Aiming more environment-friendly travelling
"Human is an endangered animal, let it be protected in this area" Picture text by Uuttu-Kalle.
We have visited in Äkäslompolo for almost twenty years, and every time we have admired the beauty of nature. We have stayed in hotels or rented a cottage and when we have left the village, we have wondered could the nature stay as beautiful and clean for the next generations.
Some day we started to dream about having holiday home in the village. Last year we were again in Äkäslompolo and after skiing we visited in the cottage which was for sale. In the cottage was a beautiful fireplace and furniture. We were wondering how much we should pay for electricity. We also remembered that we hadn't used fireplaces in our earlier visits.
At the same time, there was also an apartment for sale, which has geothermal heating. The apartment was located near the services of the village. These resolved our decision. The apartment's heating supported our thinking and to the Äkäslompolo we could come easily by train, even without a car. One long-term dream came true based our values. We are not able to visit in Äkäslompolo many times in a year, so we decided to put a holiday apartment for a rent. This is how our Lapland Happiness story started and we are going forward eagerly now.
Our journey to environment-friendly lifestyle has progressed over the years and in recent years it has become more and more important for us. The recycle points for plastics and mixed waste were installed in our residential area. Before that, we had already recycled the papers and paperboards, as well as glasses and batteries. Also, we purchased a compost container. Based on these experiences, we know today that we are getting most the bio-waste and the recyclable plastics.
Also, other changes we have done along the way. The electricity contract has been done with the company that produces wind power and later waste power. We try to avoid and reduce unnecessary consumption and only necessary things are bought. Unnecessary things we have given to the Red Cross. Although lot of free space has come, no new one has been purchased to replace it. A little bit of a funny detail has been the packaging of Christmas gifts, which we have done for many years by packing the gifts in used gift bags. After the gifts are shared, we'll take the name labels off and bags will used for the next Christmas. The gift bags have been found to be very durable and usable several times. Some would call us as stingy people 😊
The above changes have been easy for us and we have not felt that we have lost anything. Today we get more pleasure being in the pure nature than having lot of material around us. I collected some our tips below. But more nature saving tips are needed for sure.
It is a challenging to gather the tips because new research results for product emissions are getting and changing all the time. For example, the fabric bags are fashionable and called eco-friendly today, but the fabric bags have less emissions than plastic ones if the fabric bags are used for approx. 200 times. I'm not suprised, if it is difficult understand which product is eco-friendly. But we need to follow the studies and statistics and try to find out the better actions to save the nature. However, all the changes and the actions are important.
In support of the tips, some of the current statistics are summarized: 70% of Finnish household emissions are generated from the heating, using of household appliances and the preparation of food. The next most part is the using of goods and services and emissions are generated from all of our actions. The next ones come from transport and food.
Industry produces high emissions both around the world and in Finland. Companies and businesses are facing challenges in reducing emissions as these increases the cost of production. We consumers ultimately pay the cost, so the question is also about our values, what we consume or put in our shopping bag, what we recycle or what products we want to favor or avoid.
Product development and innovation can make a more sustainable business, and hopefully Finnish companies will succeed in this race, too. Fortunately, Finland has worked for environmental technology studies and research already. Many young people could find a very interesting profession in environmental technology business.
The world is changing all the time and very fast. A year ago, there were quite a few of activities in progress or information about the actions to reduce climate warming. In the last six months there have been lots of news and writings about it. Several Finnish politicians over the party borders have taken the objective of preventing climate change. The new European Commission has also signalled the same objectives. Every goal is precious, even if the same goals are not achieved throughout the world. Politicians have lot to do with the issue of emissions restrictions and pricing, in order to make Finland a carbon neutral country.
Plastic is still one of the largest natures and seas polluters. We can make choices with products and product packaging by favoring biodegradable products and recycling non-degradable plastics. Also, the old rule of "do not throw garbage in the nature" is still necessary. In this case, we should be more tough and form the rule: "Don't be stupid by throwing garbage in the nature". Every spring we can find a terrible amount of garbage along the roads when the snow has melted. Unfortunately, some tourists also leave garbage in the nature.
How can we develop tourism more environment-friendly? This is what we need to consider, but at least we can recycle our own waste recycle points. Jouni's shopping center has good collection points already in place. There is more challenge of gathering bio-waste because the processes of further processing are lacking. This would require cooperation with all those operating in the tourism and in the public service to obtain collection containers and further treatment of bio-waste. Apparently, the nearest further processing place is currently found in Oulu, several hundred kilometers from Äkäslompolo.
Other ways to support environment-friendly tourism are travelling by train or by direct flight as possible, as well as favouring local food and services. Renting an apartment or hotel room has same tips as living in home, such as avoiding food waste, avoiding litter, saving water, avoiding unnecessary plastics and bottles and doing recycling, keeping off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances, unnecessary sheets and towel washing. One way would also be to travel outside the peak seasons, which would reduce the load on services and make tourism more manageable. Recently, it has emerged that Finnish travelers want, even demanding, increasingly environment-friendly travelling. We need to respond to this challenge definitely
Could we, together with tourists, to achieve Äkäslompolo, the beautiful village of seven Fell, to be the most environment-friendly tourist destination in Lapland or in Finland or even in the whole of the world? It is proven that the cleanest air in the world are already in Äkäslompolo, which would help to get this goal. After the targets are set, there would be a need for clarification, e.g. which operators would be needed and what would be the tools and processes to move forward. In addition, close cooperation is needed with everyone.
I also challenge myself according to this story, what could I do to for saving the nature? Should I keep a climate strike sign in the villages and marketplaces? Would I have the courage to act like a young climate activist Greta Thunberg? Or would my project skills be more useful? Should we call Greta to visit in Äkäslompolo and through her could we'll get more faith and clear goals for environment-friendly travelling? All the funny or crazy ideas are welcome and will take us forward to the target.
