Environmental Program

The purpose of Symbioosi ry’s Environmental Program is to provide members and functionaries with guidelines for considering environmental aspects in all activities of the organization. We hope that the following goals will be followed as widely as possible whenever feasible within reasonable effort and Symbioosi’s budget.

Energy Saving

  • Turn off electrical devices in the evenings and on weekends (e.g., the computers in the club room—at least the monitors overnight).

  • Turn off the lights when leaving the premises in the evening.

  • Whenever possible, organize shared transportation for Symbioosi trips and excursions, preferably by public transport or muscle power (walking, cycling), but by chartered bus if necessary.

Waste

  • Minimize waste by avoiding unnecessary purchases and buying used items whenever possible.

  • Recycling instructions and waste reduction tips can be found on Symbioosi’s website.

  • Recycle waste in the club room, at parties, and during events as much as possible. Sorting guidelines can be found, for example, in HSY’s waste guide.

General

  • Strive to influence the university and department’s activities to make studying as environmentally friendly as possible, while respecting their expertise and decisions.

  • Keep up to date with environmental issues in society and take a stand when the Symbioosi board deems it necessary.

  • Annually donate environmental conservation funds, as decided at the spring meeting, to one or more nature protection initiatives.

  • Prefer companies and service providers that are environmentally responsible.

We hope that functionaries pay attention to the following points. Note: Functionaries are welcome to delegate these tasks—no one is expected to personally sort every piece of waste! These guidelines apply to all event organizers as well.

Club room managers

  • Ensure that recycling bins (bio, cardboard, paper, plastic, metal, and energy waste) are functional, acquire new bins if needed, and keep sorting instructions clearly visible.

  • When new bins or furniture are needed, prefer second-hand options.

  • Use environmentally friendly cleaning and dishwashing products whenever possible.

  • Ensure that waste is sorted properly during cleaning or delegate the task.

Chefs and kitchen team

  • Use as many domestic and Fair Trade food products as possible.

  • Buy ingredients in large, easily recyclable packages to reduce waste.

  • Source ingredients locally and plan purchases to minimize unnecessary car use.

  • Avoid disposable dishes and other single-use items at events. Reusable items (e.g., dishes, thermoses, refrigerators) can often be borrowed from HYY or Sodexo.

  • Sort all waste generated during cooking and serving whenever possible.

  • Offer leftover food to participants after events instead of throwing it away.

  • Use environmentally friendly and recycled materials for decorations whenever possible.

  • Use eco-friendly cleaning and dishwashing products.

Event coordinators and event team

  • Prefer domestic products and recyclable packaging (e.g., drink cans and bottles).

  • Transport as much as possible in one trip and plan routes to avoid unnecessary driving.

Excursion coordinators

  • Arrange shared transportation whenever the trip cannot be done by muscle power or public transport.

  • Ensure that no waste is left behind at the excursion site.

Game and competition coordinators

  • Ensure that competition sites are left clean.

  • In BD games, plan checkpoints sensibly: avoid littering, wasting edible food, or generating unnecessary waste.

  • Explore ways to encourage or facilitate cycling during the Åland Bird Rally.

Shokkelo-organizers

Together with other Shokkelo-organizers, the chefs, and the event coordinators, ensure that:

  • Recycling and waste sorting work effectively, including during cleanup.

  • Most of the food and drinks served are made from domestic and environmentally friendly ingredients (by advising cooks and bakers).

  • Products for sale (drinks, candies, etc.) are minimally packaged.

  • Transport is organized efficiently to minimize car use.

  • Shokkelo staff can, if needed, explain to visitors that part of the proceeds go to nature conservation.

Club leaders

  • Arrange shared transportation for trips whenever travel by muscle power or public transport is not feasible.

  • Borrow rarely used equipment instead of purchasing new ones.

  • Acquire materials locally and preferably second-hand.

  • Print on both sides of the paper.

  • Ensure recycling and turn off lights after events.

Environmental impact coordinators

  • Assist other officers with environmental matters and find out information when needed.

  • Review and update the Environmental Program annually if necessary.

  • Write a brief annual report on the organization’s environmental activities and submit it to the board for approval.

Symbiontti’s editors

  • Ensure that print runs are appropriate to avoid paper waste.

  • Avoid unnecessary printing during layout and production.

Board

  • Manage the distribution of the environmental fund and decide, when necessary, whether Symbioosi should take a scientific stance on nature or environmental protection issues.