Go to South Karelia! - project aims for a climate-friendly countryside

The goal is to find active people among rural residents to try out new lifestyles that take the climate into account in their everyday life. The project also focuses on, among other things, the recycling of materials, transportation and the utilization of renewable forms of energy. With the help of piloting, a new type of low-carbon economic activity is made possible. The work is part of the province's fight against climate change.

The Finnish Environment Agency, SYKE, granted South Karelia the status of Hinku province in November 2019.

Together with rural residents

The broad participation of residents is very important in order to develop current low-carbon practices more strongly from the perspective of rural residents. For this work, we are looking for 30 volunteer families from the whole province who want to reduce their own carbon footprint and share practices they have found to be good.

Training is organized for voluntary residents and their carbon footprint is calculated both at the beginning and at the end of the trial period. Residents can choose the most suitable measures for themselves. The operation is a continuation of the Greenreality homes operation already implemented in Lappeenranta. Now it is also possible for residents of other municipalities to join easily.

Project manager Anna-Maija Wikström The environmental department of the Imatra region says that the search for rural climate pioneers will open in July.

-Volunteers are gathered through an open call, which means you can sign up when the time is convenient for you. The trial period lasts more than a year, and counseling is organized flexibly as households are brought into the activity.

Improving energy efficiency

We are looking for pilot sites in the countryside, for example village houses that want to increase their energy efficiency.

For these sites, practical plans are made for, for example, the introduction of solar or wind electricity. Open presentation and advice sessions are organized on improving energy efficiency. Counseling is also organized on various topics related to adaptation to climate change.

Adding carbon sinks

Typical carbon sinks are water bodies and plants that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The project improves rural carbon sinks in forests, farms and rural settlements by sharing information on the matter and by searching for and developing different types of example and pilot sites.

In the project, carbon sinks suitable for rural areas are put into practice, such as wetlands, meadows and forests that bind carbon better. Even in rural areas, different green solutions can be added, such as multi-green areas, parks, gardens and paddy cultivation areas. Lappeenranta and Imatra present as an example their own realized carbon sinks.

Strength from cooperation

Combating climate change is not done alone and it does not stop at the municipal borders. South Karelia already has a large cooperation network implementing climate work. The cooperation aims for wide visibility both nationally and internationally, says Lappeenranta's director of environment Ilkka Räsänen.

- Lappeenranta advanced to the finals this year as well in the European Green Leaf Award 2021 competition. Success comes when climate work is done systematically and it is also actively communicated.

The city of Imatra has been carrying out targeted climate work since 2007. Greenhouse emissions have decreased by more than a third (38 percent) since that time, and the carbon neutral goal is to be reached by 2030.

For more information:

Project leader Anna-Maija Wikström, tel. 020 617 4320, anna-maija.wikstromimatra.fi (anna-maija[dot]wikstrom[at]imatra[dot]fi)