Taste the sun - by Solar Kitchen

Walking down the side of River Aura, City of Turku (Finland), on this perfect sunny Friday lunch breake, five large solar-powered cookers catch our eyes in the middle of the piazza. Beside the now identified objects there is a worktable and closer to the river shore two longer tables are set, invitingly waiting to be filled by passers-by. There are yet a few empty chairs.

Hospitality and culinary expert, facilitator and concept director Antto Melasniemi functions as Chef de Cuisine of the Lapin Kulta Solar Kitchen Restaurant set today at Vähätori in Turku. Finnish Melasniemi is renowned for his Hel Yes! pop-up restaurant in London, runs two restaurants in Helsinki and seemingly cooks at the Solar Kitchen during the summer. Co-partner and designer of the cookers, Martí Guixé has exhibited in the most known museums of modern art and is dedicating himself to the invention of “bright and simple ideas made of a curious seriousness”.

Lapin Kulta Solar Kitchen Restaurant is based on a solar kitchen concept where cooking is by pure solar energy. The Solar Kitchen Restaurant opened at the Triennale di Milano 12.4-17.4.2011, and aims to follow the sun through Europe this summer, visiting a range of cities where it will present this extraordinary culinary concept. Melasniemi himself reveals Helsinki and Berlin being on the map some time soon. The Solar Kitchen highlights key contemporary themes: a nature-driven process, flexibility and immediacy.

This environmental and gastronomic art project as well as a gourmet eatery visited Turku today. Next week, who knows, maybe they are about Berlin. You should probably check out where the sun is shining!

Not for traditional busy business lunches. Take it easy and enjoy immediacy! Kitchen open on sunny days.



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For a flexible timetable, check the weather forecast in Europe!

Picture 2: Antto Melasniemi is looking for the Sun god.

Picture sources:
Picture 1 - UBC Environmental Commission/ Anna Stenberg
Picture 2 - Copyright © by IMAGEKONTAINER.

Climate adaptation - Science vs. Practice?!

On May 31st the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Cooperation (BSSSC) and the Baltex Secretariat invited practitioners, scientists and decision makers at the regional political level in the Baltic Sea Region a platform to present and discuss concrete examples of regional or local adaptation to climate change.

The biggest challenge of the conference was to find a common language and discussion basis for the diverse audience: scientists and practitioners and decision-makers from regional and local authorities.
Several researchers presented current projects working with the issue of climate adpataion in the region; from projects on adaptation strategies, involvement of stakeholders or capacity buidling to the issue of transferring scientific knowledge to decision-makers.

In the end, the most interesting and inspiring input came from the cities and regions themselves; especially Swedish and Danis cities and regions took the chance to show off what they have been working on and implementing in terms of climate adaptation and those experiences were very inspiring!

The need for a better understanding, better cooperation and better communication between science and practice is definitely existing. the conference was a good point on the way, but there still is a bit to go.

All presentations and the Hamburg declaration can be found from the Baltex-website