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Finnish way of living acknowledged and Sustainably By Kato sharadzenidze

“We will develop intelligent and interconnected structures, such as transport and energy systems, to enable and promote the use of renewable energy sources and achieve energy savings, while at the same time encouraging people to reduce energy consumption. We will invest in the development of innovative energy technologies and forms of energy, as well as the creation of new business. We will harness the ability of forests and fields to bind carbon by promoting sustainable forestry and agriculture. We will promote carbon neutrality in construction. We will restore ecosystems and the services they provide for the benefit of people and society.”- The Finland we want by 2050 ─ Society’s commitment to sustainable development

While being a student and resident in Helsinki, Finland I was inspired by people who were taking care about nature and earth with their everyday decisions. Many stores distribute bread to the needy or make discounts on products with an expiring shelf life, so the food is not lost. Almost near each building in Helsinki, there were separated garbage containers and people were trying to separate waste and be more eco-friendly. One more motivation for people to be eco-friendly is money. What I liked about Finland is that on each can or plastic bottle there is written that in case of recycling you will get 15 Cents. There are huge recycling machines in many different places, so people are more motivated not to throw away all those plastic bottles but gather them and make some extra money. In Finland, there is a public holiday, labor's day called Vappu, when literally everyone is out. Parks are full of people, dancing, playing, listening to the music and drinking as much as possible. So, imagine the quantity of the plastic bottles and cans. Some people were walking and collecting all those empty cans to get the money, so when the huge party was over there was minimal pollution.

Photo: Celebration of the Labor day, Vappu in Helsinki, Finland

Finland has topped an index that measures and analyzes UN member nations' progress toward attaining sustainable development goals. The UN and the Bertelsmann Foundation produce the study every year, which ranks the performance of 165 nations. According to that study, Georgia is in 56th place.

I have been taking classes about sustainability, while being an exchange student in Helsinki, Finland. I had a class called “inspirational storytelling” which was fully about getting to know how to be sustainable and more precisely about sustainable chocolate. The whole course we were gathering as much information as possible to understand well the meaning of environmental protection and sustainability. Understanding that being sustainable is about taking care of each person and in terms of sustainable chocolate to support local farmers and improve their living conditions. I can say that my interest in Finnish way of environmental protection and sustainability started with this class.

Why is sustainable development and environmental protection important?

By progressively altering the methods in which we create and use technology, sustainable development pushes us to protect and increase our resource base. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, being sustainable and taking care of the environment are both important to help the climate change problems which is one of the most important topics nowadays. Being sustainable means that countries must be able to satisfy their fundamental needs, like employment, food, energy, water, and sanitation requirements. According to the Emerald Built Environments, there are 3 primary objectives of sustainable development:

  1. “Economic growth – building a strong, competitive economy, by ensuring that sufficient land of the right type is available in the right places and at the right time to support growth and innovation; and identifying then coordinating development requirements.
  2. Environmental protection – contributing to protecting and enhancing our natural and developed environment, while helping to improve biodiversity, use natural resources wisely, minimizing waste and pollution, and adapting to and helping to decrease climate change, including a global shift to low-carbon economy.
  3. Social inclusion – supporting strong, vibrant and healthy communities by providing the supply of housing required to meet the needs of present and future generations; and by creating a high-quality of development, with accessible local services that reflect the community’s needs and support its health, social and cultural well-being.”

Photo: Students watching sunset from the Suomenlinna Island, Helsinki

Finland is located in the northern Europe. According to the Finnish news publishing Finland.fi, Finland is the most heavily forested country in the whole of Europe, with thick woodlands covering nearly two-thirds of the country. Finland is a complex and diverse country by nature and sometimes people call it “A world of wild contrasts”, because one can swim in a very beautiful lake with amazing landscapes in summer and enjoy ice skating on the same lake in winter.

Photo: Suomenlinna Island, Helsinki

“The challenge for the modern world is that, while not everyone’s human needs are fulfilled, other people are living beyond the capacity of natural resources. Sustainable development aims at human wellbeing within the carrying capacity of the Earth. This calls for the kind of economic development that takes account of both the limits of the Earth’s carrying capacity and the fundamentals of human progress and life.” - The Finland we want by 2050 ─ Society’s commitment to sustainable development.

According to the World Data 2020, Finland is the happiest country in the whole world while Georgia’s place is 117. Measures included social support, personal freedom, gross domestic product (GDP) and levels of corruption. Also, one of the main components was close relationship to nature as well as calm and relaxed living conditions. The secret of the Finnish environmental strategy success is in collaboration and citizen engagement. Government, environmentalists and citizens work together to raise awareness on the topic. It is important that each person is well-informed about the environmental protection and sustainability concept and its implementation.

