Travelling sustainably
About 95 % of the CO2 emissions of an international conference are due to air travel, so the easiest way to make a conference more sustainable is by choosing sustainable travelling options, such as trains and ferries. This can really make a difference! Some estimates (CO2e/1000 km/person):
- Train in Finland (electric, running on green electricity): 1.5 kg
- Trains on average: about 10% from airplane travel
- Ferry e.g. Stockholm to Turku: 46 kg (LNG) or 2 kg (LBG, biogas)
- Bus: 27 kg
- Flight, long-distance (> 440 km): 177 kg
- Flight, short-distance (< 440 km): 257 kg
For example (CO2e/person):
- Helsinki-Oulu-Helsinki train vs. flight: 2 kg vs. 200 kg
- Copenhagen-Oulu-Copenhagen trains+ferry vs. flight: 8-96 kg vs. 560 kg
- Munich-Oulu-Munich flights: 700 kg
- Munich-Oulu-Munich flights, stopover in Helsinki: 800 kg
In case of flying, we recommend everybody to estimate their flying emissions, e.g. here and choose the most sustainable options. In Oulu it is easy to move around by foot, bike, scooter or bus.
CO2 compensation
To make EUROMAR 2025 more sustainable we invest €10 per participant in Hiilipörssi (carbon markets) to restore dried Finnish marshland. This will turn the bog from CO2 emitter (+5.5 tCO2e/y/ha) to carbon sink (-1.0 tCO2e/y/ha). With 5000-8000 € we can buy 100–160 tons of CO2e compensation. This corresponds to about 0.5- 0.8 million km or 1000 km/person flight travels, 3.0–4.8 million km, or 67–107 million km or 133000 km/person of Finnish train travels.
Effects of Swamp Restoration in Hiilipörssi:
- More biodiversity: Nature loss must be stopped to ensure our well-being. Restoration of mires effectively restores environmental diversity towards the state of nature.
- Cleans water bodies: Swamps filter solids and nutrients transported by water and use them to grow moss. This way, nutrients and solids do not end up spoiling the watercourses.
- Balancing the climate: Restoration restores the level of the marsh water in such a way that the decay of peat ceases and thus carbon emissions cease.
- More well-being of people: The bogs are a diverse source of hiking, berry and gameland, a source of recreation and experiences. Restoration of swamps employs local entrepreneurs.
Catering
The catering company Uniresta is committed to social, financial and environmental sustainability. You can read more about their values here . You can also make a sustainable contribution by choosing the vegetarian options in the menu.
