“Let’s continue engaging local actors!” - WMT! final event was organised in Tampere

The final event showcased how WMT! has created more space for discussions and engaged people to co-create local sustainability vision and concrete actions towards it. It also provided insights on how city can act as an enabler for an active civil society and empower social innovations that improve people’s well-being.

Keynote speaker Timo Huhtamäki is a circular economy influencer and changemaker. He talked about the economic dilemmas of linear economy in a globalised market economy. In circular economy the money benefits locally, but there are lot of systemic and culture-based challenges related to circular transition.

“Sustainable local food system” was one of the topics in the WMT! transition arenas in Bremen, Vidzeme, Trondheim and Hämeenkyrö. WMT! enabled new cooperation between local authorities, food producers, schools, teachers, children and parents etc. to significantly increase the use of local organic food in school catering and in general. Activities such as food competitions and the BioRegion Forum helped raise awareness and deepen understanding of sustainable local food.

“Nature and biodiversity” was a topic in the transition arena in the city of Uusikaupunki, where local actors were encouraged to do biodiversity actions together, engage more people and cooperate with the city.  An open platform for sharing ideas and events was created to support cooperation in the future.

“Circular economy” was a topic in the Helsinki-Uusimaa and Tartu transition arenas, which helped build connections between regional and local authorities and local circular stakeholders. The results are reflected in the Tartu County Roadmap for Circular Economy and in the Helsinki-Uusimaa regional strategy. In the final event Indra Levite from the Danish Cultural Institute, Latvia and Ella Metsälä from Valonia, Turku presented their experiences from another Interreg BSR project “Creative Circular Cities” that promotes circular lifestyle through culture and creative business.

The final event participants visited also a family-owned herb farm “Frantsila” in Hämeenkyrö municipality near Tampere. The farm is known for making cosmetics from the organic herbs and providing accommodation, local food and well-being services.

“Sustainability requires escape from individualistic culture. Sustainability is empathy & caring. Sustainability is connection with nature. WMT! arenas have been excellent spaces for interaction and finding solutions for new cooperation. The key value has been the real bottom-up approach”

• Johanna Leino, the Baltic Institute of Finland 

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