The final workshop of Espoo’s resident partner group for sustainable development, held on 14 February 2023, focused on climate cooperation and the group’s future

In addition to the resident partners, members of the steering group for the Sustainable Espoo programme were invited to the final workshop. At the beginning of the event, Helena Kyrki, the City of Espoo’s Manager of Sustainable Development, told the participants about the city’s climate work. In addition to the measures taken by the city and businesses, every resident’s input matters as it will not be possible to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 without everyone’s participation.

During the group work section, the resident partners and the steering group members discussed what kind of commitments could be made with residents and what other means could be used to increase resident participation. Many of the ideas revolved around getting existing groups and local communities involved. This includes, for example, schools, workplaces, associations and housing companies. According to the residents, these groups could be steered towards informed consumption choices and rewarded annually, for example by selecting an eco-friendly community of the year. One of the ideas proposed was an “environmental responsibility certificate’, which would be required from new residents, city employees and summer workers, among others. Generally speaking, the residents preferred the ‘carrot and stick’ approach, so that good choices would be rewarded, for example in the form of tax benefits, while undesirable behaviour would result in a penalty fee.

Chairperson Meri Löyttyniemi and the other steering group members then said their final words to the group, and the rest of the workshop was dedicated to the resident partners. Together with the entire group, we discussed the successes of this resident participation project as well as the things that could be further developed. We also discussed how the group could continue working in the future.

The results of the workshop will be used in the planning and preparation of climate commitments. The participants’ views and ideas will also be presented to the steering group for the Sustainable Espoo programme.

The TUPA project ends on 31 May 2023. The lessons learned will be compiled in a handbook for municipal operators, which will be published in May. They will also be used in the development of the City of Espoo’s resident participation work. The group’s future will be discussed during the spring.

The Desirable Futures exhibition, which is open from 7 March to 24 March, encourages a wider debate on the sustainability themes discussed at the workshops. Read more on the event page: Desirable Futures exhibition | City of Espoo