Events

SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE DAYS 2019: Mak­ing Use of Sustainability Science

We welcome you to participate in two days full of program on key questions on sustainability on 9 – 10 May, 2019 at the Sustainability Science Days.

The thematic focus of the event is on sustainable production and consumption, which is the Sustainable Development Goal #12 (SDG), where Finland’s performance, according to the SDG indicators, needs to be considerably improved.

During the two-day event, this challenge will be approached via researcher-meets-practice dialogues and popular discussion events. The event is co-organised by the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) and Aalto Sustainability Hub.
Sustainability Science Days 2019

Making Use of Sustainability Science

Program overview

 

Thursday, May 9th 2019

Aalto Campus, Espoo, Otakaari 1

Friday, May 10th 2019

UH City center campus, Helsinki

Morning

Making use of sustainability science
Aalto University, Bachelor center, Otakaari 1, Espoo

Opening of the event (Aalto hall, Y202a 2nd floor)

Academic director of Aalto Sustainability Hub professor Minna Halme

Director of Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, professor Anne Toppinen

Par­al­lel ses­sions I 

Session 1: Sustainability transformations in the large-scale tree plantation sector (Y307a)
Session 2: Innovations in Sustainable Food Systems (Y124)
Session 3: Transition towards a low-carbon society - future considerations (Y203)
Session 4: Energy humanities (U119 Deloitte)
Session 5: Evidence based policy or Policy based evidence I (U8, U270)

New Global -event (Y309b)

Sustainability in university strategies - Towards a new era
University of Helsinki, City center campus, Language centre, Fabianinkatu 26

The aim of this session is to take a holistic approach to universities´ strategies, explore financial and other steering mechanisms and management systems to support the transition towards more sustainable and impactful operations.

Parallel session:
Doctoral student meet-up

Afternoon

Key note (Aalto hall, Y202a 2nd floor)

Opening: Ossi Naukkarinen, Vice President of Research, Aalto University

Keynote speakers

Prof. Derk Loorbach, Erasmus University Rotterdam

How sustainability trans­itions research guides and ac­cel­er­ates sys­temic change

Prof. Erika Kramer-Mbula, University of Johannesburg (Due to force majeure circumstances, Associate Professor Erika Kraemer-Mbula will be giving her keynote speech virtually)

In­nov­at­ive solu­tions to global sustainability chal­lenges: Ap­proaches from and for low-in­come con­texts

Parallel sessions II

Session 6: Degrowth and postgrowth (Aalto hall Y202a)

Session 7: Values, Social Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Core at Sustainable Food Systems of The Future? (Y124)

Session 8: Un­der­stand­ing, chal­len­ging and chan­ging en­ergy prac­tices (U119 Deloitte)

Session 9: Towards a low-carbon society - Implementation and assessment Y203)

Session 10: Big data methods: what is the contribution to Sustainability Science? (M1 M232)

Session 11: Evidence based policy or Policy based evidence II (U8 U270)

Compensating climate emissions of air travel: Buying a clear conscience or necessary steps towards carbon neutrality?
ThinkCorner, Yliopistonkatu 4
(see more below)

The event is in Finnish.

Evening

Making use of sustainability science in the European Parliament?
Think Corner, Yliopistonkatu 4

A dialogue on sustainability with candidates for the European Parliament´s elections and Aalto and UH students
(see more below)

Meeting of Sustainable Development forum of Finnish Universities 
City centre campus, Language centre, Fabianinkatu 26

Full programme and updates

More info on the program:

Thursday, May 9th 2019

8.30 – 18.00 Making use of sustainability science

On May 9, day 1 of the Sustainability Science Days takes place at Aalto University, Otaniemi Campus with a day full of presentations from recent research in dialogue with practitioners. In the morning, professor Minna Halme (Aalto Sustainability Hub) and professor Anne Toppinen (Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science) will address the conference themeMaking use of sustainability science. Our keynote speakers Prof. Derk Loorbach, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Prof. Erika Kramer-Mbula, University of Johannesburg, will give new perspectives later in mid-day on sustainable production and consumption, SDG # 12.

Ten scientific sessions will display recent research in five parallel sets in the morning and afternoon. The sessions display a variety of perspective on the topics:

The sessions are convened by pairs of scientific leaders, with one from Aalto University, and one from the University of Helsinki with a commentator from practice, inviting us to a dialogue on making and taking use of sustainability science.

18.45 – 20.45 Making use of sustainability science in the European Parliament?
Think Corner stage, Yliopistonkatu 4

In this session, candidates for the European Parliament´s elections will be challenged by Aalto and UH students with burning urgency to see change happening. How is scientific knowledge taken into use within political spheres? How can we facilitate the dialogue between different sectors of the society? Considering the poor performance of European countries in regard to SDG # 12, how will the next EP speed up the transition towards more sustainable patterns of consumption?

Friday, May 10th 2019

starts at 8.30 at University of Helsinki, city center campus

9.00 – 12.00 Sustainability in university strategies - Towards a new era

Focus of the session is on strengthening universities’ role as drivers of sustainability. In addition to addresses by the Rector’s of the respective Finnish Universities, in the session, UN´s Sustainable Development Goals will be further explored by Times Higher Education (THE) explaining their recently launched THE Impact, a ranking measuring universities delivering SDGs. In addition, examples from forerunner universities in Sweden/UK will further spark the discussion on universities’ responsibility to take action.

morning Doctoral students meet-up
Helsinki University, city campus (TBC)

In this session we focus on building bridges between doctoral students from Aalto University and University of Helsinki as well as provide opportunity for extra-academic dialogue on the research topics.

After lunch (own cost), the Sustainability Science Days continues with a discussion event on compensation of flight travels in Finnish.

13:00 – 16.00Compensating climate emissions of air travel: Buying a clear conscience or necessary steps towards carbon neutrality?
The event is in Finnish
ThinkCorner, Yliopistonkatu 4

In the event air travel, its negative environmental impacts and especially schemes for compensation of air travel related climate emissions are explored. Besides the panel discussion with experts and stakeholders of air traffic, the audience will have an opportunity to participate in the debate about the ethics, economics and ecological impacts of climate emission compensations.

16.00-17.30 Meeting of Sustainable Development forum of Finnish Universities
(location tbc)

Finnish SD-forum in higher education (“yliopistojen Keke-foorumi”) connects Finnish universities´ sustainability managers and persons responsible for advancing sustainable development in higher education. The meeting is open to stakeholder representatives and staff and faculty members of Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences interested in SD.

All events are open and free of charge.

Key speakers/ Thursday 9 May

Associate Professor Erika Kraemer-Mbula

Associate Professor Erika Kraemer-Mbula: In­nov­at­ive solu­tions to global sustainability chal­lenges – Ap­proaches from and for low-in­come contexts

Pro­fessor Derk Loorbach

Pro­fessor Derk Loorbach: The title and abstract of the talk will be published soon

Contact
Making Use of Sustainability Science - conference and Doctoral meet-up Annukka Jyrämä
Docent, PhD, Senior advisor
Aalto Sustainability Hub
+358 50 373 2238
[email protected]
Paula Schönach
Adjunct Professor, PhD, Research coordinator
Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, HELSUS
+358 29 415 7827
[email protected]
Other sessions Meri Löyttyniemi
Senior advisor for sustainability
Aalto Sustainability Hub
+358 50 313 7549
[email protected]
 
Sus­tain­ab­il­ity Sci­ence Days organizers
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