Environment Programme

Operational environment

A key objective of the Lapland University Consortium (LUC) is to further establish itself as a leader in the area of arctic research and competence both nationally and internationally. The LUC is a community formed by two universities – the University of Lapland and the Lapland UAS – with a specialist focus on global arctic responsibility, sustainable tourism, future services, and reachability.

The mission of the LUC is to produce new knowledge and competence from the arctic perspective so that life in the Arctic can continue to thrive in the future, and to encourage communities and other actors to act sustainably. Active engagement in international and national networks focused on arctic competence is harnessed to benefit the LUC's strategic aims.

The LUC operates in an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable manner in constant dialogue with its stakeholders and partners. The LUC offers its students an inspiring learning environment in which digital solutions, connections to working life and the economy, and participation in research and education networks are an essential part of study.

As a member of the LUC, the University of Lapland is committed to the attainment of the abovementioned strategic objectives as well as to taking environmental considerations and responsibilities into account throughout its activities.

The objective of the University of Lapland's Environment Programme is to bring clarity to the university's environmental management, to strengthen the university's environmentally responsible activities, and to enhance the University of Lapland's position as a university synonymous with sustainable development. The University of Lapland's Environment Programme has been drafted by the University of Lapland's Working Group on the Environment, and it is aligned to support the achievement of the environmental objectives of the University of Lapland as well as to comply with the WWF Green Office criteria.

WWF Green Office environmental management system

Adopted in 2016 at the University of Lapland, the WWF Green Office environmental management system forms the foundation for environmental management and promotes engagement in pro-environment activities at the university.

The WWF Green Office environmental management system is intended for use in offices, and it is easily scalable to offices of all sizes, ranging from companies and public administration to organisations. The University of Lapland signed a cooperation agreement with WWF on 30 March 2016 and was awarded the WWF Green Office certificate in 2017.

After the right to use the WWF Green Office certificate has been granted, the office is committed to continuously improving its pro-environment activities. WWF Green Office audit is conducted every three years with the objective of inspecting whether the office continues to meet the criteria and has made progress towards attaining its environmental goals. The WWF Green Office environmental management system requires continuous updating of the measures to be taken and thus also the Environment Programme of the University, as well as annual reporting to WWF Green Office on the Environment Programme and the attainment of the goals set. The University has passed the latest audit conducted in August 2023.

WWF Green Office makes it possible for all members of the university community – both students and staff – to participate in eco-friendly activities on campus. The WWF Green Office logo can be used to communicate the university's environmental performance to different stakeholders. The WWF Green Office certificate covers the University of Lapland's main campus. The objective is to extend the environmental management system to cover the university's other campuses as well.

The responsibility for strategic coordination of the University of Lapland's environmental activities lies with the Working Group on the Environment. The university has no designated person in charge of environmental issues. Instead, environmental issues are attended to by several persons in addition to their other duties. The purpose of the Working Group on the Environment is to monitor and develop the university's pro-environmental work, to make recommendations for actions towards greater environmental sustainability at the university, and to update the Environment Programme.

The university's WWF 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 university has a Green Office contact person who, together with the Green Office Team, is responsible for the university's Green Office activities. The team consists of staff members working on the University of Lapland's main campus, students, and stakeholder representatives. The team is responsible for implementing the WWF Green Office activities and its tasks also include, for example, informing and motivating staff to engage in Green Office activities, collecting feedback, and continuous development of activities required by the WWF Green Office system.

The task of the University of Lapland's Student Union (LYY) is to raise awareness of environmental issues in the student community and to contribute to monitoring the university's environmental activities. The Student Union is represented in the University of Lapland's Working Group on the Environment.

The University of Lapland is committed to the Theses on Sustainable Development and Responsibility put forward by Universities Finland UNIFI, the Council of Rectors of Finnish Universities.

The University of Lapland's Key Environmental Principles that inform the University's pro-environmental work:

• Environmental issues and responsibility for the environment are considered throughout the University's operations.
• In research and teaching, attention is paid to the specificities of the arctic and northern operational environment, and teaching and research objectives are attained while consuming less material and energy.
• Environmental impacts of the university's activities are identified and action is taken to reduce the impacts in a way that the university continues to be a space that meets the needs of work and study.
• Efforts are made to make the campus environment more flexible and attractive, and ultimately a good and safe environment for studying, teaching, and doing research.
• An ongoing dialogue is maintained with students and staff members about environmental issues, and efforts are made to raise environmental awareness in the university community with the objective of motivating the community members to make eco-friendly choices.