Leana Nieminen, 24 is from Finland, living in Helsinki and studies architecture and design at Aalto University. - “From the very childhood I was used to separating the waste. We were putting plastic, paper and household or bio waste in different places. I think that this is the least we can do for our nature.”

Photo: Leana Nieminen on the boat to Suomenlinna

In Finland, there is always water nearby, which makes locals and tourists enjoy day trips to some beautiful islands, like Suomenlinna; walk or swim in the Baltic Sea or have a nice voyage to the Gulf of Finland. Dense woods and amazing park forests are always lurking somewhere close and all these unbelievable places and landscapes are part of Finland's diverse natural ecosystem. While visiting Lapland I went to see Miekojärvi Lake. At a very first glance I saw the beauty and simplicity of nature. Of course it was surprisingly clean for me because I was used to the polluted sea as well as shores and lakes of Georgia. There was no plastic or any other waste on the shore. Also, the lake was not polluted and even it was so clean that people were swimming in it. Leana said that from the very beginning people in Finland are used to loving nature and forests. “We love walking in the parks, as we have a lot everywhere in Helsinki. Me and my friends from early childhood are used to going to the forests, lakes and other natural places. I think, because of this unconditional love we are trying to take care of nature and keep it clean and fresh.”

In 2020 Researchers at Yale University and Columbia University collaborated with the World Economic Forum to measure the cleanliness and environmental friendliness of over 180 countries around the world. According to their data, Denmark is in first place, Finland is in 7th place while Georgia’s number is 100.

Hill Lykamäk, 53 who works at the Finnish Environment Institute as a lecturer says that we can see the best parts of effective environmental policies all over the world. For example, the air quality in and around industrial areas has significantly improved. To protect biodiversity, a vast network of protected areas has been created. Polluted lakes and rivers have been cleaned up in large numbers. According to the News publishing Yle.Fi, 40% of lakes and rivers have been cleaned since the 1970s. Also, a very important part of environmental protection is to reduce carbon dioxide and emissions. In 2018, the total amount of Finland’s greenhouse gas emissions was 56.5 million tonnes in carbon dioxide equivalents. Emissions increased by 2% from the previous year. Finland has cut its emissions by approximately 21% compared to the 1990s. According to the document “Finland we want by 2050”, domestic traffic accounts for about one fifth of total greenhouse gas emissions in Finland.

Photo: Spring in the Nuuksio National Park, Helsinki

What is the way to an eco-friendly society and sustainable future for Finland? How are they achieving this goal?

One of the 17 society’s commitments from the document “The Finland we want by 2050” is Education. From kindergarten to the high level of education they promote a healthy lifestyle while inspiring children and young people to have a relationship with nature, according to early childhood and simple teaching curricula. While walking in the parks of Helsinki I often met school children who were collecting trash and cleaning the lands with special equipment. That was one regular school day for them.

Photo: School children are gathering the waste. Kannelmaki Park, Helsinki.

“We try to educate and teach children how important it is to take care of nature. We believe that these kinds of actions are the way to a more healthy and nice future. How can children throw something away after having this experience?” – said the primary school teacher, Tanja Lokkanen. Some school canteens have also installed scales to measure the amount of food that is binned during lunch. It’s an efficient way to make an important point. “We are trying to throw away as small amounts of food as possible,” says Tanja. “We are planning a meal plan a week before what we are going to eat. Also, I have to mention that sometimes we are eating waste.” What is also important for schools and daycare centers is that they are always close to the greenery. Finland is covered with many forests so it’s easy for everyone to spend more time in nature. Education and being close to nature are the beginning of such changes in people. The idea is to integrate sustainable natural resources usage and management with the well-being of each Finn.

It's also good for business to be environmentally conscious. Several construction firms, manufacturers, and engineering firms have built strategies and models that are not only environmentally good, but also economically viable. The good part is that the demand from society for eco-friendly buildings is getting higher and higher. Let’s talk about two perfect examples of being sustainable and eco-friendly in Finland.

Eko-Viikki is a pioneer in ecological building and sustainable urban planning in Finland

Eko-Viikki is an ecological housing area in Helsinki. The key aim in designing Eco-Viikki was to build a safe, balanced, and pleasant living atmosphere with energy-saving and waste-reduction solutions. The area's development was driven by a unique set of ecological standards, and many innovative solutions and practices. The ecological and sustainable standards include easy access to a broad range of facilities, as well as efficient public transportation and bike paths. The aim is to create energy-efficient, low-carbon urban design and development solutions. The entire Eko-Viikki area's waste management will be handled by an automated pipe collection system that transports sorted waste underground at high speeds. Automated waste management, recycling, and energy efficiency and water systems should be available and used in a safe and feasible manner. All these actions are good for energy saving and ecology. Also, By 2030, the Finnish plan anticipates 250,000 electric cars on Finnish highways, accounting for 10% of the country's total automobiles.

