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Sustainable Living in Finland: Combating Climate Change in Everyday Life

Author

Listed:
  • Arto O. Salonen

    (R&D Department, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, 00079 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Jani Siirilä

    (Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Mikko Valtonen

    (Faculty of Education, University of Tampere, 33014 Tampere, Finland)

Abstract

Finland aims to be a carbon-neutral society by the year 2050. We are interested to know on a general level how sustainable living materializes among Finnish people, what is the structure of a sustainable lifestyle in Finland and how do people reason about their everyday behavior choices in the context of sustainability in order to combat climate change. The data ( n = 2052) were collected by questionnaire in April 2017. They were corrected by sex, age and residential area to be representative of the population of Finland (18–79 years old). We applied mixed methods. A principal axis factoring was conducted on the 32 variables with orthogonal rotation (varimax). Six factors explained 65.2% of the variance. The respondents were also able to write why they considered the specific variable to be important for them. We classified 2811 reasonings. According to our results, Finns have become conscious of climate change, but carbon reduction has not become mainstream in their everyday life. Circulation and preventing loss of materials show a promising start to a Finn’s sustainable way of living. Recycling has been automated so that it is part of a Finn’s everyday routine and habits. Finns also favor domestic food and products. They are interested in the origin of materials. Essential reasons for that are supporting the local economy and ensuring a good employment rate for the state. Smart, carbon-free mobility is a challenge. Finns seem to estimate that their personal car use is already at the proper level. On the other hand, even one fifth reported consideration of environmental effects when planning holidays.

Suggested Citation

  • Arto O. Salonen & Jani Siirilä & Mikko Valtonen, 2018. "Sustainable Living in Finland: Combating Climate Change in Everyday Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:1:p:104-:d:125397
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Arto O Salonen & Noora Haavisto, 2019. "Towards Autonomous Transportation. Passengers’ Experiences, Perceptions and Feelings in a Driverless Shuttle Bus in Finland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Elżbieta Sobczak & Bartosz Bartniczak & Andrzej Raszkowski, 2020. "Aging Society and the Selected Aspects of Environmental Threats: Evidence from Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-22, June.
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    4. Sakari Höysniemi & Arto O. Salonen, 2019. "Towards Carbon-Neutral Mobility in Finland: Mobility and Life Satisfaction in Day-to-Day Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-21, September.
    5. Atsushi Watabe & Alice Marie Yamabe-Ledoux, 2023. "Low-Carbon Lifestyles beyond Decarbonisation: Toward a More Creative Use of the Carbon Footprinting Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-28, March.
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    8. Stefana Broadbent & Francesco Cara, 2018. "Seeking Control in a Precarious Environment: Sustainable Practices as an Adaptive Strategy to Living under Uncertainty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-13, April.

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