What’s up, Generation Green?

In which ways have things become greener – or have they?
By Tiina Sikanen, Group leader, Faculty of Pharmacy, UH

Early spring 2016 has kept our team busy. Not only was the Green Pharmacy seminar held on 1 February a great promoter of future collaborations, but the envisioned education reform has also taken its first steps.

Now is exactly the time to go for “revolution” for greener tomorrow via education reform at the University of Helsinki. The university-level degree reform provides an excellent opportunity to update the contents and objectives of all teaching. Together with vice dean Pia Vuorela, the university lecturers Katariina Vuorensola and Outi Salminen have taken charge on implementation of sustainability in pharmacy education. The overall goals of the BSc (Pharm) and MSc (Pharm) degrees have been updated in line with general efforts toward sustainable development and the reform of the individual courses is in progress. Before long, the future pharmacy generations will for sure have a sustainable seam in their studies.

To promote the education reform targeted to the new generation, the team has also continued contributing to raising awareness and changing the mindset of current professionals. The Green Pharmacy seminar held on 1 February gathered together about 70 professionals not only from the pharmaceutical sector, but also experts of environmental monitoring and analysis. The lecture materials are available here (the password will be delivered upon request). Thanks are due to all participants for insightful and inspiring discussions!

As a result of the fruitful discussions, the Generation Green team is now actively cooperating with the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), who have done important work in identifying the chemical residues of pharmaceutical origin in surface and waste waters in Finland (see a recent report here, in Finnish). The goal of this cooperation is to deepen our understanding of the environmental load posed by the pharmaceuticals. In addition to direct research measures, the team is actively seeking for viable ways to implement sustainability in decision making (on an international level) together with the national key stakeholders. Great thanks are due to, e.g., Pharma Industry Finland and Sirpa Pietikäinen, Member of the European Parliament, for their valuable support to these goals and for keeping the environmental and ecological aspects on their daily agendas.

Nani

Dr Nani Pajunen (Sitra) and the Generation Green team member Reijo Kärkkäinen in the middle of discussion on exploitation of circular economy view to pharmaceutical sciences.

Yet another inspiring, new activity that has seen realization this spring is the series of Generation Green monthly meetings (in Viikki campus) together with the invited professors and other experts. We have had the pleasure to share new aspects to the topic and learn from, e.g., professor Raimo Tuominen (pharmacology, University of Helsinki) and Dr Nani Pajunen (circular economy, The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra). The monthly meetings will continue (see schedule here) and are open to all. Welcome!

Toward fall 2016, we are also planning a research seminar “Green Pharmacy and Sustainability in Pharmaceutical Sciences” (more information will follow in due time). In the meanwhile, those interested can find further information through the literature links and through other seminars and courses on the topic, such as the summer course  “BIO2: Fate of Organic Chemicals in the Environment” coordinated by professor Tuula Tuhkanen, University of Jyväskylä, and the seminar held  by the Forum for Environmental Information (the program and the round-up available here).

Wishing a green spring term for everyone!