Climate and resource wise Kuopio
The Viksu Kuopio program shows guidelines for carbon-neutral and climate-safe city and sustainable well-being. One of the main goals of the city strategy is to be a climate- and resource-wise city. This is what Viksu Kuopio aims for. The Kuopio of the future is a capital of good life that grows sustainably and is proud of its environment.
Viksu Kuopio’s main goals:
- Carbon neutral by 2030.
- Zero-waste by 2050 and a pioneer in the circular economy.
- Sustainable consumption level by 2050.
By 2030:
- Greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by at least 80% by 2030 from the 2007 level.
- The amount of household waste will decrease and the recycling rate will increase, reaching a level of 65% by 2030.
- The consumption-based carbon footprint will be halved by 2030 from the 2005 level.
This is what Viksu Kuopio is made of
“Climate and resource wise – sustainably growing, and proud of its environment.”
Kuopio city strategy 2030Implementation and monitoring
The Viksu Kuopio program binds the service areas of the city and companies owned by the city. The program also has collaborators as Responsible Parties who, for their part, implement climate and resource-wise goals. The program includes almost 200 individual tasks.
The realization of the goals of Kuopio’s climate and resource wisdom program is monitored annually. The implementation of the measures and the good practices that have been started are reported to the steering group of the Viksu Kuopio program and the city government.
The progress of the goals is monitored, for example, by monitoring greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption-based carbon footprint, as well as the amount and recycling rate of household waste.
Effects of the Viksu Kuopio program
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The program’s actions are aligned with the goals of the strategy of city of Kuopio. In particular, the goals of the Viksu Kuopio and Well-being and community-based Kuopio programs strongly support each other. Including climate and resource wisdom as part of the processes requires better cross-administrative cooperation and renewal of operating models.
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Climate-wise solutions, such as a diet in accordance with nutritional recommendations, or walking and cycling, improve people’s well-being. Improving accessibility and traffic safety, and building a comfortable environment that supports walking and cycling, create a pleasant living and urban environment for all age groups. Community spirit is supported by encouraging residents to use common circular economy services, such as the sharing economy or community farms.
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The goals and measures of the program contribute to the minimization of the use of natural resources and energy and the amount of waste. The program aims to a more climate-wise lifestyle, for example by favoring sustainable, emission-free transportation. The city does its part by enabling a climate-wise life. In addition to climate and resource-wise goals, the program promotes biodiversity and the prevention of biodiversity loss.
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The Viksu Kuopio program is made for the entire city. The commitment of all service areas, companies and partners is important for the realization of the goals. Implementation requires cross-administrative cooperation between different service areas, units and stakeholders, when new operating models are created to take climate and resource-wise aspects into account in all operations. A sustainable climate- and resource-wise life is vital for us so that we are able to adapt to the changes in environmental conditions brought about by climate change. This also supports maintaining financial stability and managing risks as climate change progresses.
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The goals and measures of the program support the cleantech and circular economy companies in the region, and promote the development of companies’ sustainability work through, for example, public procurement. Future business solutions and the cleantech promote the city’s vitality and the creation of new jobs. The program supports that business operations develop towards green investments and the circular economy becomes part of the core of business.
Other programs that advance climate and resource wisdom
The Viksu Kuopio program brings together the city’s other programs that implement the main goals of climate and resource wisdom. Viksu Kuopio functions as an umbrella for separate theme programs.
- Kuopion kaupunkiseudun joukkoliikenneohjelma 2030 (PDF, in Finnish)
- Programme for promoting cycling (PDF, in Finnish)
- Biodiversity Program
- Energy efficiency action plan (PDF, in Finnish)
- Waste policy programme
Local and national cooperation
The city is part of the Finnish Sustainable Communities (FISU), a national network of resource-wise pioneer municipalities , where municipalities spar with each other in resource-wise work. Kuopio is also involved in the climate work of Pohjois-Savo province as well as in the Climate Councils of the Municipal Council, Eco Support Activities and the international ICLEI network.
Climate work is also done in the SISU project
Implementing organized climate work in Pohjois-Savo region (SISU) -project brings the climate goals of the Viksu Kuopio program to a practical level.
Energy efficiency brings significant savings
The city of Kuopio concluded an energy efficiency agreement for the municipal sector for the years 2017–2025. The goal of the agreement was to decrease the city’s energy use by approximately 10 million kilowatt hours by 2025. By the end of 2023, Kuopio decreased its annual energy use by approximately 19 million kilowatt hours. The goal of the current period of the energy efficiency agreement was reached two years ahead of schedule. The annual savings that have already been realized are almost double the set goal. Good saving measures will remain permanent practices.
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Resurssiviisausohjelma 2017-2023 (pdf) Resurssiviisausohjelman loppuraportti 2018-2023 Resurssiviisausohjelman vuosiraportti 2022 Seurantaraportin tiivistelmä 2021 Resurssiviisausohjelman seurantaraportti 2021 Seurantaraportin tiivistelmä 2020 Resurssiviisausohjelman seurantaraportti 2020 Seurantaraportin tiivistelmä 2019 Resurssiviisausohjelman seurantaraportti 2019 Seurantaraportin tiivistelmä 2018 Resurssiviisausohjelman seurantaraportti 2018
The previous resource wise program (2017-2023) and its monitoring reports can be found above. The program was replaced by the current Viksu Kuopio program in 2024.