In October 2019 YLVA announced that their UniCafe restaurants are removing beef from their lunch menu and cafe items by February 2020. UniCafe is owned and operated by YLVA which is the Student Union’s (HYY) asset manager, owned by the students of University of Helsinki. Similar decisions to remove beef from the menu have been made in university cafeterias in other countries before. In the announcement YLVA reported that removing beef will reduce the carbon footprint of their restaurants by 11%. Now that the time has come and beef has left the building, it is a good time to return to this topic.
Category Archives: Everyday Sustainability
Towards a GREEN university
There is no doubt that the world needs to become more sustainable. A simple calculation demonstrates that we cannot consume more than we have, and currently, we are far from achieving that. The annual announcement of “Earth Overshoot Day” which marks the date when humans have used up all resources that earth can regenerate within […]
How to make our campus environmentally smarter? Views from students and staff in Viikki
For many of us who work in Viikki, there is a combined interest in advancing environmental sustainability goals through our research and pedagogic work and as individual or members of communities. But how environmentally smart is the Viikki campus itself, including the practices of those who work and study there? There is a lot of advice out there how choices related to consumption or organizing of work can help to reduce the environmental footprint (e.g. carbon, water or non-renewable materials), but how do these translate to our everyday practices? Where could we do better in this regard?
Guiding customers towards more sustainable choices
When was the last time you had a meal outside home? As the trend of eating outside home continues to grow, the role of food service sector in encouraging environmentally friendly behavior in their customers is more significant than ever. In fact, some restaurants actively guide their customers to making more environmentally sustainable choices. Often […]
Haasteena arkisen energiankäytön normit
Kulutamme energiaa kaikissa arjen toiminnoissamme: kun pesemme pyykkiä, käymme suihkussa, teemme ruokaa, lämmitämme kotia tai kuljemme töihin. Toistaiseksi ”kestävyys” energiankäytössä on viitannut ennen kaikkea energiatehokkuuteen ja teknologisiin ratkaisuihin, joilla kulutuksemme on voinut jatkua entiseen tapaansa.