The University of Eastern Finland aims towards carbon neutrality by the end of 2025. The work towards this ambitious goal started in the spring of 2020 by calculating the base level of carbon emissions for 2019. A comprehensive report was published about the calculations that extensively details the methods and data that was used.
In order to reach the goal, it is important to monitor the carbon footprint. Because of this, the calculations will be carried out annually and this was the 3rd time for the estimation. In 2021 the carbon footprint of UEF was about 11 500 t CO2eq. This is about 4,6 % lower than the previous year. The carbon footprint was still clearly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic as emissions from travel and restaurant services stayed low.
However, the 2021 carbon footprint is also starting to show the effects of actions taken by the university and its partners. Especially the emissions from district heating have decreased considerably thanks to the measures taken by the energy providers. On the other hand, the carbon footprint of restaurant services shows some indication that vegetarian food has increased in popularity. There has also been a shift in meat consumption away from beef to better alternatives.
A more detailed summary of the carbon footprint calculations for 2019-2021 can be found on this pdf file. More information on the sustainability and responsibility work done at the University of Eastern Finland can be found on our website https://www.uef.fi/en/sustainable-development.
