Sustainable mobility @ULapland

1 Travelling to Rovaniemi

 When travelling to Rovaniemi, consider using low-emissions means of transport. Try to look for trains or busses that suit your travel to and from Rovaniemi. Avoiding airplanes is always a good start towards a more sustainable mobility.

Good to know. The Erasmus+ Program tops up your grant with 50 euro per exchange if more than 50% of the journey is made with low-emissions means of transport. Additionally, up to 4 additional travel days of individual support are added to your grant amount.

Note that you are only eligible for this additional support if at least 50% of your travel is made using low-emissions means of transport. This includes: trains, busses and carpooling. A ship and plane are not considered to be low-emissions means of travel. 

2 Re-use, Repair, Recycle

Getting settled in your student apartment can also be done in a sustainable way.

ESN Lapland created a recycling room where students can get second hand supplies like kitchen utensils, cutlery, plates, glasses, rugs, blankets… Here you can also bring your items that are still in a good condition after your own exchange period.

You did not find what you need? Find your way to one of the second-hand stores in Rovaniemi. Here you can get all kinds of things, including winter clothing/shoes, ice skates, kitchen utensils…

Is something broken during your stay? Do not throw it out just yet! Try to repair that what is broken. Usually your fellow students will be happy to assist you with it.
Did you know you can borrow some tools from the DAS office so you can repair items?

When you are not able to donate or fix something and you can´t find another purpose for it, you might need to throw it away. Follow the recycling guidelines under step 3 so the materials can be salvaged.

3 Waste management

When living in Rovaniemi, you will produce some waste. Luckily there are good recycling guidelines in place to help you sorting your waste as good as possible. By recycling in a correct manner, the materials of the products can be used again or turned into new materials.

We have added the local recycling guidelines here so you know exactly which materials should be disposed in which container. Don´t forget to collect and return cans and plastic bottles to the store in return for cash!

4 Water consumption

Clean water is an important resource for life everywhere. It becomes more and more important to be sparsely with this resource. Even small actions can help to save water from being wasted.

In Lapland the heating of water is a particular environmental challenge. That is why it is not only important to be sparsely with water, but also keep in mind to use only warm water when necessary.

We collected some tips you can implement in your daily life.

You can:

• Close the tap when brushing your teeth, shaving or shampooing your hair.
• Let your sink fill with some water instead of rinsing dishes under running water.
• Use the dual flush system on your toilet according to the needs.
• Limit your shower time. And try lowering the temperatures.
• Use the ecological programs/lower temperatures for washing clothes. Usually 30 degrees suffices for most items.
• Notice a leak? Inform your landlord immediately or try to fix it yourself.

5 Electricity consumption 

Electricity is generated in a variety of ways. In Finland about 35 - 40% is generated in a sustainable way. This however means that also a large share is not sustainable. Saving electricity both at home as on campus is important to reduce the production of CO₂ that is emitted while generating energy.

Saving electricity is done with easy steps.

• Hang your clothes to dry instead of using a dryer.
• Wash clothes on a lower temperature.
• Need to replace a light? Buy LED light bulbs and save energy.
• Switch of lights and electrical appliances when not using them.
• Adjust the fridge temperature to 4 or 5 degrees Celsius.

6 Heating

Heating your apartment consumes quite a bit of energy. 

When living in a DAS apartment, there will be a central heating system in place to keep the buildings temperature between 19-20 °C. Each room has a thermostat-guided radiator valve. This controls the room temperature. Be aware not to let the valve overheat (e.g. by covering it) as it will make your room cool down unnecessary. Also try not to let it cool down unnecessary as it will make the radiator emit more heat than needed.

Did you know that an extra layer of clothing can help keeping you warm without the need to turn on extra heating?

Keep doors and windows closed to prevent unnecessary loss of heat. Adding curtains also creates an extra layer of insulation keeping your place warm and cosy.

7 Food waste

Food waste accounts for 6-8 percent of the greenhouse gas emitted by humans. Additionally, a lot of plastic packaging goes to waste. Of course, the best way to save food from the bin is to only buy/take what you eat.

Leftovers are often sold at a reduced price. Not only at the university, but multiple places in the city try to sell their leftovers. Download ResQ app to see the daily offers.
Also, grocery stores such as Prisma and Minimani offer products that will expire soon at a discounted price, often after 20.00. This way you can help reduce food waste and save some money. 

Do you have leftovers at home? Get creative and make a meal out of it. Perhaps you discover a new recipe that you cannot get enough of.

What we eat can also have an impact on our planet. In the student restaurants there are vegan options available. Eating vegetarian or vegan one day a week already has health and environmental benefits. Not to forget… those options are usually very tasty as well!

8 Paperless studies

The production of paper puts a great deal of stress on our environment. Not only for the raw materials such as wood, but also because of the high amount of water needed in the manufacturing process. For 1 kg of paper about 15 - 40 liters of water is needed. It is essential to cut our use of paper and move towards a paperless society.

Studying used to include a pile of paperwork on a yearly, monthly and even daily base. Nowadays we have the option to cut the paper use and use our computers or tablets as a means of reading research, do assignments and take notes.

When you do need to print, consider the settings and type of paper you use. Print double-sided and on recycled paper. Do you need to print slides? Put multiple slides on one page to save paper.

Did you know that the International Office at the University of Lapland strives to be a green office? That includes making the effort to reduce the use of printed materials. That´s why we endorse the use of Online Learning Agreements or sign Learning Agreements in PDF format digitally. 

9 Transportation

Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland. Sounds big and impressive right? But no worries. The city is not that big. You can easily get around by foot or by bike (even in winter!).

Want to get out of the city? Rovaniemi has some public transportation (busses) at your disposal.

In English - Linkkari

Getting around in Finland

Finland is a large country and travelling from Rovaniemi to other places can be challenging. Here we ranked the best ways of travel from most to least sustainable.

Train

Travelling to other cities in Southern direction is easily done by train. If you are a member of the student union, you even get discounts.

Check out the website and plan your travels within Finland: https://www.vr.fi/

Bus

Want to go for a more budget friendly alternative for the train? Consider taking the bus. Some companies even offer bus rides to Helsinki for as little as 1 Euro!

Keep in mind that you need to calculate some additional travel time when taking a bus.

https://www.onnibus.com/

https://www.matkahuolto.fi/

Sharing cars

DAS offers you affordable sharing cars that you can rent through the Omaga app.

If you share the costs for rent and gas, you may find this a suitable way of making daytrips or going on a weekend hike up north.

Of course, you can always consider to rent a car elsewhere. Keep in mind that you may need to have transport to the airport to collect the car you rent.

Plane

Although planes are considered to be a very polluting means of transportation, they might be the least time-consuming way to travel further distances from Rovaniemi. Consider to use other means of transportation for your travels