• Organization and units
• History
• Campuses
• Aalto careers
• Mission
• Sustainable development
  • Practices
  • Recycling on campuses
• Key figures and annual reports
• Visual identity
• Contact information

Sustainable development in Aalto University

Our Mission sets down an obligation to enhance sustainable development. According to this Mission, “Aalto University strives to change the world through top-quality interdisciplinary research, pioneering education, surpassing traditional boundaries, and renewal. The Aalto University educates responsible, broadminded experts with a comprehensive understanding of complex subjects to act as society's visionaries.”

According to the Aalto University strategy, actions to enforce the plan of sustainable development are under way. Sustainable development is linked both to the University’s own actions, and the contents of research and teaching. The enforcement plan of sustainable development is thus divided into 2 parts.

Sustainable campus

The plan creates guidelines for a sustainable campus, in the short and long run. Measures are promoted as everyday actions within all service units. The emphasis is on ecological sustainable development, but also social, cultural and economic viewpoints will be taken into account.

Aalto Otaniemi Garden challenge

Aalto University Degree Programmes in Environmental Art and Landscape Architecture launched a student challenge with the aim of designing a campus garden for the area between Otakaari and the Rakentajanaukio square in the Otaniemi campus.

The aim of the challenge is to create a campus garden area of a high visual standard that strengthens the sense of community within Aalto University and creates the right conditions for a versatile and high-quality learning environment.

The task of the contestants is to compile a plan that is viable, based on a fresh approach and accounts for the principles of sustainable development and regional well-being. The proposal should also include principles for the functionality and use of the area. The campus garden will be implemented during spring and summer 2012.

Aalto Otaniemi Garden challenge (living.aalto.fi)

Sustainability and responsibility in teaching and research

Another entity relates to the objectives and contents of the University’s research and teaching. The objective is to contribute to the themes of sustainable development, in the focus areas set out in the University’s Strategy (sustainable use of energy and natural resources, human-centered living environment), in the contents of both research and teaching, and to bring those themes together in the aalto.fi webpages. The enforcement plan also contains a proposal of how the coordination of sustainable development will be carried out in Aalto University, and how it will interlock in the university structure, from year 2011 onwards.