The aim of the MEA project is to introduce a "Municipal Environmental Auditing Scheme" to the Baltic region. This is done by first producing a manual for MEA procedure as applicable to the Baltic cities, and then both disseminating the results and testing the manual through a demonstration project in Tallinn, Estonia. During the MEA project execution in Tallinn, staff from other Baltic cities are to be trained in seminars and workshops. The project also aims at affording an environmentally sound basis for municipal investment decisions as well as guidance in revealing the critical issues in environmental questions and recognizing the weak points in environmental performance. The UBC shall continue involving cities, municipal departments and the public in MEA procedure.
This manual is based on the experience gathered on the basis of the pilot audit in Tallinn. The cities of Turku and Helsinki, Finland, and Tallinn, Estonia, were the main cities responsible for carrying out the project and collecting the material for this book. This manual has been prepared in the MEA Project Office in Turku by Mr Ilppo Vuorinen, Mr Mikko Jokinen and Mr Olli Madekivi with assistance from Ms Antonia Sucksdorff-Selkämaa.