Sustainable development

Towards carbon neutrality

We are committed to taking environmental issues and responsibility for the environment into consideration throughout our operations. We aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, and we strive to promote ecologic sustainability and reduce our ecological footprint. In addition, our main campus has been awarded with the WWF Green Office certificate since 2017, and our future objective is to extend environmental management systems to cover the university's other campuses as well.

Environment Programme 2024–2026

Our Environment Programme comprises our environmental principles and goals as well as our measures to achieve them. It also entails our systems of environmental monitoring and reporting.

The programme is valid for 2024–2026, and it was composed by the University of Lapland's Working Group on the Environment.

Take a look at our environment programme

Our environmental principles

• We consider environmental issues and responsibility for the environment throughout our operations.
• In research and teaching, we pay attention to the specificities of the arctic and northern operational environment. We strive to attain teaching and research objectives while consuming less material and energy.
• We recognise the environmental impacts of our activities and take action to reduce the impacts in a way that the university continues to be a space that meets the needs of work and study.
  
• We make efforts to make our campus environment more flexible and attractive, and ultimately a good and safe environment for studying, teaching, and doing research.
• We maintain an ongoing dialogue with our students and staff members about environmental issues.
• We make efforts to raise environmental awareness in the university community with the objective of motivating the community members to make eco-friendly choices.

In addition, we are committed to the Theses on Sustainable Development and Responsibility put forward by Universities Finland UNIFI, the Council of Rectors of Finnish Universities.

Our environmental goals

• We reduce our energy and water consumption and the amount of combustible and landfill waste by three percent compared to the level in 2023 by the end of 2026.
• We will be carbon neutral by 2030.
  

Examples on our environmental work

Wellbeing Forest

The University of Lapland's Wellbeing Forest has five areas where you can do different exercises to support your wellbeing. The Wellbeing Forest is situated behind our main campus, and it is always open to everyone.

Do you have any questions about our university's environmental activities? What about suggestions for improvement? Or would you like to share your top environmental tips with our academic community?

An easy way to get in touch is to use the form below. If you want us to respond, please give us your contact details and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Working Group on the Environment

University's Working Group on the Environment monitors and develops the university's pro-environmental work, makes recommendations for actions towards greater environmental sustainability at the university, and updates the Environment Programme.

Members

• Osmo Rätti (chairman), University Researcher
• Juha Aavikko, Campus Manager, SYK
• Hannele Alajoutsijärvi, Coordinator
• Jorma Puuronen, Director of Planning
• Inka Salo, Student Member, LYY
• Esa-Pekka Tuppi, Student Member, LYY
• Sari Väyrynen, Communications Specialist

Expert members:

• Ilkka Ratinen, Professor of Sustainability and Outdoor Education
  

Green Office team

The Green Office team monitors the university's activities within the framework of the WWF Green Office environmental management system and works on the implementation of the activities in the university's faculties and other units. The team consists of staff members working on the University of Lapland's main campus, students, and stakeholder representatives.

Contact person:

Hanne Alajoutsijärvi
Coordinator
Tel. +358 40 484 4070
greenoffice[at]ulapland.fi