15.11.2024
Turku universities team up for sustainable development
The University of Turku, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Åbo Akademi University, and Novia University of Applied Sciences have set up a joint cooperation group for sustainable development. The group’s objective is to promote regional cooperation, with a particular emphasis on themes related to sustainability and responsibility.
The aim of the group is to solidify the profile of Turku’s higher education institutions as strong pioneers in sustainable development.
“We want to foster more peer support and learning, the open sharing of information, and collaboration in teaching and research. Our mission is to support the work that our higher education institutions do to make their sustainability and responsibility policies a reality,” explains Specialist in Sustainable Development Jutta Mäkinen from the University of Turku, who is also a member of the cooperation group.
One way of introducing personnel and students to the themes of sustainability and responsibility is through joint seminars. These were kickstarted last year with the theme of “Carbon Neutrality and Handprint of Higher Education Institutions”, while this year’s seminars focused on biodiversity and the higher education institutions’ environmental goals.
Sustainability and responsibility increase the Turku region’s attractiveness and vitality
Each higher education institution is doing their part to promote sustainability and responsibility in the Turku region.
The University of Turku is currently preparing an environmental programme that will help steer its approach to nature and climate actions as part of its activities.
“We recently began offering a course on the principles of sustainability that is meant for all students at the University of Turku. This course is based on the sustainability research that has been conducted at the University by specialists in different scientific fields,” says Specialist in Sustainable Development Jutta Mäkinen.
Meanwhile, Turku University of Applied Sciences has begun emphasizing the protection of nature in its many activities.
“We’re aiming to purchase forest areas for both conservation and restoration purposes. This approach is also linked to the promotion of sustainable procurements, which has an impact on various issues, such as the use of natural resources,” explains Taru Konst, Coordinator in Sustainable Development.
Åbo Akademi University is focused on making sustainability a key part of the work done by its personnel, from promoting core competences in sustainable development to purchasing fewer single-use cups.
“We’re developing tools that will inspire everyone to think about sustainability in their daily work. Our Facilities Management unit is currently inventorying the furniture in all our buildings, as this will allow us to focus on refurbishing our existing furniture instead of procuring new items,” notes Ann Charlott Hästö, Head of Campus Development.
One of Novia’s three strategic goals is sustainable solutions that mitigate climate impacts.
“Novia is at the forefront in supporting innovative and sustainable solutions that help promote the green transition, wellbeing, and the prerequisites for a good life. Our current focus is on the development of sustainability methods. However, since our departments are at different stages in this process, there’s still plenty to be done if we want to achieve our goals by 2028,” says Project Manager Kenneth Nordell.
The members of the cooperation group for sustainable development are very satisfied with their higher education institutions’ approach to the topic: a collegial network is an optimal cooperation platform for exchanging ideas and experiences, learning from one another, and asking for advice when it’s needed. Above all, each institution will always know what the other institutions in Turku are doing to promote sustainability and responsibility.
“We’ve been given a golden opportunity to strengthen the cooperation between our higher education institutions. We all understand that our sustainability and responsibility work isn’t just for increasing the attractiveness and vitality of our individual institutions, but that of the entire Turku region,” Jutta Mäkinen concludes.