At the Finnish Embassy, “Going Green” Isn’t a Decision; It’s an Everyday Habit
Only two embassies in the world have achieved LEED Platinum status to date — and one of them sits at 3301 Massachusetts Avenue and flies the flag of Finland (the other is the U.S. embassy in Helsinki, Finland). Naturally, the Embassy is proud of this accomplishment; being heralded as the “greenest embassy in DC” is a compliment to the people of Finland, a country rooted in sustainability. But such a feat does not come easy — nor does the required effort cease once it is reached.
“Our building here in DC was designed by two fabulous Finnish architects Heikkinen and Komonen in early 1990s, yes, but it was not built specifically as a LEED building,” explains Satu Järveläinen, Communications and LEED Coordinator for the Embassy of Finland to the U.S. “This means that many elements of the mission had to be retrofitted with LEED measurements in mind, and the staff has had to work hard to attain — and maintain — Platinum level.”
Doing so is no simple task, but such initiatives do not require explanation. Environmental solutions are usually not so debated in Finland — and this is no different at the Finnish Embassy. “We want to inspire other foreign missions to strive for Platinum as well,” Järveläinen explains.
“We want to show that small daily efforts accumulate into larger accomplishments and that it all goes toward this communal goal of working toward cleaner and healthier future for the planet and its inhabitants.”
The Embassy has a green purchasing policy, toilets and faucets are fitted with water-saving devices, all cleaning supplies are environmentally sound, and recycling is a major priority. “We usually do not have to go through any convincing processing in order to justify acts for sustainability,” said Iina Peltonen, Counselor for Arctic, Energy, Environment, and Climate at the Finnish Embassy. “People are so aware of sustainable solutions that there is usually no need to explain to staff more specifically, whether local or diplomatic, why we are implementing a new greening solution in the building. Whether it’s something like recycling, encouraging using public transportation or bikes, to regulating the water pressure on the taps, everybody usually already knows these things and just says ‘of course’.”
Järveläinen believes that this mindset is a result of being born and raised in Finland. “It all comes down to environmental education,” she states. “It’s embedded in our culture. Maybe it’s our close connection to nature — there’s a lot of forests in Finland — but sustainability is implanted in our minds at an early age at school and it just continues from there.
For many, ‘going green’ isn’t a specific decision; it’s an everyday habit.”
This habitual environmentalism has indeed permeated throughout Finland, ranging from independent action to political decisions. Almost 95% of the country’s plastic and glass bottles are recycled, and the Finnish government is now striving to end all coal use by 2029, with an even more ambitious goal of achieving carbon-neutral status by 2045.
“Nowadays also the whole Finnish government budget is looked at through the lens of sustainability and how to implement the Sustainable Development Goals by the UN,” Peltonen explains. “The Government of Finland is committed to sustainability and it also takes account of the economic benefits to going green. But the SDGs are not only for Governments, but for everybody. Therefore we have created a Finnish website (commitment2050.fi/) dedicated to sustainable development. All residents, private companies, NGOs, other organizations — practically everyone — can pledge their public own commitments to act in more sustainable way and also challenge other actors to join. The only precondition is that the commitment has to be a concrete action with measurable results. So it’s like all part of a public pledge to commit to sustainable development.”
“Here in the United States, green issues can sometimes be politicized,” Peltonen says, “but it is good to remember the environmental movement started here as well! When practice what we preach and show that sustainability is beneficial from both financial and environmental standpoint, we will be doing our job not only as Finnish diplomats, but as sustainable citizens as well.”
Doing so will require the staff at the Embassy of Finland to continue their hard work in constant monitoring, reporting, and seeking new ways to make their building even more environmentally conscious than it already is. However, both Satu Järveläinen and Iina Peltonen believe that this is not only doable — it’s probable.
“There’s always more that can be done and improvements that can be made,” Järveläinen says, smiling proudly as she looks at the building’s LEED certificate. “We’ve reached the top with Platinum — but it doesn’t stop with that. If Platinum Plus was a thing, we’d strive to get there as well!”
