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Our UBC Sustainable Cities Commission teamed up with the Turku University of Applied Sciences in organising a joint session, building on the research, piloting and data findings within the EMPEREST and NonHazCity3 projects. The objective of the panel was to explore how the harmful effects of hazardous substances on nature, people, and the circular economy can be minimized.

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to invite you to take part in the mid-term evaluation survey of the UBC Sustainability Action Programme 2030 (UBC SAP 2030).

The Plastic Waste Management Platform is launched, and you can now register and explore its interactive content!

How can cities strengthen their active mobility and make better planning decisions? Within the SUMPs for BSR project, the City of Greifswald is testing two complementary approaches: a mobile bicycle parking – a part of a small-scale experiment for active mobility measures, and a pilot to explore innovative data collection with mobile sensors.

Under the ESCO model, over 13,000 outdated lighting fixtures have been replaced in 27 educational institutions across Liepāja. As a result, lighting capacity has been reduced by 62%, annual electricity consumption has decreased by 570 MWh (equivalent to savings of approximately €120,000), and CO₂ emissions have been cut by 62 tonnes annually, comparable to the emissions of 25 cars per year.

We are pleased to invite UBC member cities to nominate a representative to extend the meaningful collaboration as a member of the Advisory Board for the 2026–2027 term.

We are happy to announce that the 2025 disclosure cycle of the CDP-ICLEI Track is opening tomorrow on June 18!

The webinar brought together experts and local authorities from across the Baltic Sea Region to explore integrated strategies for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. It was opened by Agnieszka Ilola, Head of Secretariat at the UBC Sustainable Cities, and Kaspars Vārpiņš, Chairman of the UBC Safe Cities, outlining the priorities for local authorities to increase climate resilience.

Throughout June 2025, UBC SCC organized a set of 3 training events to increase understanding of plastic pollution consequences and prevention methods for local authorities in the Baltic Sea Region. In these series, we have educated over 70 experts in sustainability, circular economy and climate!

"Cities can react swiftly when new challenges evolve, they have better skills to maneuver the change."- Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Minister of Local and Regional Government of Finland

The Urban Biodiversity Parks project pilots the concept of a biodiversity park as a tool for urban ecological restoration and regeneration. The aim is to establish a 20-hectare biodiversity park that provides a platform for testing various nature management activities, focusing on local species and habitats, while also serving as a space for community engagement and experiential learning.

This spring, our Commission highlighted the Baltic Sea Region as the forerunner in innovative solutions to water pollution on the most prominent arenas! We organised a workshop at the EU Mission Ocean Arena in Sopot and launched the EMPEREST 4th workshop in Szczecin to share latest knowledge with the local authorities and operators.