Eco-friendly and sustainable housing is a sum of many factors. On one hand, it derives from the small everyday choices. How much time do I spend in the shower? How do I wash my clothes? What kind of products do I buy? On the other hand, Turku Student Village Foundation (TYS) as a housing provider offers eco-friendly and energy-efficient student housing through various housing solutions.

Saving energy is important in mitigating climate change, securing the availability of energy, reducing the need for imported energy and the cost of the energy, as well as in protecting the environment. Housing and related energy use constitutes nearly one third of the carbon footprint of households. For this reason, it is essential to focus on energy saving in reducing the environmental impact of housing.

In Finland, we are used to abundant reserves of clean and drinkable water, but water is not something to be taken for granted. The production and heating of water require large amounts of energy.

In the 1.5 degree life campaign, TYS challenges its tenants as well as other people living in Turku to consider their own water consumption and to reduce the time they spend in the shower to under 5 minutes!

To participate in the challenge, collect your own 5-minute shower hourglass from the housing office and take it with you to the shower. Did you manage to finish your shower before all the sand ran through? Practice makes perfect, and you can try to shorten the time you spend in the shower throughout the campaign. Halving the time you spend in the shower from 10 to 5 minutes saves a total of 60 litres of water each time you take a shower!

You can also take our playful test to find out what kind of water consumer you are in the animal kingdom and get more tips how to save water. You can find the test in here: Test your water consumption habits!

The Turku Student Village Foundation also invests in its properties and flats in solutions that aim to reduce the carbon footprint of housing and enable the 1.5 degree life of our residents. During the campaign, we will distribute information about the solar panels that will be installed on the roof of our buildings, the RESPONSE project that is being implemented in the Student Village, and the goal of the Foundation to reach carbon neutrality by 2029.

The City of Turku aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2029. This is a bold goal, the reaching of which requires the input of all residents. Through the 1.5 degree life campaign, Turku aims to encourage the residents and companies to make climate-friendly choices. Actions can be small and easy everyday choices, revolutionary inventions, or anything between.

It is also good to remember that a climate-friendly life is not about giving up and misery but that it also brings health and wellbeing into our lives and, at its best, generates new business activities.

The campaign is based on the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

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Go to the campaign website: https://www.turku.fi/en/carbonneutralturku