Me — sustainable or a threat to the planet?

Veronica Palmgren
Nov 3 · 2 min read
Source: Finland’s Commission for Sustainable Development. (2.11.2019). https://www.sitoumus2050.fi/en/web/sitoumus2050/lifestyles#/

This is no small business and I am soon to find out. The Finnish government is serious about it, Finland shall be carbon neutral by 2035. As an ardent believer in the power of many small actions, I trust that also my actions will count. In fact, so does the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office, which opened a Sustainable Lifestyle site in December 2018 where the Finnish people can commit to reducing their carbon footprint. It is available in English for anyone interested: https://www.sitoumus2050.fi/en/web/sitoumus2050/lifestyles#/

First out is my “Living”; living in a house rather than an apartment is not a good outset, but I get credit for keeping in-house temperatures down, having a ground-source heating system, and using ecological electricity (yes, my energy contract is for solar but a rainy November morning I am not sure it is all from Finland…). Result so far: I am a moderate person.

Next out is “Transport and Tourism”, and as I suspect there is some nudging ahead. My carbon footprint is not good — in fact, it is pretty awful; driving a car on my own 20 km to the nearest metro station and also quite a lot of air travel, albeit at least sometimes carbon compensated, does have an impact. My carbon footprint now ends up some 600% above where my Living ended…

I feel confident my “Food” habits will save me though… And indeed, I am comforted that my eating habits look fairly good. Really making an effort not to throw away food, having my own small kitchen garden, cutting down on meat while putting more green on the plate keeps my accumulated carbon footprint down. Good.

Last but not least, not being a keen shopper and with no pets keeps my own “Things and Purchases” footprint in check. Many Finns though have a summer cottage on the countryside or in the archipelago — a luxury indeed but potentially an extra planetary burden.

The end result leaves some room for creative thinking. Luckily, the site offers no less then 72 measures I can take to reduce my footprint. By committing to act where my impact is the most, I choose to focus on my travel — I commit to more domestic holidays, using the train and to use more public transport, among others. I also keenly hope, that the electric car makers have tested their produce in the Finnish winters, otherwise me and an increasing number of Finns are in for some true tests of patience as we head into the cold Finnish winter months…

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