SAMK has become a climate partner of the city of Pori

Senior Lecturer Riitta Dersten has promoted climate partnership. According to her the beginning of climate partnership was scheduled to the opening of the new campus. The collection of follow-up data was also started at this point and after one year the results will be compared with the estimates on consumption made in the construction phase.

The location of the new campus makes SAMK more visible in the centre of the city. As a climate partner we want to support the aims of emissions reduction in the city of Pori.

Climate partnership involves voluntary actions, which an organization can implement in the way it chooses. An enterprise or an organization which becomes a climate partner of a municipality will make its own plan for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and controlling climate change. SAMK’s climate partnership was prepared by SAMK’s students.

SAMK’s climate aims:

• SAMK works actively in climate issues together with companies, societies and municipalities
• SAMK follows and makes reports on emissions and consumption of resources on the campus and sets reduction aims for them
• SAMK increases awareness of climate issues among students and staff, e.g. by promoting climate friendly forms of exercise

After the first year, SAMK will decide the targets which are selected for more detailed follow-up, and reduction aims are defined for them. SAMK’s students, staff and management cooperate in finding means and follow-up for climate partnership. As a result, climate partnership is also a learning environment for students.

– The location of the new campus makes SAMK more visible in the centre of the city. As a climate partner we want to support the aims of emissions reduction in the city of Pori, Dersten says.

The concept of climate partnership has been developed in a project managed by the environment office of Pori city in 2015–2017. The aim of the project is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Satakunta. A company or an organization signs a partnership contract with the municipality where it functions. The contract includes information of the aims of the organization and municipality for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and for fighting climate change. The aims and actions can include for example saving energy, efficiency in energy use, waste management or logistics. The following municipalities and companies have already joined the project: Harjavalta, Huittinen, Kankaanpää, Kokemäki, Köyliö, Nakkila, Pomarkku, Pori, Rauma, Säkylä and Ulvila as well as Pori Energy Ltd, Rauma Energy Ltd and Vatajankoski Electricity Ltd.