Strategic questions and goals

Progressive - moving forward; advancing, happening or developing gradually over a period of time

SUSTAINABLE LAND-USE LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION

GREEN TRANSPORTATION

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

AREAL IDENTITY

Our plan is to respond to a scenario in Kanta-Häme, especially in the Hämeenlinna area, where global climate action has not been sufficient, but the attitude of people and decision-makers to halt the climate crisis has intensified. In a scenario where climate action has not been sufficient enough and faster solutions are needed, KantaHäme is a potential area for climate-friendly actions and being a role model of making development towards carbon neutral province. Our goal is to go progressively greener with Kanta-Häme region while emphasizing areas uniqueness and take action to enable a carbon-neutral municipality within a reasonable time.

Kanta-Häme and Hämeenlinna are favorable places for progressive greening due to the area's closeness to nature, rich soil and vegetation, good transport connections and compact cities which are found from the analysis. In our plan, we aim to develop the region holistically towards carbon neutrality, but we specifically address the opportunities offered by the region to meet the goal. These opportunities brought by the area include, for example, preserving nature, well-being of forests and forest industry, increasing local food production, maintaining, utilizing, and developing good road networks and move towards greener options of transportation. We present our plans, moving from the macro level to the micro level, from large regional entities to the everyday well-being of the residents.

How is life in greener KantaHäme?

Our main goal is to go greener in the region to be part of preventing the global warming but also to utilize KantaHäme's large wood reserves that have been indicated in the maps, preserve area’s nature and protect forest’s diversity. Taking care of the area's nature is not only a climate act, but it also guarantees the preservation of the area's identity and closeness to nature in the future for its inhabitants and visitors. For example, there are many national landscapes and parks in the area that represent the Finnish natural landscape.

Our strategy with this is to develop effective land use-plan for the area so that the above-mentioned things could strenghten, and in addition, the area's forests could become active carbon sinks and storages.

To go progressively greener in the region, our strategy is also to develop modern, year-round local food production. Vertical farming is an alternative and more carbon-neutral way to generate locally produced food compared to traditional farming and agriculture, which for example consumes a lot of water. We believe that investing in local food production also has an impact not only on climate but also on the well-being of local people, and we believe that the demand for local and locally produced food is high and valued in the future.

Vertical farms are located closer to the residential centres of Hämeenlinna, which means that the logistical steps required to transport food do not require nearly as much investment as in typical agriculture, where food may be imported relatively far. Thus, emissions from logistics can be reduced. In addition, the greening of local food production is supported by the development of infrastructure and road networks, so that the journeys that need to be taken to transport the cultivated food can be made as ecologically as possible.

How can Kanta-Häme be made progressively green and what would the future look like as a carbon neutral area?

As we have already mentioned about the actors that affect not only the climate but also the well-being of the inhabitants, in our plan, we also want to take into account the well-being and social sustainability of the inhabitants of the area. Our strategy is that the progressive greening idea extends not only to material matters but also to the social well-being of the citizens.