Green Flag Award to Kellonummi Cemetery for the third year running

The judges described the site as follows: “A dignified, tranquil, well-maintained and multi-layered entity with many functions and values that are in harmony with each other. A great example of how to reconcile traditional aesthetic values and biodiversity. A large area and skilled personnel.”

 Viia Löppönen, who supervises funeral services and has responsibility for Kellonummi cemetery, is pleased with the recognition received.

 – We have dedicated ourselves to the continuous effort of enhancing and maintaining the green areas within the cemetery. Receiving the award for the third time confirms our belief that we have succeeded in our work and that the direction of development has been right.

– The award is also an expression of gratitude to the dedicated and competent personnel who have contributed to the development and maintenance of the diverse and extensive green areas of Kellonummi cemetery, says Löppönen.

The prize recognises the effective environmental efforts made in Espoon seurakunnat. Espoon seurakuntayhtymä (Espoo Parish Union) became ISO 14001 certified as the first parish-based economic unit in Finland on 13 May 2024. 

Three of the winners were first-timers – the green areas that reapplied maintained their status

Green Flag Awards have been granted to high-quality green areas in Finland for several years. At the exhibition in Lepaa on 15 August 2024, twenty-one green areas were declared as recipients of the Green Flag Award. While some were already known for holding the Green Flag Award, three were entirely new sites.

 The number of green spaces that received the award increased from the previous year, reaching an all-time high in the history of Green Flag Awards in Finland. Green Flag Award is a reward system that recognises the quality of the maintenance and management of green areas. Internationally, it is administered by Keep Britain Tidy, and in Finland, the Finnish Association of Landscape Industries. 

For the first time, the Green Flag Award was won by Fjällbo Park in Tuusula, AhlmanEdu Campus in Tampere and Myllyranta Park in Lempäälä. In addition to Kellonummi cemetery, last year’s award was reissued to Perhospuisto in Riihimäki, Mikkelipuisto Park in Mikkeli, Jokilaakso Garden in Lapua, Hupisaaret Islands City Park in Oulu, Hatanpää Manor Park and Arboretum in Tampere, Pikku-Vesijärvi Park in Lahti, Lepaa Campus Park, Central Park in Parainen, Naisvuori in Mikkeli, Harju Campus Park in Ravijoki, Snellman Park in Kuopio and Finby Liikuntakeskus in Parainen. In addition, five parks in Kotka retained their winning status: Jokipuisto Park, Sapokka Water Garden, Fuksinpuisto Park, Sibelius Park and Katariina Seaside Park.

 Green Flag Award is an international recognition 

Parks in Finland have been rewarded with the Green Flag Award since 2016, when the first GFA was granted to the Häme University of Applied Sciences’ campus park in Lepaa. High-quality GFA sites comprehensively take into account the users of the site, the environment and the operating strategy. The green areas winning the Green Flag Award in Finland become part of a network of more than 2,400 international green areas in 17 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Turkey, Belgium, Spain and the United States.

 The Green Flag Award system is the only one of its kind in the world where a trained jury assesses the activities of a green area by visiting the site and through assessing a written maintenance and management plan. Professional written feedback is provided annually to all candidates, assessing the green area’s operations based on a set of 27 criteria. The criteria establish common standards for high-quality green areas, and they can be used to, for example, justify and facilitate the acquisition of funding required by the sites and to attract more users to the green areas.

Further information:

Viia Löppönen, Supervisor of funeral services, Kellonummi cemetery, Espoon seurakuntayhtymä / Funeral services, +358 50 438 0110, viia.lopponen@evl.fi

Further information on the environmental certificate: 

Kerttuli Boucht, Development Manager, Espoon seurakuntayhtymä, +358 50 432 7503, kerttuli.boucht@evl.fi