Towards Carbon-Neutral Mobility in Finland: Mobility and Life Satisfaction in Day-to-Day Life

Finland, a prosperous Nordic country with a population of 5.5 million and significant distances between towns, though quite short distances traveled by car, is aiming to be a carbon-neutral society by 2035. Due to the level of urgency, a technological pathway with decarbonization of fuels and innovation only, is unlikely to be sufficient. Instead, a more systemic change based on a transformative pathway with demand-side management, i.e., measures based on behavioral change, is vital. In this research we were interested in learning how life satisfaction relates to the behavioral intentions of Finnish citizens, regarding a sustainable modal shift. We focused on walking, cycling, public transport and reduction in car use, e.g., a transition from fossil fuels to active mobility, from ownership to usership. Data were collected via a questionnaire in April 2017. The respondents (n = 2052) provided 2335 comments as to why they considered a specific sustainable modality as being important to them. We applied both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to establish how the mobility behavior of citizens manifests nationwide and the types of arguments that citizens put forward concerning their mobility intentions. The results indicate that there is a strong relationship between the respondents’ reduced use of private cars and their life satisfaction. There is a concern about sustainability and a willingness to change current mobility practices, as well as signs of altruism, while hedonic concerns such as health and personal finances dominate the responses. Furthermore, concerns about social injustice, such as a lack of public transport, are emerging themes, i.e., when enacting mobility transitions it is vital to focus on how to enable a meaningful life for all demographic groups using suitable mobility services

Identifying teachers’ competencies in Finnish vocational education

Context: In Finland, vocational education has been competence-based and learner-orientated since the beginning of 2018. Teachers’ work has changed because there is a need to pay more attention to students and their specific personal needs. Learning processes are planned individually and more learning options are offered in the workplace.Approach: In this article we ask the following: What kind of teachers’ competencies can be identified in Finland? The metadata comprises twelve recent pieces of research on teachers’ competencies in the field of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Finland. We apply data-driven content analysis.Findings: According to our results, the work of vocational teachers included 53 separate skills comprising seven categories of competencies and three main categories of scholarships as follows: Scholarship in teaching and learning relating to pedagogy, guidance and counselling, and interaction, Scholarship in authentic learning and development referring to pedagogical leadership, partnership and innovator competency, and Scholarship in evaluation and monitoring associated with assessment. Conclusion: The work of vocational teachers in Finland has become fragmented. The fragmented work of a vocational teacher may influence the teacher’s identity. The fragmented nature of the work of vocational teachers also raises the need to share expertise in educational institutions. The main challenge for teachers in vocational education in Finland is to adopt ways of authentic learning and development.&nbsp

Towards Carbon-Neutral Mobility in Finland: Mobility and Life Satisfaction in Day-to-Day Life

Finland, a prosperous Nordic country with a population of 5.5 million and significant distances between towns, though quite short distances traveled by car, is aiming to be a carbon-neutral society by 2035. Due to the level of urgency, a technological pathway with decarbonization of fuels and innovation only, is unlikely to be sufficient. Instead, a more systemic change based on a transformative pathway with demand-side management, i.e., measures based on behavioral change, is vital. In this research we were interested in learning how life satisfaction relates to the behavioral intentions of Finnish citizens, regarding a sustainable modal shift. We focused on walking, cycling, public transport and reduction in car use, e.g., a transition from fossil fuels to active mobility, from ownership to usership. Data were collected via a questionnaire in April 2017. The respondents (n = 2052) provided 2335 comments as to why they considered a specific sustainable modality as being important to them. We applied both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to establish how the mobility behavior of citizens manifests nationwide and the types of arguments that citizens put forward concerning their mobility intentions. The results indicate that there is a strong relationship between the respondents’ reduced use of private cars and their life satisfaction. There is a concern about sustainability and a willingness to change current mobility practices, as well as signs of altruism, while hedonic concerns such as health and personal finances dominate the responses. Furthermore, concerns about social injustice, such as a lack of public transport, are emerging themes, i.e., when enacting mobility transitions it is vital to focus on how to enable a meaningful life for all demographic groups using suitable mobility services

Towards Autonomous Transportation : Passengers’ Experiences, Perceptions and Feelings in a Driverless Shuttle Bus in Finland

