Sustainability education in Espoo’s Growth and Learning Sector

Photo: Elena Savina

Sustainability education means guiding children and young people towards a responsible and sustainable lifestyle. Its aim is to develop the knowledge and skills that help children and young people learn about nature and deepen their understanding of how their actions affect the environment and its future. Children’s and young people’s relationship with nature develops and becomes stronger. Children and young people are active participants and gradually learn to make choices in their everyday lives that promote wellbeing and sustainable development. Sustainability education helps children and young people process emotions related to climate change, strengthens their confidence in the future, and promotes their participation and agency.

Sustainability education is part of the curricula for early childhood, pre-primary, comprehensive and general upper secondary education. Sustainability education is not just an individual or separate theme. Instead, it is comprehensively integrated into different areas of activity in day care centres, schools and general upper secondary schools, as well as into the objectives and content of education.

The City of Espoo’s strategy supports the principles of sustainability education and promotes the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainability education is implemented in cooperation with various actors across the city. Key partners working with the Growth and Learning Sector in Espoo include the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, Nature School Villa Elfvik, the Premises Department and the Environmental Protection Unit. Espoo’s Climate Watch has established shared goals and measures for promoting the achievement of the city’s common climate goals within the Growth and Learning sector. The cross-administrative development programme, Sustainable and Nature-friendly Espoo, also contributes to the development of sustainability education.

Different units can independently decide which materials and methods they use to carry out sustainability education. Some units participate in the Eco-Schools programme, which supports them in long-term environmental work. Sustainability education can be implemented in many different ways and using a variety of methods. For example, outdoor learning and making use of the local environment play a key role.

On this page, you can find more information about different units’ sustainability education activities, as well as related shared materials. The services mentioned on this page are provided in Finnish and Swedish. The Kestävän kehityksen vuosi(external link, opens in a new window) (year of sustainable development) calendar provides a ready-made schedule for planning sustainability education in different units.

In early childhood education, sustainability education is part of everyday life and children learn to appreciate nature from an early age. Children have opportunities to spend time in nature, find peace and quiet in the forest, and enjoy a variety of positive experiences in their local environment. In this way, children learn about all the benefits that nature provides for us. This, in turn, encourages them to continue protecting nature and cherishing environmental values as they grow up. Children in early childhood education also learn about sustainable ways of getting around, for example by walking in the local area and taking part in Cycling Week.

Early childhood education addresses the environmental, cultural, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development. Cultural sustainability is promoted by appreciating cultural diversity, children’s own cultural heritage and other cultures. An environmentally sustainable lifestyle is supported, for example, through nature education. To promote economic sustainability, recycled materials are used in activities and children learn how to recycle and sort waste. A socially sustainable lifestyle is strengthened, for example, by teaching children social skills and helping them develop a sense of community.

Some day care centres participate in the Eco-Schools programme, and cooperation is carried out with Villa Elfvik, the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia and the Reuse Centre, among others. Finnish-language early childhood education also includes nature groups that spend more time outdoors. In addition, Espoo’s early childhood education has sports equipment lending services, from which day care groups can borrow items such as skis, skates, snowshoes, camping sets and water safety gear. These services promote the shared use of equipment and enable all children to enjoy positive experiences of physical activity.

Cooperation with

Nature House Villa Elfvik

KULPS – culture and sports paths

Sustainable and Nature-friendly Espoo development programme

Haltia Nature School(external link, opens in a new window)

Eco-Schools(external link, opens in a new window)

Espoo’s comprehensive schools implement sustainability education in accordance with the curriculum through lessons in different subjects, theme days, multidisciplinary projects and various everyday activities. At an age-appropriate level, pupils are taught about topics related to sustainable development, practise sorting waste correctly, learn about the principles of sustainable consumption, are encouraged to use sustainable modes of transport, and explore different ways of adopting a sustainable lifestyle. The school’s local environment is used as part of teaching, helping pupils learn to appreciate their surroundings and develop and strengthen their relationship with nature.

