A two-day sustainability seminar organised by LUT University and the Council of Rectors of Finnish Universities (Unifi) 3–4 November will open LUT’s big week of sustainability events. The week will continue with the annual meeting of the Climate University network, where higher education institutions will hear about gaming as a way to learn about sustainability. Comprehensive and upper secondary school teachers will convene for the Tieteestä tulevaisuus seminar on 6 November.
“The events will attract roughly 150 participants from higher education management as well as sustainability experts, researchers, and teachers from various levels of education. The dialogue our sustainability week will stimulate is important, because we're behind on our climate goals, biodiversity loss needs more attention, and the unstable global situation is eroding international commitment to sustainability goals,” says Hanna-Leena Ottelin, LUT University's sustainable development manager.
Finnish universities have jointly published a set of theses on how to promote sustainable development and responsibility. The Lappeenranta seminar will examine how the Unifi theses have been applied so far and plan courses of action for 2025–2030.
“Universities jointly aim to maintain and enhance planetary well-being. Decreasing carbon footprints and emissions has turned out to be too narrow an approach to current global environmental challenges. Universities are addressing environmental issues comprehensively based on the most recent research findings, taking climate and nature goals into account side by side. In our Lappeenranta seminar, we’re looking to agree on concrete joint measures to promote our key goals,” says Heikki Holopianen, executive director of Unifi.
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Live stream from the 3 November seminar
In the Unifi sustainability seminar, LUT's Professor of Practice Sami Sykkö will moderate a panel discussion on what universities have accomplished and how they could sharpen their approach to sustainability issues.
The panel will feature Eeva Furman, secretary-general of the National Commission on Sustainable Development at the Prime Minister’s Office, Tuuli Kaskinen, CEO of the Climate Leadership Coalition, and Tilda Lassila, vice president of the National Union of University Students in Finland.
Follow the live stream of the seminar on Monday from 13:15 to 15:45 (in Finnish). The panel discussion starts at 14:45.
Science, technology, and sustainability training for teachers
Nearly 80 primary and secondary school teachers from around Finland will also attend LUT’s week of sustainability events. The teachers will take part in workshops arranged by the Climate University and in the Tieteestä tulevaisuus (science is the future) seminar. The seminar is part of LUT's and LAB's Junior University, which provides science and technology education in collaboration with all education levels and day care centres.
“The seminar introduces teachers to the most recent sustainability-related research and practical examples of how science, technology, and sustainability issues such as climate actions and the importance of clean water can be taught to children and youth in an inspiring way,” says Johanna Naukkarinen, associate professor at LUT.
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Hanna-Leena Ottelin
Miika Marttila
