The Espoo Parish Union’s strong environmental work continues: Kellonummi Cemetery receives Green Flag Award for the fourth time

The Green Flag Award is an accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed internationally by a UK environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy. In Finland, it is managed by The Finnish Association of Landscape Industries.

The judges were impressed by the good management, biodiversity and versatility of the Kellonummi Cemetery. Its well-maintained lawns lay next to forests or meadows that are kept in a natural state, which creates a sense of calmness and an interesting and diverse visual contrast for visitors to the area. The views from the memorial spot to the attractive pond, the area gives a sense of peace and respect for nature, as well as the commitment of its employees.

“We greatly appreciate that our long-term work is acknowledged and valued. In addition to traditional landscaping, cemeteries feature safety factors, such as frequent earthworks that aren't a consideration in a regular park,” says Mikko Räfsten, supervisor of the Kellonummi Cemetery.

The Green Flag Award is the only accreditation in its field in the world with a trained panel of judges that assesses the green spaces both in writing through their maintenance and management plans and through visits to the location. Each applicant receives written professional feedback every year with an assessment of the green space’s functions through a 27-point set of criteria. The criteria function as a common standard for green spaces, which can then be used to justify and develop the funding required by green spaces and attract more visitors.

The Espoo Parish Union’s carbon neutrality targets progress on a rapid schedule and a wide scope

In the past year, the parishes’ properties have received a number of additions: four new geothermal and heat pump systems, one solar power system and over 50 EV charging points. We have also made efforts to save energy and reduce our consumption through purchasing new electric vehicles and machines for the cemeteries, camp centres and in property management.

We assess the impact of our environmental work together with DNV Business Assurance Finland Oy with annual audits of our ISO SFS 14001 environmental management certification.

“Our annual audit provided us with plenty of good ideas for areas of improvement,” says Kerttuli Boucht, development manager and chair of the environmental working group.

The parishes activities and events always take their environmental load into account.

“Our environmental working group has expertise from multiple fields, allowing us to develop our operations from several different perspectives.  We have begun to offer more vegetarian food and to measure our food waste volumes. Our average food waste per person is under ten grams.”