Swedish Workshop Report 16 th 21 st of April 2012

South-Savo Vocational College Citaverde College Plönningegymnasiet OTAVA SCHOOL FARM Leonardo da Vinci Partnership Project: Because of the Environment Swedish Workshop Report 16 th 21 st of April 2012 Background of the Project Otava school farm Unit of Natural Resources of South Savo Vocational College requested financing for a Project called Because of the Environment. It was a partnership Project in which Otava school farm asked for partners from Citaverde College Netherlands and Plönningegymnasiet from Sweden. The Finnish Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) of Finland admitted financing as did the National Agencies for the companions in Netherlands and Sweden. It was Mr. Paul Gehlen the International Coordinator of Citaverde College who called up a Kick Off meeting of the Project. The meeting was organized in Roermond Holland in November of 2011. The participants were Mr. Pepijn Ott (Plönningegymnasiet, SWE), Mr. Kalevi Tirkkonen and Mr. Markku Loippo (Otava school farm, FIN) and Mr. Paul Gehlen (Citaverde College, NL) There the Companions planned a schedule for the Project. They decided to arrange three Workshops, one in each partner school. Collecting the Finnish group to Sweden In the middle of winter 2012 Otava school farm started to gather the participants to take part the Swedish Workshop in Halmstad. The Finnish Students were from Agricultural and Horticultural degrees, both adult and younger Students. The Mentors of the traveling group were Mrs. Tuula Romppanen and Mr. Markku Loippo. Swedish Workshop Halmstad Sweden16 th 21 st of April 2012 16 th of April, Travelling day The Finnish group, ten Students and two Mentors started their trip early in the morning from Mikkeli Traveling center by bus. We arrived to the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on time. After having checked in we had a little time for shopping. Finnair Airbus brought us to Gothenburg Airport. Mr. Pepijn Ott friendly arranged us the tickets on Airport bus in advance. So we met the arriving Dutch group and jump in the bus to Gothenburg central station. There we took a train to Halmstad. Traveling by train we got marvelous views of

Finnish group in Gothenburg Airport Traveling by train towards Halmstad Our cosy hotel in Tylebäck Scenery from Tylebäck Halland Region! In the evening we arrived to Halmstad where Mr. Pepijn Ott was already waiting for us with a minibus. He transported his guests group after group to a beautiful hotel Tylebäck near coast of Kattegat. Guests settled down to the hotel and later in the evening we Dutch and Finns gathered with some Swedish Students to the Restaurant of the hotel. Us teachers Anna Hansen (NL), Nico Schulpen (NL), Tuula Romppanen (FIN), Markku Loippo (FIN), Louise Ek (SWE) and Pepijn Ott (SWE) were there too. We had a delicious dinner in the restaurant. We also had some plans and chats with the friendly Swedish students. After dinner Pepijn escorted his guests to the hotel rooms where we fell asleep rather quickly. 17 th of April Riding and cycling in forests of Halland Woke up early in Tylebäck hotel and made a long walk to the beautiful coast of Kattegat. After a refreshing walk we had a diverse Breakfast in the Restaurant. Then we prepared to travel to Plönningegymnasiet for a presentation of our partner school. Mr. Pepijn Ott introduced us to the school and we walked through large fields of Harplinge village to the Horse center. Especially our riding Dutch friends were impressed. Everything was clean and in good shape! They have 60 horses in the stables, mostly riding horses.

