Today, on 30 August 75 members of Admiral Bellingshausen‘s crew, accompanied by the President of the Republic Kersti Kaljulaid and the employees of Lääne-Harju Municipality, planted 106 park trees in Paldiski.
“Admiral Bellingshausen‘s voyage was not something for a narrow circle; it is the business of all of us,” said the President of the Republic Kersti Kaljulaid who has served as a sailor on Admiral Bellingshausen. “While the effects of CO2 are not visible to everyone, the trees planted today will be visible to the local residents,” Kaljulaid noted.
Tiit Pruuli, the head of the Antarctic 200 expedition, said that the idea of making up for the ecological footprint caused by the main engines and the air travel of the sea voyage occurred in January while the vessel was in Antarctica, and he expressed thanks to Aivar Berzin and Heiti Hääl for actually implementing the idea.
It is estimated that the 106 trees planted today will bind about 170,683 kg of CO2 over a hundred years.
Also, Admiral Bellingshausen‘s captains Indrek Lepp, Meelis Saarlaid and Indrek Kivi, mechanics, scientists, sailors from Estonian Maritime Museum and elsewhere, and Lääne-Harju Municipality participated in the campaign.
The popular science orientated expedition marking the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica was organized by the non-profit organisation MTÜ Thetis Ekspeditsioonid and by the Foundation of Estonian Maritime Museum. Seminars and meetings were held during the sea voyage, in order to draw attention to maritime history and to one of the explorers of Antarctica born in Saaremaa, Russian Admiral Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, as well as to climate and environmental problems.
Until November, those interested will be able to visit a touring exhibition of the sea voyage, prepared by Estonian Maritime Museum and displayed at the Natural History Museum of the University of Tartu and then in Narva Castle, as well as read about Baltic German explorers at the permanent exposition in Fat Margaret Tower in Tallinn, and visit the Antarctica 200 theme area at the Seaplane Harbour.
