Nature and daily life

Sustainable lifestyles improve the well-being of people and our natural environment. Go ahead and try it!

What is it about?

The climate is heating up and biodiversity is declining at a frantic rate. The situation is serious because our health, well-being and economy are entirely dependent on nature and the services it provides.

The good news is that the trend can still be reversed. All of us – and our lifestyles – can play an invaluable role.

The link between lifestyles and climate emissions is already fairly well understood: 68 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Finland can be attributed to ordinary people like us. They are produced in our everyday lives – by the way we live, move, eat and what we buy – and it is through these everyday choices that we can also reduce emissions.

In 2030, our average carbon footprint will need to be only a quarter of the current level for us to stay within the 1.5 degree global warming limit.

The wider impacts of lifestyles on nature are less well understood. What choices are putting pressure on nature in Finland or beyond our borders? How could our lifestyles strengthen biodiversity?

These are among the questions we are exploring with our partners. But what is already certain is that everyone can find their own way of doing things that strengthen nature.

How will we achieve our aims?

In the Nature and Daily Life project, we inspire and support Finns to change their lifestyles to be more sustainable in terms of nature.

But first we need to find out what kind of impacts Finnish lifestyles have on nature. We will measure the nature footprint of an average Finn and find out what lifestyle changes could reduce it.

Changing towards more sustainable lifestyles is easier if you are motivated by the prospect of a better future. Together, we will consider what a good sustainable life will look, feel and smell like in the future. We want to help people imagine inspiring versions of a sustainable future.

We will develop methods and tools to help people and communities accelerate the transition to sustainable lifestyles.

Have you already checked out the Shift 1.5 toolkit, which is used in many countries?

It is based on years of work where we have helped citizens, organisations, local authorities and businesses to find their own way to accelerate the shift to sustainable lifestyles. For example, the Lifestyle test developed by Sitra has been taken more than 1.5 million times.

The test is now being used to develop a new sustainable life planning tool that is available in eight European countries.

Who is involved?

We are collaborating with local authorities, organisations, research institutes and all those interested in promoting sustainable lifestyles in relation to nature. Get in touch if you’re interested!