Our Goals

• We recognize our responsibility as promoters of sustainable development and responsibility.
• Our education produces professionals who contribute to sustainable development in the workforce and society through their knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
• All of our staff and VAMK graduates have sufficient basic knowledge of sustainable development and an understanding of its characteristics in their respective fields.
• We promote the accessibility and inclusivity of higher education.

Our Actions

• We offer and promote sustainable development training packages or other education on various aspects of sustainable development to our staff.
• We integrate sustainable development, circular economy, and/or carbon neutrality into our curricula.
• We offer continuous learning study modules on sustainable development themes for the benefit of local businesses.
• We ensure that our education is accessible to students regardless of their starting points.
• We enable students to gain knowledge in responsible economics and investment.

Our Goals

• We influence the development of a sustainable, intelligent, and responsible society through our education integrated with Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) activities. We dynamically adapt to the changes in our operating environment.
• We promote goal-oriented and coordinated co-development of sustainable and responsible RDI activities with educational institutions, businesses, the public sector, and the third sector, involving citizens extensively. Transparency and openness play a significant role in this work.
• We develop ecologically, socially, economically, and culturally informed leadership, monitoring, and proactive approaches as part of our sustainable and responsible RDI activities.

Our Actions

• We promote sustainability and responsibility by integrating education (teachers and students) into cross-border and networked RDI activities through phenomena-based learning. Through skill development, we enhance the quality and relevance of education and strengthen students’ readiness for the sustainable and responsible workforce.
• We actively and naturally collaborate with regional, national, and international networks to fulfill EU and national sustainability and responsibility goals. We are open to experimentation, conceptualize new ideas, and facilitate new forms of participation.
• We actively develop our data-driven leadership, knowledge production, megatrend monitoring, and proactive work. We have adopted jointly established criteria to plan, implement, assess, and develop our sustainable and responsible RDI activities. We openly and comprehensibly communicate our activities and results, contributing broadly and participating in societal development in various ways.

Our Goals

• Every member of the VAMK community actively considers sustainable and responsible choices as part of their work and daily life.
• We enable and support our staff and students in making sustainable and responsible choices.
• Our finances and investment activities aim for sustainable development considerations.
• The Sustainable Development Working Group guides and supports the rest of the organization in the implementation of the Sustainable Development and Responsibility Program, ensuring a common commitment through jointly defined processes.
• Our goal is to produce an Annual Sustainability Report on our operations.

Our Actions

• We enable remote and multi-location work for our administrative and support staff. We encourage diverse teaching methods. We strive to participate in meetings and training remotely whenever possible to minimize unnecessary travel.
• Our shared-use vehicles are natural gas cars, and we also encourage our staff to carpool for work commutes.
• We facilitate low-emission transportation and support more sustainable commuting by providing the entire staff with the option of using company bicycles and offering the possibility of electric vehicle charging.
• We systematically explore opportunities to implement renewable energy solutions on campus that could also be used for educational purposes.
• We maximize the use of campus building technology by optimizing heating and ventilation.
• We improve waste sorting on campus.
• We reduce emissions related to procurement by favoring low-emission or emission-free purchases and services and by embracing a circular economy model.
• In our investment policy, we state our commitment to follow the UN Principles of Responsible Investments. Renewable energy sources and wind power are part of Vaasa University of Applied Sciences’ investment portfolio.

Our Goals

1. We are approachable, trust each other and others. We respect every individual and act as a team, with empathy and appreciation for one another.
2. We actively support the well-being of both our staff and students.
3. We systematically develop our leadership and teamwork skills to further enhance the well-being, motivation, competence, and work capacity of our entire staff.
4. As an employer, VAMK operates economically, ecologically, socially, and culturally responsibly.
5. We provide our staff with opportunities to update their skills through our extensive partner network.
6. We listen to and consider the wishes and needs of our students, involving them in decision-making and the development of our operations.

Our Actions

1. We operate in line with our values, emphasizing humanity, equality, and ethics as integral parts of our daily activities.
2. We operate and communicate openly and transparently about our activities.
3. As part of our daily routines, we address identified issues and work capacity risks at an early stage when necessary.
4. We invest in the well-being, self-guidance, and self-management of our staff.
5. We prioritize student guidance and well-being.
6. We involve students in working groups and decision-making bodies. We collaborate closely with the Student Union VAMOK. Co-development is at the core of our activities

Our Goals

• Our goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
• We focus annually on reducing emissions from different priority sources identified by Arena.

Our Actions

• We calculate our carbon footprint annually according to Arena’s calculation model.
• We actively participate in the development of the calculation model to make it more comprehensive and accurate. However, this should not divert too many resources from concrete emission reduction measures and their planning.
• We automate our organization’s carbon footprint calculation. This will be done partially as market-available systems allow it, without compromising the accuracy of the calculation.
• Our operational guidelines take into account emission reduction measures.