Day 7: The Nipissing Student-Led Dialogue

Today was absolutely packed with excitement from hosting our Nipissing University student-led dialogue, to sight seeing with our Finnish friends, followed by a punk rock concert to end the evening. Day 7 started with me fighting for my life walking up the steep hill to Karelia University of Applied Science's beautiful Tikkarinne Campus.
Me fighting for my life up the steep hill to Karelia

It was there that we started the final preparations for our dialogue, where we got the chance to discuss our sustainability projects with the Finnish students and gain some very useful insight for our final assignments. Having the chance to moderate the dialogue was so exciting, and I thought that our team did an amazing job implementing what we learned from our Finnish colleagues on Monday into our own discussion. Each group got to ask some project-specific questions and have a small focus group to help generate ideas and provide first-hand experience from Joensuu, Finland.
Group hug to get the excitement out before we held our Nipissing University dialogue
Burhan leading the Nipissing University dialogue on sustainability as I moderated
Me (5'3") trying to lift Evan (6'7")
The students of Nipissing University getting ready to hold our first dialogue

After the dialogue, Elisa, one of the amazing Finnish students from Karelia, took some of us out for a drive to see parts of Joensuu that were not within walking distance. We visited a beautiful beach, saw what they call "Sauna Boats", and picked up some delicious Finnish treats to bring home to our families. We also got to try McDonald's in Finland, which had some menu items that are not available in North America.
An electric vehicle charging station in the Finnish McDonald's parking lot
One of the beautiful freshwater beaches in Joensuu, Finland
A sauna boat!
Elisa (right) taking Maddy (middle), and I (left) on a tour of Joensuu

The night ended with Simo, another of our lovely Finnish students, taking us to a punk rock show close to the hotel. With our ear plugs in tow, we had a fantastic night experiencing live Finnish punk, screamo, and rock music. This whole experience has been truly amazing, but today was one for the books!
Sarah (left), Maddy (middle), and I (right) at the Finnish punk show
Simo, Maddy, Sarah, and I with our hand stamps for the show

Experiencing Finland, especially through the lens of sustainability, has been absolutely amazing and completely new. I'm so grateful to the students at Karelia for being so welcoming, constantly taking time out of their day to show us around, and answering our millions of questions. There have been so many little things I have noticed here that I'm sure have contributed to Finland being ranked so highly in global sustainability time and time again. For example, Eetu, another fantastic Finnish student at Karelia, shared with me why the caps are attached to the bottles. This is a relatively new law in the EU which aims to reduce the amount of bottle caps that are being found littered in parks and forests. By keeping the lid with the bottle, they are more likely to make their way to recycling plants as opposed to the dump. I really admire how dedicated they are to environmental wellbeing, and the attention that they pay to the little things. 
Caps attached to the bottles to help promote proper recycling, and reduce litter in the EU

Additionally, I saw a Lindström cotton towel dispenser for the first time while in Finland. This is a super unique, hygienic, and eco-friendly alternative to hand dryers and single use paper towels. They meet the European Hygienic Handwash Standard (EN 1499) while also replacing an average of 22,000 paper towels per one cotton towel roll. They are as hygienic as disposable towels, and considerably more hygienic than air dryers. I found it amazing that the health standard is the same as disposable, and much more eco friendly. I think that this is a fairly simple sustainability measure that could be reintroduced in North America.


Image of a cotton towel dispenser retrieved from Lindström Group



P.S. Finland is a lactose intolerant person's dream; almost everything is lactose free here due to approximately 82% of their population being lactose intolerant!


#iLEAD_Expeditions2024 #GlobalSkillsCA #CompétencesMondialesCA #NipissingUniversity_SchoolofBusiness #NipissingUniversity

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 10: Kiitos Joensuu and Hello Helsinki!

Image
After this week we can sufficiently say that we have caught "Suomi fever", with each day in Joensuu being filled with enlightenment on the similarities and differences this community has compared to our own.  For a group of online students that are used to working independently we surely became inseparable. Our diverse personality types complemented each other which allowed us to apply a social sustainable practice using our emotional strengths to support each other during the various highs and lows that are inevitable when travelling. The diverse range of personality types we all have will aide in managing interpersonal relationships at the workplace in terms of resolving conflict and creating bonds. It can also help us to be better leaders to be more objective and inclusive of peoples differing views. On our final night in Joensuu, we all sat together at the restaurant and discussed the highlights of this expedition pertaining to social and environmental sustainability le...
Read more

Day 1: A Test of Endurance - Our Unforgettable Trek from Toronto to Joensuu

Image
When Travel Tests More Than Just Your Patience There's a wise saying among travellers: "The best way to test a relationship is to plan a trip together." It's a simple truth. Travel can stretch your patience, test your endurance, and deepen bonds in unexpected ways. It can bring out both the best and the worst in us. Our epic 27-hour journey from Toronto to Joensuu was the ultimate test. Between the 11 hours in the air, another 11 hours in limbo during our layovers, and a final 5-hour train ride, our adventure morphed into a gruelling test of both mental and physical endurance. Yet, through this experience, our team found new strengths and a surprising testament to our collective resilience. From Excitement to Exhaustion—And Back Again Watching our team's mood shift from excitement to exhaustion was like watching a slow-motion transformation. The journey started with laughter and smiles, but soon, as fatigue set in, those smiles gave way to weary sighs for rest.  ...
Read more

Day 11: Exploring the City: A Day of Unexpected Adventures and Sustainable Surprises

Image
T oday was an exhilarating day for us; we got to experience so much! The morning began with a beautiful, sunny sky, filling us with excitement to explore the city. We were eager to shop for some new clothes, so we decided to head to the mall. But first, we needed breakfast, so we walked to a nearby bakery and indulged in some cake and a warm cup of coffee—what better way to start the day? Even the walk to the bakery was an adventure, with the city's charming cobblestone streets adding to the unique experience. We then met up with some friends and headed to the mall. Given the 50-minute walk and the warm weather, we decided to call an Uber instead. To our surprise, it was a Tesla! With the focus of our trip being sustainability, it was incredibly fitting to get a ride in an electric vehicle. Although the goal of electric vehicles is to reduce our dependance on fossil fuels, it still felt like a luxury car. Additionally, some of us had never been in a Tesla before, so we were excited...
Read more