Mr. Paul Robertsson told us about the trotting horses in special stables. He also arranged trotting excursions with a special double-seated wagon. Pepijn Ott and Paul Robertsson at the Stables of Plönningegymnasiet Coffee break at Plönninge After morning tour in Horse center we had our lunch in the restaurant of Plönningegymnasiet. It is a traditional school and reminded us Finns of several Finnish schools of Natural Resources. After lunch we had a lesson in auditorium of the school by Mrs. Louise Ek. She is the biology teacher of Plönningegymnasiet and she gave us a very vivid and thorough impression of the Nature of Halland Region and Halmstad. Even as she prepared us to the next part of the Program in the afternoon. After the lesson we were driven to the Halland forests near the upper parts of the River Nissan. There in a beautiful field we saw a lot of bicycles parked. And suddenly there were also a truck full of horses! Meanwhile Dutch and Finnish groups collected water samples from the River Nissan nearby. Swedish Students bravely helped their guests with the horses and our large group divided for those who were going to ride and those who were with cycles. And there the caravan goes! We rode and cycled through Halland fields and forests. Taking water samples from the River Nissan On horseback through villages of Halland

Anna Hansson is happy! Nelli is also happy! Riding and biking through the forests The countryside reminded very much of Eastern Finland. Mostly spruce forests, small fields, hills and farms. Everything was beautiful and clean. In the midway some of the students changed places so that everyone who wanted to ride with a horse could do it. Later in the afternoon after having a long tour we put the horses back in the truck and packed the cycles in a wagon. Rest of the way to the hotel we drove by bus. After having freshened in the hotel bus drove us into a Pub in the center of Halmstad. There we had a proper dinner with Pepijn Ott, Paul Robertsson and some Swedish Students. After dinner bus drove us back to the hotel where we had a walk to the seaside and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. It was time to go to sleep. The Dynes of Kattegat 18 th of April Canoe trip along River Nissan After a fulfilling breakfast we gathered to a bus which drove us guests to Sennan which is a village alongside upper parts of the River Nissan. On the bank of the river there was an entrepreneur who had a lot of Indian canoes around him. That was the moment of truth for many of us. We started to divide in group of tree collecting canoes and paddles. There was a canoe trip of 14 kilometers to come. River Nissan is not a tiny brook. At the point we started our trip it was about 100 meters broad and streaming not furiously but moderately. The groups put the life vests on and sat down to canoes after short security information.

Slowly we pushed our canoes to the water and started to flow down the stream. Plönninge teachers Louise Ek and Lars Jörgensen helped us in every moment. The service car drove down the road to reach a point of lunch break. Incredibly beautiful hardwood forests covered the riverbanks. Old oaks and elms were reaching their branches over the water. Lots of songbirds were singing in the bushes: Nuthatches, Blackbirds, Chiffchaffs and Hawfinches. We just paddled down the river. Sometimes the stream was stronger and you just had to steer. In other parts you had to work strong to get ahead. Finnish have guts! Canoes flowing down the River That way! Lars and the girls got a break at last In the midway we arrived to a damn. At that point we had to land and carry the canoes with a pair of wheels down the river. The service car was waiting for the paddlers with the lunch prepared at a camp place. We had a lunch and short break. There was a short way to go until we reached the city of Halmstad. Just before a bridge we landed to the river bank and helped the entrepreneur to pack the canoes to a wagon. The Program continued so that we walked few hundred meters to a gym and had sauna and showers there. After having bath Pepijn drove us with a minibus to a bowling hall in the center of Halmstad. There we had a Cosmic Bowling and some Marlene won! After Bowling we had a delicious dinner in the restaurant hall of the Bowling center. Pepijn drove people back to the hotel group by group. In the hotel room I had no difficulties to fall in a deep sleep

19 th of April Samples in University of Halmstad and Riding in Plönninge After enjoying breakfast in the hotel restaurant we drove to the center of Halmstad by bus. There Louise Ek leaded us to the Laboratory of Halmstad University. Dutch and Finnish groups started to analyze the water samples we collected a couple of days earlier from upper river Nissan. As a result of very interesting analyzing we found that the water of the River included much less fertilizers than three decades ago! That was amazing to find how Nature can cure things if we just give it a chance! In Halmstad we stopped in a Supermarket and continued then to Plönningegymnasiet by bus. There we had lunch in the Restaurant. After lunch we gathered in a classroom where Pepijn gave us a presentation on Plönningegymnasiet. Also the guest groups introduced themselves: Nico Schulpen told about Citaverde College and Markku Loippo told about Otava school farm. Louise and Lars reporting the analyzes in University of Halmstad In the Auditorium of Plönninge Lars Hollman telling about Jumping exercises In the riding ring the Biogas works of Plönninge In the afternoon we had a tour around the school. Amongst other we explored a very special target. Mr. Lars Hollman told us about the Biogas works of Plönningegymnasiet. This was a very interesting presentation. Actually many of the staff uses Biogas when driving with the vehicles in the school. Then we had a dinner in the Restaurant of the school and started to get ready for the Riding and jumping lessons in the horse center. All the Dutch Riding Students saddled

