Sustainable development

The first solar panels were installed at the University of Eastern Finland Kuopio Campus in the summer 2016.

There are 78 solar panels with the peak power of 260 WP (Watt peak) each installed on the roof of the Melania building. The total combined capacity of the panel system is 20.28 kWp. In 2019, the solar panels generated 14,500 kWh of solar energy, which is equivalent to approximately 80 per cent of the energy need of an electrically heated 120 square metre single-family detached house. The university has also assessed other potential locations for solar panels on its campuses.

The university uses 100% renewable electricity.

As of 2018, the University of Eastern Finland has been using electricity that is 100 per cent generated from renewable energy sources. The total consumption of energy in 2019 was 20 900 257 kWh, which is equivalent to the amount of energy consumed by around one thousand electrically heated 120 square metre single-family detached houses. The renewable energy sources used to generate the electricity consumed by the university were 48.9 per cent water power, 49.6 per cent bioenergy, and 1.6 per cent wind power.

As of the beginning of 2020, demand-side management (DSM) has been applied in the university properties for balancing the energy consumption of devices and systems owned by University Properties of Finland Ltd. DSM enables the use of green energy and increasing the used of renewable energy in the university properties, while also reducing the carbon footprint of buildings.

Energy savings are gained through the use of LED lights and lighting control systems.

The university has invested in LED lights in several buildings and outdoor lighting systems on the university campuses. Only LEDs are purchased, and whenever existing lighting solutions need repairing or replacing, the lights are changed to energy saving LEDs. The control and timing of lighting systems is based on the availability of natural light.

Environmentally efficient solutions were used and sustainable space planning and purchasing were chosen when building the Rantakylä Teacher Training School in Joensuu.

The Rantakylä Teacher Training School commissioned in early 2019 is a highly eco-efficient building. For example, buildings with energy-efficient structural solutions and an effective heat recovery system are rated in energy efficiency class A.

At the Joensuu Campus, the reduction of emissions from energy consumption is accelerated with the climate partnership commitment that the university has concluded with the City of Joensuu.

By signing the commitment, the university has agreed to, for example, increase the percentage of renewable energy sources used to generate district heating for the buildings in Joensuu Campus to 80 per cent by 2025.

The university is reducing the amount of waste and improving the sorting of waste.

Waste generation is minimised at the university by making sustainable choices already when purchases are made. When making purchases, the aim is to reduce the amount of packaging waste, with special attention to avoiding plastic packaging. The sorting of waste in the university’s public areas and break rooms is constantly improved by acquiring more containers and instructing how to sort waste correctly through practical examples. The collection of consumer plastic packaging on campus commenced in the winter 2020 as part of the ‘Muovimuuvi’ plastic recycling campaign of University Properties of Finland Ltd.

Compass Group is reducing the amount of food waste generated and plastic used in all of its university restaurants and cafeterias.

Compass Group stopped the use of plastic straws in take away paper cups in 2019, and plastic lids and spoons have been replaced with lids and spoons made from recyclable materials. All purchases now have less plastic packaging than before. In addition to making sustainable choices and reducing packaging waste, Compass Group also aims to cut the amount of food waste generated in half in all the stages of its value chain. The restaurants are constantly developing the measurement and monitoring of food waste.

To reduce the need to travel at the University of Eastern Finland, people are encouraged to use the university’s versatile remote access and remote meeting tools instead of travelling. According to the university’s Travel Regulations, public transport and ride-sharing should be the primary mode of transport when travelling for work within Finland. To facilitate the sharing of leased cars, a ride-sharing calendar for arranging trips – especially those between campuses – has been made available to everyone at the university. When long-distance travel within Finland is required, people should avoid domestic flights and, where possible, take the train instead of flying.

As of the beginning of 2019, the university has been offsetting its CO2 emissions from air travel.

Initially, this only applied to the flights of University Services, but the offsetting will be expanded to include the university’s air travel as a whole during the spring 2020. Offsetting is done by purchasing emission reductions, and/or permanent emission removals (carbon sink increases) in relation to emissions emitted ”tonne for tonne”, from carbon emission reducing sustainable energy projects, or from projects that increase permanent carbon sinks. These projects are typically implemented in developing countries which usually have no regulated emission reduction targets. The university also has active experts who have experience in travelling to international conferences by land.

The city bikes introduced in Kuopio and Joensuu are also at the disposal of the university’s students and staff.

City bikes were introduced in our campus cities in the spring 2019. Parking is available for cities bikes on both campuses, and the university staff and students use city bikes actively on a daily basis. To motivate the university staff to ride city bikes or their own bikes to work, the university has built parking for city bikes, improved the on-campus parking areas for bikes, and established areas for repairing bikes on each campus. There are active bike riders on both campuses. For many years now, the university has participated in the national ‘Kilometrikisa’ race, where people are challenged to ride their bikes in teams, collecting kilometres for a certain period.

Centre of Excellence of Inverse Modelling and Imaging

Inverse modelling refers to the analysis of unidentified coefficients or functions using indirect measurement. The developed methods are applicable in, for example, medical imaging, studying the properties of soil, and atmospheric models. Selected in the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence programme for the years 2018–2025, the University of Eastern Finland is represented in the Centre of Excellence of Inverse Modelling and Imaging by Professors Jari Kaipio, Ville Kolehmainen and Marko Vauhkonen, as well as Associate Professor Tanja Tarvainen and Academy Researcher Aku Seppänen from the Department of Applied Physics.

Centre of Excellence in Atmospheric Science

The Centre of Excellence in Atmospheric Science – From Molecular and Biological Processes to the Global Climate was selected in the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence programme for the years 2014–2019. The Centre of Excellence is led by Professor Markku Kulmala of the University of Helsinki. The aerophysics research group, led by Professor Annele Virtanen at the Department of Applied Physics, represents the University of Eastern Finland in the Centre of Excellence, which also involves the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Nordic Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Aquatic Production (SUREAQUA)

Research groups from the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences led by Professor Mikko Kolehmainen, Professor Raine Kortet and Associate Professor Amit Bhatnagar have been invited to represent the university in the Centre of Excellence of the Nordic Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Aquatic Production (SUREAQUA) in 2017-2021. This multidisciplinary Centre of Excellence focuses on developing a comprehensive and ecologically sustainable bluebioeconomy in Northern Europe.

The coordinator of the Centre of Excellence is Fiona Provan of the International Research Institute of Stavanger IRIS in Norway. The Centre of Excellence seeks to improve food security and management of nutrient self-sufficiency in the Nordics, increase the efficient use of resources, and promote employment growth in the bluebioeconomy sector.