Carbon neutrality

The University of Lapland is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. The university is actively working towards reducing its carbon footprint.

The University of Lapland has a range of functions related to research, artistic activities and education that can be geared towards raising greater environmental awareness and promote the university's objective to achieve carbon neutrality.

A central part of the University's pro-environmental work is formed by the environmentally responsible activities of the University Properties of Finland (SYK), the owner of the buildings and facilities of the University of Lapland's main campus, and promoting them through ownership steering. The University participates actively in the national development programs of SYK, which support achievement of the carbon neutrality objective. Evaluation and monitoring of the development policies (good practices) of the universities belonging to SYK are an integral part of the abovementioned development programs.

In addition, in accordance with its vision, the University of Lapland emphasises the significance of solutions that contribute towards achieving carbon neutrality throughout the university's activities. This shows, for example, in the RDI activities and simple everyday eco-friendly actions that can be taken on the university campuses.

The University of Lapland's environmental goals to be reached by 2026:

1. Goal: Reducing energy consumption
   Target: Energy consumption (electricity, heat) is reduced by 3% compared to the level in 2023 by the end of 2026.
   Indicator: Electricity/heat consumption kWh/person/year
   
   
2. Goal: Reducing water consumption
   Target: Water consumption is reduced by 3% compared to the level in 2023 by the end of 2026.
   Indicator: Water consumption litres/person/year
   
   
3. Goal: Reducing the amount of combustible and landfill waste
   Target: The amount of combustible and landfill waste is reduced by 3% compared to the level in 2023 by the end of 2026.
   Indicator: Amount of waste kg/person/year

The environmental goals concern the University of Lapland's main building (the university's main campus).

In addition, in their agreement for the period 2021–2024, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the University of Lapland have agreed that the University of Lapland will be carbon neutral by 2030.

The University of Lapland's Environment Programme is aligned with the WWF Green Office measures divided into nine categories:

1. implementation and coordination of the Environment Programme
2. energy
3. travel and transportation
4. procurement
5. food
6. waste and recycling
7. water
8. biodiversity; and
9. people.

The University of Lapland's measures to achieve the set environmental goals are:

• appointing a WWF Green Office contact person
• forming and maintaining a Green Office team
• drafting and updating an Environment Programme
• selecting measures and setting numeric targets for them
• drafting an internal environmental communications plan
• controlling and activating energy saving settings for electric equipment
• instructing staff to save energy by turning off screens, computers and other devices when they are not in use
• developing and updating procurement guidelines
• complying with the provisions of the Waste Act and recycling where possible
• expanding sustainable, eco-friendly activities to cover more spaces/units of the university wherever applicable
• calculating the university's carbon footprint annually and drafting a plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030
• developing methods for calculating the university's carbon handprint and the nature footprint
• introducing and discussing environmental considerations in connection with staff and student recruitment, student orientation and employee onboarding
• applying to become a Fair Trade University and committing to the criteria of the title
• securing adequate resources for environmental work (for example, an environmental coordinator).
  

Some of the measures listed above are Green Office criteria that the university is required to meet in order to be granted the right to use the WWF Green Office logo.

The University of Lapland's Working Group on the Environment operates as the executive body implementing the measures related to the university's environmental work and is also responsible for continuous development of the university's environmental work. The Working Group on the Environment has regular meetings in order to work actively towards attainment of the university's environmental goals and to act on environmental issues. The group's predetermined meeting schedule includes meetings in the spring and autumn term, as well as campaigns and events organised on campus.

The university's WWF Green Office contact person/team are responsible for reporting on the university's WWF Green Office activities to WWF. Consumption data concerning the selected measures is reported to WWF annually. The goals for reducing consumption are set for a period of three years at a time, after which new goals will be set. In addition, the Green Office measures that have been successfully implemented as part of the University of Lapland's Environment Programme will be reported annually. Every three years, the measures and goals are updated and compiled to be presented to the university's staff and students. The University of Lapland's Environment Programme is published on the university's website. The measures of the university's environmental work are reported annually in the university's sustainability report.