie koduleheküljelt!

Scanning documents, attaching them to e-mails, sending them – and starting all over again if you make a mistake – are things of the past. Applications for cooperation support for Nordic and Baltic officials, companies and industry can now be submitted online.

The new electronic application environment, which is called NB8-Grants, referring to the five Nordic countries and the three Baltic States, allows applications to be completed a little at a time right up to the deadline. The deadlines are:

- Cooperation support for civil servants – 30 March 2011
- Cooperation support for companies and industry – 31 March 2011

In the event that you receive support, you will later need to submit a report via NB8-Grants – which will also host all communication between applicants, recipients and administrators.

Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Tallinn. The office also has a branch in Tartu as well as information points in Valga, Narva and Pärnu. Photo: Väino Silm/norden.ee"You only need to look at where we are on the globe and check the thermometer on the window to see that we're as Nordic as any of the Nordic countries!" said Valga County Governor Margus Lepik at the signing of a cooperation agreement between the county government and the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) for 2011. Local newspaper the Valgamaalane viewed the event and the cooperation of the NCM as signs of the continued support shown by the Nordic countries for the region.

Beth Sundström, who only took up the post of director of the NCM Office in Estonia a few weeks ago, says that the cooperation between the Nordic countries and Estonia – which will soon be marking its 20th anniversary – has been very successful, writes Valgamaalane journalist Sirje Lemmik. "Finland is our presiding country this year, and they place a lot of focus on green ways of thinking, so this year we will be concentrating more on environmental cooperation and economical behaviour," Sundström explained.

Tiina Hallimäe, a senior specialist on enterprise with Võru City Government, says that the support the city's timber and furniture manufacturers received through the mobility programme allowed them to take a six-day trip to timber industry competence centres in Denmark and Sweden last November. "The support covers transport and accommodation expenses, and applying for it and reporting back on it couldn't be easier," she explained. "The advisors are very helpful and friendly, too."

Project IceBlaster at Robotdalen in Sweden. Photo: robotdalen.seThe Robotdalen, located in Sweden, is a significant centre of robotics and control engineering in Europe; similar centres can only be found in the USA and Japan. A delegation of 22 Estonians visited the centre in the end of November in order to find out how the Swedes are putting the plan of creating 35 new undertakings and 35 new products by 2013 into action.

The purpose of the six-day study trip was to visit competence centres in Sweden and Denmark related to timber with the aim of creating a similar centre in the Võru County in the future which would service all of Estonia, Northern Latvia and North-western Russia.

Apart from the Robotdalen, Estonians visited the Tibro Crafts Centre and the Träcentrum in Sweden.

The Tibro Crafts Centre, which teaches adults to craft hand-made furniture, is unique in Northern Europe. Carpentry, restoration of furniture, upholstering, covering of wood with metal, carving of wood and décor painting are taught in the Centre. While the Crafts Centre focuses on teaching crafting of hand-made furniture, the Tibro Training Centre teaches industrial manufacturing of furniture. Both the centres are regularly co-operating with the employment office as well as undertakings to help people find a job and for undertakings to receive qualified workforce.

Photo: Karin Beate Nøsterud/norden.orgThe first deadlines for grants fall at the beginning of February. As the prerequisite for most grants is cooperation with one or even several Nordic partners, it is just the right time for establishing necessary contacts.

The deadlines for the grants managed by Nordic Culture Fond and Nordic Culture Point have both been set. The same applies to the grants of the Nordic Children's and Youth Committee as well as Nordplus. The deadlines for the grant programmes of Nordic-Baltic Public Administration, Business and Industry and Non-governmental Organisations will be determined in January at the latest.

As the grants cover both the Nordic countries and the Baltic States, the application procedure and documentation related to it is in English, and occasionally in Scandinavian languages or Finnish. An overview of the grants is available on our website, which is why we recommend you read the materials in English also.

