Interaction
The Green Fingerprint campaign challenged Finns to save energy
The Green Fingerprint campaign, jointly implemented by Helsingin Energia, WWF Finland and Motiva, and the energianeuvoja.fi web service challenged Finns to save energy and curb the climate change. The target of the nationwide campaign was to make citizens think about their own energy consumption habits with the help of useful tips and celebrities providing an example, and to discover that small deeds can make a difference.
In the campaign, people in the public eye cycled on recumbent bikes through Finland from Kilpisjärvi in the north of the country all the way to Helsinki in the south, each pledge made on the energianeuvoja.fi online service carried the recumbent cyclists forward by 100 metres. The cyclists got to their destination in a fairly short time, because there were a total of 15,772 pledges made during the three-week campaign.
In the towns along the cycling route, we organised energy-saving events where people had the opportunity to meet the cyclists and energy advisors. The campaign culminated in a thank-you concert at the Helsinki Ice Stadium with 4,100 participants. You can carry on making energy pledges and asking information about energy saving at the energianeuvoja.fi online service.
Reduction of energy consumption plays a key part in the mitigation of climate change. According to a recent survey on Finnish attitudes, it is generally believed that no-one else is doing anything for the environment. The objective of the Green Fingerprint campaign was to change this way of thinking.
Environmental education project in schools was awarded
The environmental education project with Latokartano comprehensive school continued, and as a result the renewable energy buildings of Ekoviikki are available for everyone to view on the website of the Gardenia tropical garden. The project received the Uusimaa environmental award.
Helsingin Energia's annual Energy Bonus for schoolchildren was awarded to Lauttasaari Primary School for its sustained efforts in the environmental programme.
Annually changing works of art are exhibited on the distribution cabinets in the city centre. Currently, the cabinets in the streets Museokatu, Eerikinkatu and Fleminginkatu are displaying works of art on the subject of health, painted by twenty young artists.
Helsingin Energia's experts were involved in the preparation of a climate letter of intent in the Helsinki region, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 39 % by 2030.
Cityscape, the third volume in Helsingin Energia's book series, 'Hundred years of energy construction in Finland', was published in 2008. The subjects of the two volumes previously published are Helsingin Energia's Main Building designed by Alvar Aalto and the Sörnäinen Energy Supply Area.
Helsingin Energia has a museum hydropower plant at the Vanhankaupunginkoski rapids along the River Vantaanjoki. The company took part in fish research on the River Vantaanjoki in 2008 by adopting a fish, and its movements and possible migration to the spawning ground were monitored with a radio transmitter. The fact that fish are thriving in the River Vantaanjoki is a positive indication of the state of the environment. According to the observations of the Vantaanjoki team that co-ordinates the fish research project, there are plenty of fish in the still waters of the Vanhankaupunginlahti bay.
Co-operation agreements with the Association of Friends of the University Children's Hospitals, the sporting association Helsingin Kisaveikot, and the football club FC Viikingit continued.
The Finnish Defence Forces, the Finnish Police and the Helsinki City Rescue Department acted in close co-operation with Helsingin Energia. Power plant areas, multi-utility tunnels and district heating and cooling tunnels are used for practising in case of exceptional situations. In 2008, the tunnels were used by the Defence Forces in their exercises.
