With a firm commitment to sustainable business and green construction, Löyly boasts more than 1,600m2 of outdoor seating area and offers spectacular sea views

IMAGE: Royal Restaurants

Think Sustainably is an initiative designed to encourage Helsinki’s businesses to become more sustainable, and to support them as they do so by introducing ambitious criteria for assessing the sustainability of their operations. These criteria were developed by independent think tank Demos Helsinki, local interest groups and sustainability experts, and they will undergo further revision and development in future. They were designed to be accessible for many different types of service providers, some of whom may not necessarily have the resources to apply for eco labels.

 

Businesses evaluate their own services and although only in its pilot phase, Think Sustainably has already encouraged several service providers to make improvements in ecological or social sustainability, such as switching energy and heating contracts to more environmentally friendly options. It’s also encouraging collaboration and the sharing of best practice to achieve sustainability goals.

 

So how does this initiative make a difference for the general public? It does so by connecting with the MyHelsinki website.

 

Think Sustainability’s criteria are used on the site to filter the content, suggesting sustainable services, restaurants, shops, attractions, events and accommodation, and so allowing residents, visitors and event organisers to experience the city more sustainably.

It also includes a route planner highlighting emission-free transport options to the city’s attractions, providing CO2 emissions in grams per person per trip. Providers meeting the minimum requirements are marked with a green tab and website visitors can examine in-depth which sustainability criteria the business fulfils and which they do not.

 

Helsinki believes the Think Sustainably service is the world's first online service that enables the making of sustainable choices as easy as using an app, and hopes that it will help change the behaviour of businesses, citizens and visitors, steering them all towards more sustainable operations and a greener way of living.

 

Find out more by visiting:

 

www.myhelsinki.fi/en/think-sustainably