Where culture meets the sea – John Nurminen Foundation
Steps for Nature podcast · Episode 2
Prefer listening on the go? This episode is also available on Spotify.
Welcome to the first guest episode of Steps for Nature! In this episode, we dive beneath the surface of the Baltic Sea together with Helmi Pörhölä from the John Nurminen Foundation, exploring the connections between marine restoration, culture, and community through Baltic Sea Day and the Sea Too project.
Originally established to preserve the cultural heritage of the Baltic Sea, the John Nurminen Foundation today combines this cultural perspective with practical marine conservation and restoration efforts across the region.
“It’s about educating people but also evoking feelings, because when you have that passion and when you have that love towards nature, you are more likely to take better care of it.” – Helmi Pörhölä
Photo: Tomi Edwards
One of these initiatives is Baltic Sea Day, launched in 2018 as an annual celebration of the sea’s diverse nature, culture, and history. The initiative encourages people to enjoy the sea and take concrete actions to support it—whether individually, with friends and communities, or through public events and activities.
Photo: Helmi Pörhölä.
Alongside this public engagement work, the Foundation is also involved in hands-on restoration through the Sea Too project. Running from 2025–2029 along the coasts of Finland and Sweden, the project focuses on restoring underwater habitats such as seagrass meadows, stone reefs, and bladderwrack beds. The aim is to help prevent biodiversity loss in the Baltic Sea, while also strengthening the relationship between people and the sea through art and research.
Learn more:
John Nurminen Foundation
Baltic Sea Day
Sea Too project
INTER — Jurmo: The Sea Listens within Us | Sound art installation from 16/6 to 14/9
The Atlases of the Baltic Sea virtual exhibition