Greenreality Lappeenranta

Greenreality in Lappeenranta

In Lappeenranta, we invest in green actions open-mindedly. We have pioneered sustainable solutions, and participated actively in climate change mitigation, improving circular economy and restoring waterbodies.

A green Lappeenranta is a key goal in the city strategy in terms of both residential comfort and industrial policy. Our actions are based on resource wisdom and carbon neutrality.

A green info sign with Greenreality Lappeenranta written with big letters. Blurry in the background, sculptures of the sandcastle and a blue sky.

Less talk, more actions

Our goals are ambitious. We want to be a model city for sustainable actions and work at the forefront to achieve it. Lappeenranta has already achieved plenty of attention for its sustainable development actions, i.e.:

  • We have been WWF's Climate Capital of Finland in 2014 & 2016
  • We are the first city in the world to utilize only EKOenergy certified electricity
  • We are the first city in Finland to acquire only biogas or electric cars
  • We received the Finnish Association of Municipal Engineering's (FAME) award for separate plastic collection in 2018
  • We received the European Green Leaf 2021 Award from the European Commission
  • Lappeenranta was chosen as one of the 100 climate cities of the European Union in the spring of 2022
  • Our Mayor Kimmo Jarva was part of the 2022 Covenant of Mayors initiative, the world's largest climate network for local climate energy actions

The aim is to become a carbon neutral city by 2030. By 2050, we are a city that doesn't produce landfill waste or greenhouse gas emissions and doesn't overproduce.

Green city

Lappeenranta has been chosen as the Climate Capital of Finland by WWF in 2014 and 2016. Local and Regional Government Finland has awarded the city of Lappeenranta for its laudable climate actions in 2016 as well. In 2017, Lappeenranta proceeded, as the first city in the world, to utilize exclusively EKOenergy certified electricity and acquire only biogas and electric cars. Separate collection of plastic has been awarded by the Finnish Association of Municipal Engineering in 2018.

The world’s first city to switch to EKOenergy-certified electricity

Bioverno, the world’s first

second-generation biorefinery, began operations in

2015

National WWF's

Earth Hour Capital

2016

 

A pioneer

in the

hydrogen economy

The pink

Jouko brand

of public transport

reduces private car use

 Sammonlahti School is the first school in Finland to have received the Eco-Schools Green Flag award and the environmental certificate granted by the Okka Foundation

LUT University is

the 9th best

in the world

in climate science

Among the

18

best cities in the

Earth Hour City Challenge by WWF

275 km 

of bicycle paths

 

Carbon dioxide emissions down by

48%

Skinnarila has Finland’s 

greenest campus

2013

Sustainable Campus

Excellence Award

Cycling City

of the Year

2015

Carbon neutral

city

2030

The world’s

most energy efficient

hybrid bus

CAMBUS

Plastic collection

is available

for every household

European Green Leaf Award finalist

2020

and

2021

85%

of Lappeenranta’s district heat is produced at

Kaukaan Voima’s biopower plant

8.2%

of all solar power plants

in Finland

is in Lappeenranta

Lappeenranta uses

100%

renewable electricity

 

80%

of district heating

is CO2-free

All the schoolchildren learn about sustainable development through the

Uniori (Junior University)

activities

Finland’s first

inland wind farm,

21 MW

Lappeenranta has

the highest number of

solar panels per resident

of any city in Finland

7

constructed stormwater wetlands

for restoring the Pien-Saimaa lake region

0 %

of waste goes to landfill

Kaukaan Voima’s biopower plant

is one of Finland’s largest

users of biofuels