Ecological Thinking Runs Through the University of the Arts Helsinki
At the University of the Arts Helsinki (Uniarts Helsinki), art and artistic thinking are used to create conditions for addressing the sustainability transition. Art is part of the solution to the ecological sustainability crisis, and sustainability is integrated into all aspects of the university’s activities.
The university’s strategy outlines six key themes, one of which explicitly positions art as part of solving the ecological sustainability crisis. Uniarts Helsinki is increasingly embedding ecological sustainability themes and sustainable practices into its multidisciplinary teaching, research, and artistic activities. The goal is for graduating students to lead the way toward ecologically sustainable societal, cultural, and artistic agency.
The university is also making its operations more sustainable. The aim is to reduce its use of natural resources and climate emissions so that by 2030, its activities are carbon neutral in the major emission categories.
Uniarts Helsinki’s environmental programme is built around three main themes: teaching, research and artistic activity; sustainable everyday practices; and structures and leadership. These themes are addressed through 23 specific actions, each assigned a timeframe, responsible person or unit, and measurable objectives. The environmental programme is not merely a list of aspirations; it serves as a concrete tool guiding the university and its art toward ecological sustainability and effective responses to sustainability crises.
Implementation and Monitoring of the Environmental Programme
The goals and actions of the environmental programme were defined in 2022 through a process in which every member of the University of the Arts Helsinki community had the opportunity to contribute to the programme’s content. When the programme was updated in 2024, the objectives were refined and some of the actions further specified. Implementation of the programme is monitored annually as part of operational planning. Progress is reported transparently and the programme is updated every few years. The long-term goal is to make ecological sustainability a fundamental objective of all operations, leadership, and development work.
The programme incorporates actions already underway at the university, and some new measures were initiated during the programme’s development. For example, in the curricula that came into force in autumn 2024, ecological sustainability is a cross-cutting theme and part of the compulsory general studies for all students.
The goal is for ecological themes to be present in every lecture. Achievement of this goal will be evaluated in 2027 during the review of the current curricula. Ecological sustainability and nature-related themes are also increasingly visible in Uniarts Helsinki’s research themes, partnerships, and artistic work across its academies.
In spring 2024, Uniarts Helsinki selected ecological sustainability as one of the evaluation areas in the audit conducted by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC). The audit team’s recommendations will help guide the implementation of the environmental programme and future sustainability actions.
In the area of structures and leadership, new processes have been designed to ensure that the environmental programme and sustainability work will be managed and monitored as part of the university’s standard operations. Additionally, all leadership teams and supervisors have received training on integrating ecological sustainability into leadership and managerial practices.
Ecologically Sustainable Artistic Practice at the University of the Arts Helsinki
One of the goals of the environmental programme is to develop sustainable practices and methods for artistic work. The Theatre Academy has produced a guide for students on how to implement ecologically sustainable productions. The aim is to expand this guidance to apply to all artistic productions across the University of the Arts Helsinki.
At the Sibelius Academy, carbon footprint calculations have been carried out for opera productions during 2023–2024. Operas were selected as the focus of the calculations because they are often among the most large-scale artistic productions at the University. The calculations were primarily organised and carried out by the producer of the Sibelius Academy’s opera training programme, who used a calculator and emission factors from the KEMUT project. The entire production team was involved in data collection, and the producer was responsible for compiling and analysing the data.
Based on the results, a guideline for reducing emissions in opera productions was created for use at the Sibelius Academy. The goal is to make the data and results available to other study programmes and productions at the University, and potentially also to the wider performing arts field. The University of the Arts Helsinki aims to integrate sustainability work into the operations of all three academies, selecting appropriate and relevant environmental measures for each.
Environmental Actions Implemented at the University of the Arts Helsinki:
- Campuses have fully transitioned to renewable energy.
- The average indoor temperature in facilities has been lowered by one degree.
- Concert hall lighting at the Helsinki Music Centre has been upgraded to more energy-efficient LED systems.
- Travel policies have been updated to reduce air travel—for example, short flights have been discontinued.
- Procurement practices have been improved for greater responsibility. Ecological sustainability is now more strongly considered and required in competitive bidding processes.
- Meeting and event catering has shifted to vegetarian food and fish species listed on the green list of the WWF seafood guide.
- Waste management on campuses has been further developed.
- Guidelines for sustainable artistic productions have been created to support ecologically responsible artistic work.