Meet the new project planner at HELSUS! – Educating Sustainability Experts

This January, Pinja started her role as a project planner at HELSUS. Read her introduction below to get to know her better.

Hi everyone! My name is Pinja Tolvanen and I’m a new project planner here at HELSUS. My main responsibility is developing the self-study version of the Sustainability Course, but I’ll be working on other projects as well with our HELSUS team. I got my Master’s degree in Physical Geography in June 2022. In addition to my degree, I have studied General and Adult Education and environmental studies, providing me with a good understanding on the interactions between human and the rest of nature and how to educate people on environmental issues. I’ve also worked in University of Helsinki’s science education for three years focusing on geography education but also various multidisciplinary projects and academic outreach activities.

When it comes to topical sustainability issues it is easy to feel worried and anxious. I believe that the force that drives people forward in solving these issues is hope which promotes agency. This is something that I wish to learn more about as well as how to make learning inspiring and engaging even when covering difficult topics.

In my free time, I enjoy climbing and nature photography, which are not only hobbies but also a way to relax and escape from all the hustle and bustle of city life. I also get easily passionate about new things and two of my new areas of interest are Arduino programming and scents/perfume making. Overall, I´m very happy to start working here at HELSUS, meeting new people and growing my knowledge on sustainability.

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