Day-to-day acts matter

Realisation of sustainable daily living for Jyväskylä residents requires measures from everyone of us. Small deeds matter - be it saving energy in housing, preferring public transport or trying new, more sustainable food options. 

Below we have collected a few practical tips to help us live, transit, consume and dine more sustainably in Jyväskylä. 

Housing

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Sensible use of energy 

Energy questions are more topical than ever. Identify energy-hungry appliances in your home and take some action to reduce energy consumption. Here are a couple of hot tips: 

• Check room temperature and the temperature of other premises: Reduce the temperature quite a bit, if you do not spend time there 
• Monitor your energy consumption in your electricity supplier’s service and try to cut back your peak loads. 
• Burn thoroughly dried wood only
• Have quick sauna baths. The most energy efficient temperature is around 70 °C to 80 °C 
• Your shower is the biggest water waster and energy thief in your home! A shower gushes 120 litres of water down the drain in ten minutes. Take shorter showers. 
• Switch electrical appliances off, if you do not use them.  

Read about the energy saving campaign and use free energy advisory services to your benefit. 
Read about more tips on the City of Jyväskylä energy saving campaign website or contact the Central Finland energy advisor if you have any questions about energy. The service is free of charge. 

• Website for energy saving campaign 
• Website for Central Finland energy advisor 

Transportation 

Jyväskylä provides excellent opportunity for smart transportation. Moving also without a car is even easier than before. Smart trip chains, new and repaired cycling paths, bike parking for connecting transit, Linkki local public transport and car sharing are available for local residents when they opt for more sustainable transportation. 

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Have a look at few tips for a more sustainable transportation in Jyväskylä. 

By bike 

• How about testing a cargo bike: You can borrow a cargo bike from JAPA ry. Link to Japa ry website 
• Cycling paths are available online in the city map service; on the left in the menu, click “Select what information is shown on the map”, then “Freetime and Sport” and finally tick “Bicycle Tracks”. Click here for the map service 
• You can also have a look at the cycling map as a file. See the cycking map here. Only in Finnish
• Bike parking for connecting transit is available on JAPA ry website. Link to JAPA ry website  
• Is your bike in need of service? You will find bike repair and service shops on the city map service for sustainable lifestyle. Click here for the map service. In Finnish only  
• There are a number of bike hire points in Jyväskylä. These, too, are on the city map service for sustainable lifestyle. 

Public transit 

• Choose public transit: Jump on board Linkki! Click here to go to Linkki website 
• Choose smart transportation for outdoor recreation destinations: See the map for outdoor recreation stops and which Linkki to board to reach your destination. Outdoor recreation stops are on Meijän polku website 

By car

Need to use a car? Rent a city’s car sharing vehicle for your use at a low cost. You can rent a car sharing vehicle on Omago website. 
Read more about clever Jyväskylä transport on Smart Moves website.

Meals

Environmentally friendly diet routines have been proved to be beneficial for health, too. Minimising food waste is also part of a good diet routine. Approximately one third of all food waste in Finland takes place in households. Food waste occurs when initially edible food is discarded. Food waste can be avoided by better prediction of food consumption and improving preparation and storage. Restaurant food waste can be reduced by using food rescue services. The City of Jyväskylä catering service, Kylän Kattaus, provides food rescue lunches, i.e. caters leftover food from certain city schools for locals in the neighbourhood, and visitors, too, if food from school meals is left over. 
 
You can try to reduce the environmental impact of food also by your own consumption choices. Organic and domestic produce is often a more sustainable choice. Have you already tested the Jyväskylä Wild Herb Park in Tuomiojärvi Shoreline Park? You can also set up an allotment and benefit from gardening opportunities on your plot in Jyväskylä, or in Kangas community kitchen garden area: 

• More information about the City of Jyväskylä allotments 

Other consumption

One third of the carbon footprint of an average Finn is generated by the use of recreational services and the emissions produced during the life-cycle of consumer goods in the home, including but not limited to, furniture, household and electronic appliances. In other words, your consumption routine and the products and services you buy and use do matter. Opting for sustainable and high-quality products instead of disposable ones is a more sustainable choice. You can also weigh the options of buying everything yourself, or alternatively, borrowing, renting or sharing some items in your daily life. 

Repair, maintain, recycle, or tune first 

• See the repair services for clothing and goods on Jyväskylä Map Service for Sustainable Lifestyle 
• Waste sorting and recycling instructions are on Mustankorkea website 

Think carefully before you buy: Favour borrowing, renting and buying secondhand 

• For services and shops for secondhand items, see the Jyväskylä Map Service for Sustainable Lifestyle. 
• Also rental services for items and clothing can be found in the map service. 

Favour microtourism and local services 

• Jyväskylä and Jyväskylä region have a lot to see and do. More about microtourism option on Visit Jyväskylä website