Photo: Helsinki from the boat

One more interesting thing is a modern software company called Nuuka Solutions. Nuuka is a smart building management software that makes buildings smart. It helps to collect, analyze and manage smart building data in one platform using a comprehensive approach. Nuuka ensures the indoor climate, makes service management more efficient and enables to drive down heating, electricity, and ventilation costs. Managing buildings in real time is made simple, as is sustainability reporting and certification. While connecting 1700 Buildings in Helsinki by 2035 Nuuka promises Helsinki will become a carbon neutral city. As Lykamäki mentions, since virtual services can minimize and partially replace conventional physical operations, such as bank buildings, digital solutions make cities more environmentally friendly. Workplaces, healthcare, and education will all benefit from digital technologies. He believes that sustainability is the key to well-being in the future, which itself means balance between people, businesses and environmental protection.

The Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development (FNCSD) was founded in 1993. It is focused on having good and fruitful communication between the government, people, businesses and different industries. Their main motto is: “Towards sustainable choices. A nationally and globally sustainable Finland”

“One goal is to launch agreements on material efficiency between ministries and key sectors in order to optimize and reduce raw material use. The centre has also launched a help desk for public sector purchasers. The help desk brings together purchasers who need a solution for large environmental technology investments and enterprises who can offer a sustainable and innovative solution. “– written in the document.

"2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development"

Finland has one of the most Inspiring environmentally sustainable ideas evolving and being implemented across the world. Perfect example for that is Lahti, the European Green Capital Award winner for 2021, at the forefront of urban sustainability. Lahti was named one of the five most forward-thinking European cities in 2020 because of its app-based trading system for personal traffic pollution, creative waste management solutions, and water conservation efforts. In Finland, ecological thinking is prevalent in daily life, and the city places a heavy focus on promoting environmentally sustainable lifestyles. According to the Finnish environmentalist Hill Lykamäki, Finland tries to achieve goals that are written in the document “Finland we want by 2050” as well as become carbon-neutral by 2030. He mentioned that they are thriving to do this change not only for Finland but the whole world. Many resources and funding are driven to make more and more future-oriented research in technology and climate change. Finland is also trying to fund developing countries like Bangladesh or Uganda to reduce the level of emissions and be involved in the process of the climate change problems.

Another huge step from the people and government of Finland is easy recycling. They want to cut back on excessive consumption. This issue is being addressed by a variety of citizen initiatives. Leana said that once or twice a year she looks through her clothes, collects what she doesn’t use often and then takes it to the second hand store or just gives it away. Many citizens are involved in recycling groups that exist on Facebook, where old belongings can be conveniently re-homed with the click of a button. Second hand furniture as well as clothes are extremely popular among adults.

Photo: Porvoo, Finland

References and sources for further reading:

  1. The Finland we want by 2050 ─ Society’s commitment to sustainable development: https://www.ymparisto.fi/download/noname/%7bFE80DF3A-FEA3-4193-9FC2-F37B84D65CCE%7d/96164
  2. Environmental Protection in Finland: https://finland.fi/life-society/environmental-protection-in-finland/
  3. The Environmental Implementation Review – 2019 - Finland https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eir/pdf/report_fi_en.pdf
  4. World Class Sustainable Solutions from Finland: https://media.sitra.fi/2017/04/21134555/World_class_sustainable_solutions_from_Finland.pdf
  5. Finland puts sustainability top of the agenda: https://www.goodnewsfinland.com/feature/finland-puts-sustainability-at-the-top-of-the-agenda/
  6. Environmental Impact: https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en/housing/planning/impacts/
  7. Finnish Sustainable Communities: https://www.syke.fi/enUS/Current/News/Finnish_Sustainable_Communities_FISU__vi(33712)
  8. Best Practices from Finland: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/dsd/dsd_aofw_ni/ni_pdfs/NationalReports/finland/FinlandMakingItHappen.pdf
  9. Green Travel in Finland: https://www.visitfinland.com/sustainable-finland/
  10. Finland moves towards a sustainable future: https://finland.fi/life-society/finland-moves-towards-a-sustainable-future/
  11. Environmental Issues, Policies and Clean Technology: https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=560
  12. The Finnish Environment: https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/40412/FE_551.pdf?sequence=1
  13. Lahti’s Green Minded initiatives: https://www.goodnewsfinland.com/lahti-s-green-minded-initiatives-recognised-by-national-geographic/
  14. Yle.Fi news: https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/researchers_baltic_sea_health_shows_improvement/8426224
  15. Our World in Data: https://ourworldindata.org/co2/country/finland
  16. http://emeraldbe.com/about-us/
  17. https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/news-in-brief/19411-finland-ranks-first-in-sustainable-development-in-international-comparison-by-un.html?fbclid=IwAR01Onf4ONzwn5m-WAtCUfCB-meOmYseZgCJTNYER464mpYlONaGFPiPA8U