Pupils actively participate in planning and implementing activities, for example through environmental panels or as part of student body activities. Some schools participate in the Eco-Schools programme, which provides a clear framework and ready-made materials for implementing environmental education. Schools provide opportunities to discuss emotions related to climate change and to practise active participation and advocacy in a safe environment.

Schools implement their own sustainability activities systematically and record their objectives in their annual plans. In many schools, sustainability activities are coordinated by a sustainability team consisting of adults. Finnish-language comprehensive schools are supported by a sustainability education developer teacher, who maintains a network of teachers, organises workshops on the topic and informs schools about current issues.

The City of Espoo’s KULPS Culture Path also includes activities related to sustainable development. Each school year, schools and teachers can participate in free nature school days and training sessions provided by Villa Elfvik’s and Haltia’s nature schools. Many organisations also offer free educational visits and lessons to schools and support schools’ sustainability education by providing ready-made materials. Sustainability education is also promoted through projects funded by external sources and planned and implemented in cooperation with schools.

Support materials for Finnish-language comprehensive schools (only in Finnish):

Sustainable development in the general upper secondary school curriculum

The objectives of the general upper secondary school curriculum include providing students with the skills needed to build a sustainable future. This is part of the core mission and value base of general upper secondary education. Sustainability themes are addressed throughout general upper secondary school studies. However, it can be difficult to gain an overall picture of the sustainability-related topics covered in different subjects and study units due to the breadth of the curriculum. General upper secondary schools consider it important to highlight and compile the sustainability-related topics addressed in different subjects. Sharing and discussing these topics together can highlight the sustainability themes of the curriculum and the importance of each teacher and subject in sustainability education. Support from colleagues is also important when addressing and processing emotions related to climate change.

At Otaniemen lukio, cards have been created summarising the sustainability-related content of the general upper secondary school curriculum across different subjects. The cards are publicly available at ilmastokasvatus.fi(external link, opens in a new window) (in Finnish), a website maintained by Otaniemen lukio as part of its national development task in natural sciences. Mattlidens Gymnasium has compiled information on the concrete measures taken in different subjects to promote the UN Agenda 2030 goals.

The local curriculum includes a study unit called Kestävä tulevaisuus (sustainable future, TO02) General upper secondary schools are free to decide on the objectives, content and assessment of the study unit themselves. As its name suggests, the study unit addresses themes related to sustainability. The study unit can, for example, be implemented by having students participate in events, lectures or other activities that promote sustainability. Once a student has accumulated a sufficient number of partial credits, they receive two credits for the study unit.

Promoting a sustainable lifestyle in general upper secondary schools

Espoo’s general upper secondary schools have a long tradition of promoting a sustainable future. Over the years, a wide variety of activities have been organised around the theme. The activities range from everyday practical measures (e.g. acquiring recycling bins and providing guidance on their use, as well as organising Food Waste Week) to projects that bring students together and highlight the theme of a sustainable future in diverse ways (e.g. Docpoint festival on sustainable development themes or the establishment of a planetary garden). Some general upper secondary schools participate in the Eco-Schools programme.

During the 2025–2026 school year, a sustainable lifestyle working group began to operate under the general upper secondary education management team. The working group includes representatives from four different general upper secondary schools. Its tasks include sharing models related to sustainability education between schools, co-developing the ‘Kestävä tulevaisuus’ study unit, and gathering a network of sustainability contact persons from general upper secondary schools. Based on planning carried out by the network members together with other teaching staff and principals, the objectives for promoting a sustainable lifestyle during the school year are recorded in school-specific annual plans. The network provides a platform for presenting and sharing the objectives of different general upper secondary schools.

The work of both the sustainable lifestyle working group and the general upper secondary schools’ sustainability network is facilitated by Education Planner Maija Metsola from the Upper Secondary Education Unit. She also represents general upper secondary schools in the sustainability education development group of the Growth and Learning Sector. Enquiries related to sustainability education and sustainable lifestyle promotion: maija.metsola@espoo.fi.