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“Solutions will not come about through existing operating models, by gradually improving things here and there – what’s needed is thinking of an entirely new kind,” says Vice President, Professor Tuija Pulkkinen in this issue’s column Openings. “We were the first university in Finland to commit to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and we observe their principles in all of our activities from the construction of premises to the provision of student meals.”

The problems of sustainable development can also be viewed as sources of innovation, Professor Minna Halme points out. Her field of research focuses on responsibility management, and Halme also serves as Director of the Aalto Sustainability Hub. This new expert network promotes interdisciplinary research and teaching in the field of sustainable development.

Water will soon be considered blue gold, the main article of this issue finds, as climate change and population growth are making water shortages more and more common around the world. But there are also solutions for this situation, and there’s no shortage in motivation for the work, say water issue experts Professor Olli Varis, Foreign Ministry Senior Adviser Antti Rautavaara and Antti Pohjola, who is the CEO of a water technology company.

The Who column’s alumnus interview hears energy entrepreneur Mika Anttonen present his six visionary theses on energy and climate issues.

Food is increasingly an ecological act, say a set of stories in which mushrooms, crickets and the common roach introduce a flavour of attitude change to our palates. Another issue looked at is the important role played by pollinators in the food chain.

The On science articles showcase new ways to process Finland’s green gold, wood, explaining how cellulose may become a big hit for the animal feed industry and ways in which it could be turned into a first-rate textile fibre. We also review how valuable metals could be brought into the sphere of the circular economy.
    
The new is published in Finnish and English on issuu.com.