The GNF Cool4City and Cata3Pult project team got acquainted with the activities of the BBC1 co-operation project and the operating environment of Mikkeli colleagues in the Cool4City project on Dec 10th. It was a beautiful and very informative day! So beautiful that we decided to use photos from the visit on our Christmas card 🙂

We still live in such times that nothing is clear even for one day ahead. This day was no exception – part of the programme was canceled the day before and part a couple of hours before the visit. But, we are still happy that the overall visit happened. Special thanks to Saija Tillgren from MikseiMikkeli!

After a couple of hours of driving from the Helsinki Metropolitan area, we started our visit to Mikkeli with cultural programme and visited for breakfast local shopping center (see our happy faces – Ilkka, Susanna and Evilina).

After breakfast, we drove to the Ecosairila site located about 8 km from the Mikkeli center. It was nice to see a pilot site in Cool4City project – KIEPPI (on the left side of Photo Collage below). Sheltered and separated facilities for waste receival is good for keeping them dry and so more suitable for #recycling purposes. Customers can drive their own car inside the hall.

Photo Collage 1. KIEPPI and Metsäsairila sites.

Metsäsairila (on the left side of the Photo Collage 1) is located directly close to KIEPPI, so waste flows go for further processing without additional transportation and time-delays.

Programme of the day started by visiting a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). (Photo Collage 2).

Photo Collage 2. Visit of WWTP.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS apply to the treated wastewater and the recycled wastewater that can be produced by the new treatment plant, which is characterized as the most modern in Europe. In connection with the plant, a versatile water technology product development and testing environment has been completed for utilization by companies and research and development organizations.

BBC1 project also prepared a virtual tour to the WWTP (see PrintScreens’ Collage below). Available: https://www.thinglink.com/mediacard/1514382111354650627 (Accessed on 21.12.2021)

 

 

Then we had lunch. The food was tasty and the views were amazing! (see Photo Collage 3 below)

Photo Collage 3. Views from lunch place.

 

Next in the programme was visiting the XAMK laboratory of Environmental Technology (Photo Collage 4 below). A lot of interesting matters about education and RDI projects! We even exchanged ex-temporare thoughts on future cross-border projects. Who knows, maybe those will be realized someday?

Photo Collage 4. Visiting XAMK laboratories.

 

After XAMK we had a nice refreshing walk to “TUMA”, which is the place of allocation e.g. LUT in Mikkeli and MikseiMikkeli (Photo Collage 5). Was very impressive to see LUT laboratory facilities and can just imagine what big opportunities they have for RDI projects! Thanks for the presentation of LUT (Prof. Susana Rodriques-Couto) and the tour around the well-equipped analysis laboratory!

 

Photo Collage 5. Visit to TUMA-building.

 

Cannot be in a new area without paying attention and not to bring to attention waste separate collection! Photo Collage 6 presents waste containers on the land plot of XAMK.

And last but not least, my own Finnish-Russian vocabulary is richer now. Was glad to help to be a translator during a visit to WWTP and XAMK laboratories. Some challenges met but help with Russian terms found from St. Petersburg group.  Will update soon/after the holidays our Cata3Pult mini-glossary.

 

Synergy, communication and collaboration are good things!

 

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