In addition to the general information, our website offers feedback and tips from previous applicants.

Nordic design comes to Tallinn in May 2011. Photo: Karin Beate Nøsterud/norden.orgIt is possible to save billions of kroons by creating environmentally friendly and sustainable design. The European Union has come to this realisation, too. The Nordic countries want to see to it that this understanding permeates into regulations affecting all of Europe and that sustainable design is of just as high quality in future.

This means that the European Union regulation on ecodesign will be critically reviewed and the necessary amendments made. The amendments are likely to be related to the whole processing industry, starting from the production of electric motors and bulbs.

The current ecodesign directive establishes that products on the internal market must meet certain environmental and energy norms; otherwise they cannot be sold in the EU. Parliamentarians, EU officials and non-profit organisations met in Copenhagen at the end of November to discuss what these environmental requirements should be like in future.

A Member of the European Parliament, Britta Thomsen, thought that the initiative should encourage companies and researchers in the Baltic Sea region to make the directive more efficient with their ideas. "Many people believe that 'green activities' cost money," she said. "Actually, on the contrary: we save money, and at the same time care for the environment. We in the Nordic countries know that and that's why we have to play a stronger role in this area in Europe – we have experience which can be used by other countries."

In agreeing to organise the green marketing seminar, the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia took on an interesting task: looking with the more than 60 attendees at the organisation of an environmentally sustainable life from the point of view of business and enterprise. How can money be made from less, and more environmentally aware, consumption? Is less really more?

The keynote speaker at the seminar was John Grant, an internationally recognised expert on green marketing, who has applied his knowledge for the benefit of, amongst others, the British government, The Guardian and IKEA. He has also published two books on the subject, the first of which – The Green Marketing Manifesto – became a bestseller.

The presentations made by Grant and the other speakers at the seminar, as well as a summary of the seminar as a whole, can be found here.

Seija Lukkala, one of the founders of the globally known brand Globe Hope gave a presentation of her success on 5 November in Tallinn. Photo: Grete Kodi/norden.eeSeija Lukkala, who for decades has turned old military uniforms, advertisement flags, hospital clothes and the like into highly valued clothes, bags, footwear, jewellery, etc., admitted in her presentation at the Tallinn Fashion Week that the most complicated task has been the creation of a recognised brand. She succeeded with Globe Hope.

In order to create a brand, the product, production process and service must be backed up by a strong concept. The concept of Globe Hope is based on high quality, aesthetics, ethics and environmental friendliness. "In the fashion business there is constant and unending pressure to come out with new designs and materials which will be quickly cast aside as outdated. But at the same time we are running out of natural resources," explained Lukkala, one of the founders of Globe Hope.

The road to recognition and popularity of this company giving a new life to recycled materials has been riddled with problems. The marketing strategy has been radically changed several times and Globe Hope opened its own shop only eight years after its foundation. Investors have been very patient: the company has earned profit only in the last two years. But it has been worth it!

CO2 drive in Vilnius - electricity vs fossil fuel. Photo: Saulius Abraskevicius/norden.ltOn the fourth Saturday of October a large exhibition of vehicles that operate on electricity or other green fuels or are otherwise environmentally friendly attracted hundreds of interested people to the central square of Vilnius, including advisor Madis Tilga from the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia.

Organisers of the event, primarily the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Lithuania and their numerous partners, brought a colourful selection of two and four-wheeled eco-vehicles to the nation that had recently lost a nuclear power plant. Visitors could examine and test exhibited items and ask for advice. Then, vehicles equipped with GPS formed the chemical symbol for carbon monoxide – representing the battle against climate change – on the web-map of Vilnius.

The day culminated with a merciless drag race between fossil fuel and electric cars. The Mitsubishi EVO and Subaru Impreza with very dynamic internal combustion engines took turns competing in the first category. TESLA was chosen to ensure the triumph of electric cars. Its acceleration, 0–100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, left traditional cars far behind.