Autonomous vehicles, electrification, and ride-sharing appear to be the next big change in the field of mobility. It can lead to safer roads, less congestion, and reduced parking. In this research, we focus on real-life user experiences of a driverless shuttle bus. We are interested to know what kind of perceptions and feelings people have when they travel in an autonomous shuttle bus. Therefore, we apply Harry Triandis´ Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour (TIB), which recognizes that human behavior is not always rational. Human behaviour, and its change, is linked to the intention, the habitual responses, and the situational constraints and conditions. The qualitative data (n = 44) were collected in 2017 by semi-structured interviews in Espoo, Finland. The interviewees were passengers who travelled a predefined route in a driverless shuttle bus. We applied inductive content analysis. The findings were compared in the theoretical framework of TIB. According to the results, a lack of human driver was not a problem for the passengers. They were surprised how safe and secure they felt in the autonomous vehicle. More specifically, passengers´ perceptions were similar to when travelling by a metro or a tram, where a passenger rarely interacts with the driver, or even witnesses the existence of the driver. However, the results suggest that people are much more intolerant of accidents caused by autonomous vehicles than by humans. On a general level, positive attitudes towards autonomous vehicles can be supported by giving people possibilities to try autonomous vehicles in a safe, real-life environment. The decision whether to use a driverless shuttle bus or not correlates highly with the contextual factors. Route and flexibility are the most important reasons for behavioral changes

Rethinking Consumerism from the Perspective of Religion

Due to the global challenges that are posed by the Anthropocene and the academic focus on the fragmented state of modernity, we extend an invitation for shared dialogue on the all-pervading nature of consumerism as the seemingly problematic ethos of Western consumer culture. To this end, we outline a way to approach consumerism as an implicit religion, theorized as having adopted functionalities related to explicitly faith-based traditions within secular settings. We suggest that a similar kind of holistic and multidimensional approach might be of great benefit in the implementation of sustainability, as this would allow, e.g., (i) a more holistic analysis of the all-pervading nature of consumerism; (ii) acknowledgement of the functional diversity of the phenomenon; (iii) recognition of the shallowness of the critique of consumerism as a way of life; and, (iv) shared dialogue across a spectrum of academic perspectives under a unified model. This approach problematizes standard interpretations of consumerism as being about the promotion of the individual against the collective and as leading to a general sense of purposelessness. The perspective of religion reveals how patterns of consumption become illuminated with meaning and connected to a shared way for individuals to articulate a sense of purpose in contemporary contexts.Peer reviewe

