Finland has pledged to reach carbon neutrality by 2035 under its Climate Act, phasing out coal by 2029 and tripling renewable energy investment thereafter (1). Rising tourism and transport demand have driven greenhouse-gas emissions higher, placing stress on boreal forests and peatlands. These once-reliable carbon sinks lost 90 percent of their uptake capacity between 2009 and 2022 because of heat stress, drought and logging, becoming net emitters instead of mitigating climate change (2). Although transport emissions in Finland have fallen by about 27 percent since 2005, the sector still accounts for a large share of national emissions, underscoring the need for low-carbon travel options (3). To close the gap to neutrality, Finland is focusing on energy-efficient building retrofits, tougher procurement standards for public infrastructure and bringing maritime transport into its emissions-trading scheme.
Turku, Finland’s oldest city, targets full carbon neutrality by 2029 through electrifying its bus fleet, extending cycle lanes and operating waste-to-energy plants that use household waste for district heating. Many hotels and student residences now hold the Nordic Swan Ecolabel or Green Key certification, guaranteeing renewable energy use, water conservation and comprehensive recycling schemes (4). As a Mechanical Engineering master’s student soon arriving at Turku University of Applied Sciences, I will build on the sustainable routines I established in Glasgow, where I replaced short car trips with walking and cycling, reserving my car only for family errands.
I will look for student housing certified by Nordic Swan or Green Key to minimise heating and electricity emissions and support Turku’s sustainable urban goals. Each morning I will borrow a Föli bike from one of more than 203 stations across the city rather than drive, mirroring cargo-bike trials in other Finnish towns that aim to replace short car journeys (5). For longer trips I will rely on Turku’s electric-bus network and seasonal train services, both of which are moving to low-emission fleets (6).
I plan to join the TUAS Student Union (TUO) and its Industrial and Management Engineering student society, which organises workshops on renewable energy systems and sustainable design projects (7). I will also collaborate with fellow students in the Energy and Environmental Engineering programme on small wind-turbine prototypes and energy-storage experiments. These hands-on projects will enhance my master’s studies and strengthen my applications for graduate roles at leading renewable-energy companies.
To track progress, I will use the myclimate carbon-footprint calculator to establish a baseline and set monthly reduction targets, turning sustainable living into a clear engineering challenge. By choosing ecolabelled accommodation, maximising active travel, using low-emission public transport and participating in sustainability-focused engineering initiatives, I will reduce my personal impact and help Finland advance toward its carbon-neutral future.
This approach integrates UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action (8) with SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 15 on Life on Land (9), showing realistic, scalable steps that any student can take to support Finland’s ambitious environmental targets.
(1) https://www.treasuryfinland.fi
(2) https://www.icos-cp.eu
(3)https://www.europarl.europa.eu
(4) https://www.nordic-swan-ecolabel.org
(5) https://www.foli.fi
(6) https://www.heliox-energy.com
(7) https://opiskelijakunta.net/en/opiskelijakunta/
(8) https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/#:~:text=Goal%2013:%20Take%20urgent%20action%20to%20combat%20climate%20change%20and%20its%20impacts&text=Every%20person%2C%20in%20every%20country,for%20what%20this%20could%20mean.
(9) https://sdgs.un.org/goals
