Deaconess Foundation: the right to nature and the environment belongs to everyone

The Deaconess Foundation has launched a new pilot project to increase participation in sustainability work. In the spring, our clients held dialogues about the future of nature and the environment, their importance for a good quality of life and expectations for the future. The report that has now been published summarises the most important results of the pilot project.

In the spring dialogues about the future, our clients reflected on the importance of the environment and nature for a good quality of life and their hopes for the future in relation to the environment. Photo by Tarja Kerttula.

The dialogues on the future concerning the environment were organised as part of the Deaconess Foundation’s Sustainability Programme, which aims to increase client involvement and empowerment. The dialogues involved young people who are not in work or education, young immigrants, people with disabilities, employees of the surplus food recycling centre and long-term homeless people from both the Deaconess Foundation and its own Rinnekodit units.

“The dialogues about the future showed that the natural environment is important to us all and that concerns about its state are widely shared. People in very different situations share these concerns. There is a need for participatory environmental discussion, and it should be expanded to build a more sustainable future,” says Laura Niemi, Director of Communications and Sustainability.

A thriving natural environment is part of a desired future

The dialogues highlighted the importance of the nature connection for well-being, as well as the need for pristine nature, climate change mitigation and animal welfare. The role of local food in Finland was also discussed.

“Regardless of their life situation, participants stressed the importance of unimpeded access to green, healthy nature and water. It is important that in the future nature remains in close proximity and accessible to everyone,” says Kati Lehtiö, the dialogues facilitator and expert on the future.

Small actions can make a difference

The dialogues focused on the importance of the environment and nature for a good life in the future, but also on what should happen and who should act to achieve the desired visions of the future.

In this respect, each individual was seen to carry the greatest responsibility. Even if you can’t change everything, you can always make a difference with small actions.

“For a good future, we as individuals and in our roles in different organisations, need to do more for the environment. The dialogues hoped that, in the future, the responsibility that comes with wealth and power would also be better reflected in the choices organisations make,” says Lehtiö.

The ideas contained of the report will be used in the Deaconess Foundation’s sustainability work, advocacy, staff training and the Hope and Actions sustainability campaign for staff and clients, which will be launched in autumn 2024.

We also call on other actors to make use of the report’s findings and to extend participation in their own sustainability work. Link to the report (pdf in Finnish)