Sustainability Science Days 2019: Kestävyystieteiden hyödyntäminen

Making Use of Sustainability Science

Program overview

More info on the program:

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 Taking 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?

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.

Key speakers