Cherish the good!

For 30 years now, Syke has supported the evaluation and selection of goals and means for sustainable development, as our statutory task requires. Five years ago, we crystallised our vision of enabling the sustainability transformation. We have also renewed our way of communicating. Instead of emphasising the grim situation, we try to remind people of the possibilities for a better future. Our new core message is: "We build hope through research."

When we were planning our 30th anniversary year, we paused to think about how we could tell about our work for the sustainability transformation in a way that builds hope and strengthens faith in the future. We realised that although we strive to promote a leap from the current way of life to a sustainable lifestyle, which may feel like giving up things we have come to know, the core of our work is actually to cherish the good.

By implementing the transformation of the energy system, we can give up the burning of fossil fuels that accelerates climate change, in other words cherish our snowy winters. By directing our production systems towards a circular economy, we can give up some of the mines, in other words cherish the landscapes we love and clean waters. By rationalising our consumption, we can give up the overexploitation of renewable natural resources, in other words cherish our beautiful nature.

In addition to celebrating the successes of long-term environmental work, we also want to highlight that the sustainability transformation is also security work. Functional ecosystems provide us with security of supply. A fossil-free energy system frees us from dependencies that weaken our security. Circular economy strengthens our self-sufficiency by reducing material imports.

I welcome you to Syke's newsletter, established in honour of our anniversary year. In this and future issues, we will tell you about Syke's diverse work for a sustainable and safe Finland. Let's cherish the good together! 

Leif Schulman, Director general, Finnish Environment Institute (Syke)