horses with the Swedes. Also some Finnish girls took part of the lesson. Swedish students helped their guests bravely again. Then the riders had a tense riding lesson lead by the horse teachers Pepijn and Nico. One Finnish girl dropped from the saddle and we had to visit in the hospital of Halmstad just for sure. I admired the healthcare system of a Swedish Hospital. Everything was luckily all right and Pepijn fetched us back to the hotel. 20 th of April Trip to Skåne The last day in Program started with a breakfast in hotel restaurant. After breakfast we gathered to a bus which took us to the southernmost Region of Sweden: Skåne. It was a fantastic experience to drive a motorway alongside the sea and you could see the coast of Denmark on the other side of the inlet. Just near the border of Skåne Region the road climber up to a high ridge and after a while we landed down near sea level and there it was. Enormous flat fields to the horizon. Farmers working already everywhere in the fields. At Henriksdal Showjumping event Flyinge National Stud Mansion At Flyinge Stables Listening to the Master of the Henriksdal showjumping This was Skåne! Even the farmhouses were totally different: walls were white and many of them had roofs made of reed! We arrived to a famous Royal Horse Stables in Flyinge. This was National horse Stud. Everything was perfect. A lot of Stables wit full of Horses. Also the yards were large and

clean. Magnolias were blooming and the White Storks were on their nests on the roofs of the Stables. This was really the top of the rate! After Flyinge Stables we drove to Hendriksdal to watch the famous Showjumping event. The organizer told us friendly about the happening and after that we had our lunch in a big restaurant tent of the event. After having a fulfilling lunch we watched the International Showjumping. Beautiful horses jumper in a beautiful weather. After the race we got back into the bus and our official Program was coming to an end. Pepijn jumped off the bus in Halmstad and we gave him warm thanks because of the wonderful week in Halland. Then we got back to the road to Gothenburg. In the evening we arrived to the supurb of the town and settled down to a nice little hostel near the Zoo. We got the rooms Pepijn had reserved in advance and got to the city. We had a proper dinner in clean restaurant. After dinner we got back to the hostel. 21 st of April Travel day Even the last day was much more than just a travel day. We had a proper breakfast in the restaurant of the hostel. Finnish Students gave me presents of taking care of them: an American Police hat and a whip! The hostel guests were amused to see me with those equipment! We gave a warm hugs to the companying Dutch group their plane would depart before noon. Finnish group having their walk at the park in Gothenburg A male Peacock displaying in the Zoo Because the weather was so sunny and there were a lot of time we Finns decided to make a morning tour to the Zoo of Gothenburg. We took a long walk in sunny park and Zoo. Elks, Peacocks, Seals and even Penguins! After the tour in park we got back to the hostel and collected our gear. It was time to go to the Central station. We bought tickets (from Seven Eleven shop) to a Tramway to the station. In the Central station we bought tickets to a bus to the Airport. There were still a couple of hours left so I decided to visit the Harbour of Gothenburg. I also visited a big Supermarket which was crowded with people. We had some supper in the station and jumped to the bus at last. In a while our plain to Helsinki departed late that afternoon. Finnair Airbus landed safely in Helsinki on time. We reached the last bus to Mikkeli just as planned. We had a nice homecoming in a bit cool but dry weather. It was early Sunday I reached my bed at home in Mäntyharju. Mr. Markku Loippo coordinator of the partnership project