Sustainable development and its promotion in a welfare society in a global age

The objective of the dissertation was to determine the concept of sustainable development according to current understanding and to analyze the structuration of sustainable daily life and how it varies between different groups. The present dissertation is both a literature-based theoretical study and data-based empirical research. The theoretical framework of the study was a greated model of the Structuration of Sustainability in Everyday Life. The model is based on a synthesis of Giddens Theory of Structuration (1984), Spaargaren JA van Vliet's Theory of Consumption as Social Practices (2000) and principles of sustainable development. According to the model created, sustainable everyday life is generated in a context of internal and external factors compromising the interests of ecosystems, society and business. The literature used in the thesis included international and national statements on sustainable development and research into sustainability and the transition to sustainable societies. The data were collected at Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. The discretionary sample consisted of students of social services (n = 210) and were collected using the semantic differential technique. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The results showed that the value placed on ecological, economic and social sustainability increased with age. Activity in non governmental organizations was associated with the acceptance of sustainable development as a whole and especially with global responsibility. Women's everyday life promoted sustainability more than men´s. People living in Helsinki had more sustainable ways of living than those living in the surrounding municipalities because of greater recycling and the low importance given to ownership. Prefering vegetarian food turned out to be a real opportunity for a more sustainable way of living because there were few barriers identified. Contradictory human behavior occurred when advanced sustainable consumer were ready to risk their health. The importance of communality was high and it was considered an aspect of health. The most significant obstacles to sustainable development in daily life were high costs, lack of knowledge and busyness. Similar attitudes towards sustainable development translate into different people´s behavior, which indicates complexities of the behaviour change in the context of sustainable development. The role of non governmental organizations is significant in increasing global responsibility. Education presents an opportunity to increase sustainability, but there are challenges to face from system thinking and in understanding entities in a state of transition towards sustainable everyday life. The responsibility of policy makers is paramount because high costs create a barrier to a sustainable way of living. The implementation of the concept of sustainable development should be focused on the planetary ethics which cover humans, animals, plants and ecosystems. Keywords: Sustainable development, sustainable thinking, behaviour change  Nykyinen globaali talous ja politiikka sallivat elämän perustana olevien ekosysteemeiden tuhoutumisen ja ihmisten välisen eriarvoisuuden. Kehityksen mukanaan tuomista hyödyistä nauttii kattavasti viidesosa maailman ihmisistä enemmistön jäädessä kehityksestä osattomaksi tai sen maksumiehiksi. Eriarvoisuus on kasvussa Suomessakin. Yksilökeskeinen kulutuskulttuuri muodostaa uhan ekologiselle, taloudelliselle ja sosiaaliselle kestävyydelle. Se on väestönkasvun kanssa keskeisin hyvinvointiin liittyvä pitkän aikavälin haaste. Suomalainen läpimaterialisoitunut arki vie huomiota hyvinvoinnin kestävän perustan muodostavalta henkisten tarpeiden tyydyttymiseltä. Ihmisten käyttäytymisen muutos ja yhteiskuntien siirtyminen kestävyysajattelun mukaiseen arkeen on välttämätöntä. Tässä väitöstutkimuksessa määriteltiin kansainvälisen nykykäsityksen mukainen kestävän kehityksen konsepti ja analysoitiin kestävän kehityksen mukaista ihmisen arjen rakentumista ja sen vaihtelua eri ryhmien välillä. Kestävän kehityksen mukaisen arjen rakentumisen esteitä ja mahdollisuuksia analysoitiin määrällisin ja laadullisin menetelmin 210 eteläsuomalaisen 18 40 vuotiaan asennoitumisen ja käyttäytymisen osalta. Tulosten perusteella kestävän kehityksen mukainen asennoituminen oli yleistä ja yhteneväistä, mutta myönteisestä asennoitumisesta huolimatta siitä ei aina seurannut kestävän kehityksen mukaista käyttäytymistä. Kestävän kehityksen mukaisen arkisen käyttäytymisen esteistä merkittävimmät olivat korkeat kustannukset, tiedon puute ja kiire. Kestävän kehityksen edistämisessä merkityksellisimpänä tekijänä pidettiin yhteisöllisyyttä. Yhteisöllisyys jäsentyi tutkittavien ajattelussa osaksi terveyttä. Yhteisöllisyyden vaalimista häiritsi kiire. Helsinkiläisten elämäntapa rakentui periaatteiltaan kestävämmälle pohjalle kuin ympäröivissä kunnissa asuvien erityisesti materian kierrosta huolehtimisen ja omistamisen vähämerkityksellisyyden vuoksi. Ravintopyramidissa alhaalla olevan kasvisruoan suosiminen osoittautui todelliseksi mahdollisuudeksi nykyistä kestävämpiin elämäntapoihin siirryttäessä. Käyttäytymisen ristiriitaisuus ilmeni edistyksellisten kuluttajien ollessa samalla terveytensä riskeeraajia ja postmaterialistisesti käyttäytyvien ohittaessa sosiaalisen vastuun kysymykset. Järjestöaktiivisuus oli yhteydessä ekologisen, taloudellisen ja sosiaalisen kestävyyden vaalimiseen kokonaisuutena. Kansalaisjärjestöjen merkitys on huomattava ihmisten väliseen globaalivastuuseen kasvamisessa. Globaalissa ajassa on oleellista oikeudenmukaisuusyhteisön laajentaminen kaikkiin niihin ihmisiin, joihin arkinen käyttäytymisemme on kansainvälisen tuotannon ja palvelujen vuoksi epäsuorassa tai suorassa yhteydessä. Ihmisten välisen vastuun lisäksi on oleellista kasvaa vastuuseen myös ei-inhimillisestä todellisuudesta, josta ihminen on täysin riippuvainen esimerkiksi ravintonsa ja hengitettävän ilman suhteen. Planetaarinen vastuu edustaa globaalivastuuta laajempaa eettistä huolenpidon piiriä kattaen inhimillisen todellisuuden lisäksi ei-inhimillisen todellisuuden kuten eläimet, kasvit ja elottoman luonnon. Planetaarinen vastuu on haaste ihmiskeskeiselle maailmankuvalle, mutta luo edellytykset kestävälle taloudelliselle toiminnalle ja monimuotoisen elämän säilymiselle planeetallamme. Kulutuskeskeisessä hyvinvointiyhteiskunnassa kestävän kehityksen mukaisten tuotteiden ja palvelujen korkeat kustannukset muodostavat merkittävimmän esteen kestävän kehityksen mukaisten elämäntyylien rakentumiselle. Siirtymistä nopeuttaisivat sellaiset ohjauskeinot, joiden avulla kestävän kehityksen mukaiset arkiset valinnat olisivat kansalaisille kustannuksiltaan edullisimpia vaihtoehtoja. Ohjauskeinojen käyttöä puoltaa myös se, että myönteisestä asennoitumisesta ei aina seuraa asenteen mukaista käyttäytymistä