Sustainable Tourism in Arctic Lakeland Finland

We in Arctic Lakeland have been acting responsibly for a long time and are constantly working to ensure that we can offer our guests responsible services. Like many other notions, responsible action starts with small but essential steps. A responsible approach requires continuous improvement and development; it is a path toward a more holistic way of life.

Several companies in Arctic Lakeland area have already achieved different certificates attesting to their sustainable and responsible operations. Even more operators are on their path for or have already reached the Visit Finland Sustainable Travel Finland label.

In Arctic Lakeland, the STF label has already been awarded to Niittykahvila Café of the Silent People, Kainuun Luontoretket, Break Sokos Hotel Vuokatti, Original Sokos Hotel Valjus, Naturally Oulujärvi, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Hotel Kalevala, Lentiira Holiday Village, Vuokatti Ski Resort, Loma-Hossa, Hotel Ukkohalla and the nationally operating Pohjolan Matka. The most recent operator reaching the label is Vuokatti Sport!

On their way to achieve the label are Vuokatin Aateli, Taiga Spirit, Arctic Giant, , Hossan Lumo, Kotomo Oy, Kainuun Opisto, Arctica Estates, Kalevala Experiences, Martinselkonen Wilds Centre, Hotel Kainuu, Hotel Kajaani, Bear Centre, Experience KL Oy, Ukkohalla Ski Resort and UGGO Events Oy.

• There is an Ekokymppi waste sorting bin in the yard. (Heinämäki Village Association)
• Waste sorting has been significantly expanded over the last three years. In addition to the company’s recycling, a sorting facility has been created for accommodation guests. Recent renovations of cottages have taken sorting into account, and a new sorting shed has been built for customer use (bio, metal, plastic, glass, cardboard, metal). (Lentiira Holiday Village)
• Waste sorting is widespread in our operations. (Hotel Karolineburg)
• Customers returning from Ärjänsaari have access to extensive waste sorting right at our marina. (Naturally Oulujärvi Oy)
• Cottage customers can sort their waste into the types provided by the waste supplier. (Vuokatin Aateli)

• We offer food services only by order and keep the list interesting but short. The coffee machine brews organic dark roast coffee. In the sauna, we use washable seat covers instead of disposable ones. (Lentiira Holiday Village)

• The coffee cups at the Ärjänsaari kiosk use Kupilka cups instead of disposable ones to reduce waste. (Naturally Oulujärvi)

• We only use disposable dishes very judiciously and mainly use ceramic plates. Disposable seat covers in saunas have been replaced by cloth ones (Arctic Giant)

• Our kitchen minimizes food waste and distributes any surplus deliverable food locally.  We compost other leftovers to make the beautiful Villa Cone Beach garden bloom for you. Long-life tableware has replaced single-use plastics and other disposable items. We serve high quality local food. In other words, food safety remains in our own hands. Since there is less need for transportation, spoiled food and extra emissions are not an issue. In the end, our up-to-date wastewater treatment systems ensure that nothing goes to the lake nor leaks into the ground. (Arctica Estates

• In accommodations, we switched from disposable towels to ecological and sustainable seat covers. (Hotel Ukkohalla)

• Our staff has participated in the We Speak Gay Rainbow Training, which encourages diversity in our business, and we treat all our guests and staff equally and with respect. We are aware of the discrimination experienced by rainbow people in travel and want to actively communicate and work to make our business a safe space for all. We treat all our guests and staff with equal respect. We do not care about your background, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation, among other things. (Hotel Kalevala)

• All guests are equal to us regardless of gender, religion, age, or any other personal characteristic. As a sizeable Finnish employer, we are also proud of the diversity of our staff and contribute to their development and well-being in many ways. (Original Sokos Hotel Valjus ja Break Sokos Hotel Vuokatti)

• We encourage longer stays through pricing and package primarily muscle-powered excursions. We only heat the sauna on request and not “just in case.” (Lentiira Holiday Village)

• We use ecological detergents for cleaning and laundry. (Hossan Lumo, Lentiira Holiday Village)

• We serve even better our customers arriving by train and bus instead of airplane. (Upitrek)

• We are increasingly offering vegetarian options to our customers. (Upitrek)

• We also use recycled but good-quality furniture and beautiful tableware in our cottage furnishings. (Loma-Hossa)

• We don’t always buy new (e.g., appliances, furniture) but try to repair the old and thus prolong the lifecycle of the products. (Vuokatin Aateli)

• In addition to social responsibility, we have set a goal to become the first baseball team in Finland to aim for carbon neutrality. We have paid attention to waste sorting at match events and the ecology of the products we buy. We have also calculated the carbon footprint of the Sotkamon Jymy elite league travel and match events. From now on, we will build a strategic path to reduce our carbon footprint, step by step, regarding match events and travel, among other things. In addition to reducing emissions, we are committed to offsetting all emissions from travel and match events in Finnish forests in cooperation with Hiilinielurekisteri. (Sotkamon Jymy)

• The hotel has an electric car charging point for our guests. (Vuokatin Aateli)

• The Villa Cone Beach forests bind more carbon than is released by all our guests’ trips. Furthermore, we buy only green energy. Our heating does not consume any fossil fuels indeed. On the other hand, our buildings are constructed to the highest standards. Therefore they have a long life and renovation needs are minimal. Wooden structures make you feel good and they store tonnes of carbon. Here you do not have to compromise on luxury and sustainability. (Arctica Estates)

• We are aware of our responsibility as a nature-oriented tourist resort and we want to preserve the local nature and the culture by highlighting biodiversity and cultural heritage in our activities, such as nature tours. (Hotel Ukkohalla)

• We maintain the Syväjoki eco-fishing area, which is one of Kainuu’s natural fish recovery sites. (Hotel Ukkohalla)

• When you arrive in the area, please favor public transport.
• Sort your rubbish in the bins provided and remember to take your trash away when hiking in the beautiful nature of Kainuu.
• Favor local services and products.
• Indulge in muscle-powered activities – enjoy hiking, cycling, skiing, canoeing, and more.
• Turn off the lights when you leave your room in your accommodation.
• Ask service providers to tell you what they do to promote responsibility.
• For example, put whatever you like on your plate at breakfast, but only as much as you can eat. That way, you reduce food waste.
• Compensate your trip, for example Finnair offers its customers the possibility to offset their carbon dioxide emissions from their flights. Find out more here.