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PART II Finland’s solutions to conservation
Thirty countries have already published their national pavilion designs, and environmental-friendly elements are being showcased far and wide. For example, The Canadian pavilion plans to collect rainwater with a specially designed drainage system. The Swiss pavilion has distinguished itself with a unique outside curtain, which is made from degradable soybeans that are able to generate electricity. The Japanese pavilion will run on solar energy collected by batteries, to highlight the harmony between the human being and sophisticated technology.
A: Let’s talk a little bit about sustainable construction and what that means to the Finnish Pavilion. The Finnish Pavilion is supposed to be sustainable construction. What is that mean? What are we going to see on the Finnish Pavilion then?
M: Well, the whole Pavilion itself is built to be sustainable, and it is not only for this half a year. The whole pavilion is sustainable because of the fact it will not be built for 6 months. It will be built for 50 years at least. So that is why, it can be easily modified, moved to another place, and so the after use is something that has been already thought before hand. And beside that, the surface of the Finnish Pavilion is totally recyclable material, a very innovative wood plastic composite which is made by a company also very famous here in China, which is using paper, waste paper and plastic to make this surface. So that’s one element.
A: What is it put in the Finnish Pavilion which is eco-friendly in terms of using green power? Is there solar power? Anything that people gonna visually see as way to conserve the environment?
M: There are certain elements that can be seen as, they will be shown at the exhibition and for example, related to solar energy, and also, the inertly efficiency of the Pavilion is an important element because in Finland, you can understand, we live in a quite cold country and we need to save energy, at the same time we need to hit our homes. There, isolation is one strong element. And also, this pavilion will be isolated not only against heat but also against cold.
Known as an outdoor playground, Finland has abundant forest and water resources and has spent years becoming extremely eco friendly. Numerous cutting-edge environmental technologies and applications for waste management, recycling and water purification have been developed there. In the cold Nordic winters, energy efficiency is the focal point of both home and industries and of all sizes.
A: I am sure that they are a lot of things, which are part of the Finnish culture, which are actually in Finnish peoples’home now that they actually consume. How conscious are the Finnish people about conserving energy, recycling, and those types of things?
M: Well, maybe because they are so close to the nature. They understand that this is not here for today. People thinks in a longer perspective and that is something that we would like also to show in the pavilion, that there is not just today but you have to think in a longer perspective; and if you think about the cost of a clean technology, green technology, it is quite easy to calculate that in a longer term, it is much more cheap.
A: How did you get that people in Finland start to move in that direction? China, and Shanghai, is growing up so quickly, now trying to get conservation efforts involved, it seems that it might be a little bit more difficult than it is or has been in Finland.
M: Well, I don’t know, it has been developing through the years, but one thing is clear , that we are used to live so close to the nature that hits and depending on it. Some decades ago some lakes were found that they were going to pollute, people reacted strongly and we have found that the waste that those lakes have been polluted have been able to clean.
A: Just wondering, did you have your own hostel in Finland since now you are living in Shanghai?
M: Yes
A: Do you have a lot of sustainable, not sustainable construction, but eco-friendly elements in your own home?
M: Yes the ventilation and also the structure, it can be modified, if it is needed, for example when my family is in, the walls can give a little bit more space.
A: But in your daily life, in terms of your water consumption, your trash, do you recycle at home?
M: Yes we have all the recycling places for recycling, I mean the daily. From the waste that comes from cooking, fruit, something like that and that can be composted. Then paper, one box, and also these cartons, different boxes, and then the rest. And also there is place where you can bring the batteries, used batteries or metal. So it sounds complicate but when you are used to it, it is quite easy because you are doing it already at home.
A: Right, and this is actually the city where you live that actually quite handle it?
M: Yes.
A: So, is that something that you gonna teach in the Finnish Pavilion?
M: Well, I would like to, actually, by the way, the Expo organizers have already selected the Finnish technology of waste transporting.
A: Ah!
M: Same system as in Beijing Olympics, so this waste will be transported in a tube.
A: Okay. Oh fantastic!
M: Automatically; and I am happy they have selected the Finnish technology for that.
A: So you are already bringing technology in China?
M: Yeah.
A: What is the implication in terms of power? How does it work there?
M: Well, this is the key thing here, so we don’t have to worry about our own heating but, for saving time, there is ventilation that will automatically be adjusting temperature. And also, now my daughter, who is very environmental conscious, she is taking care of her water, so each house can see how much water they are using and we are competing how less water we have!
A: That’s very smart! Is that a common thing within Finnish people, that they are that environmentally conscious?
M: Well I think so. More and more because it has been a part of daily life you don’t think about.
The World Expo with its 150-year history is regarded as the Olympic games of science, technology, and the economy. Most participants have used it as launching pad for innovative products and technologies. But in recent years, with the increasing awareness of environmental preservation.. World Expo’s have begun also promoting conservation and sustainability.
A: So there must obviously be a huge benefit to Finland and to Nordic countries to participate on these Expos. What has been learnt and brought back to Finland?
M: Well, there are different things of course, the main thing might be that we are part of the world, and I don’t see myself and I don’t see Expos so much as a normal business fair. But more huge international conference that will last half a year, and I think that, in Shanghai, it will be something that really influences not only China but the whole world. And I am confident, seeing how China organized the Olympics Games in Beijing, it will be a huge success, but also for countries like Finland and Nordic countries, we are really looking forward to be able to present and take part of the Expo as strongly as possible and Finland is, we are part of Nordic countries but also, we are part of the European Union and the European Union has also announced that they will have their own presentation in Shanghai.
A: Yeah, it must, it is gonna be interesting to see how the Finland Pavilion is accepted because you are coming from a small country to this country with so many people who may not know very much about that part of the world. So, it is a good opportunity to do a lot of teaching: have you done that in any other expos where you were involved in?
M: We had quite a success in Germany, in Hanover, where our pavilion ranked in all rankings among 5 or 10 top pavilions, this means that all the high level politicians, business leaders if they visit Expo for one or half a day, they will also only select those pavilions that have been the most interesting so far. And therefore I am also confident that since our pavilion has already attracted so much interest, our pavilion will be in the program of those decision makers and opinion leaders of the world and we have a good opportunity to show and maybe to teach also something, at least to present some solutions but we are not seeing the Expo as in one way, this is dialogue and therefore we use the term“sharing inspiration”, we are looking forward to dialogue also between the world and between Chinese people.
A: What has changed environmentally about Expo Pavilion? Have you been able to watch the differences in how countries in being more eco-friendly?
M: Well, the previous Expo in Japan was different because there were no self built pavilions, there were only built by Japanese organizations who rented the pavilions for countries, afterwards this whole area was moved back to the nature so in that sense, it was eco-friendly. Well in 10 years, 2000 in Hanover, there were already pavilions that thought the eco friendly idea. There were plenty inside the pavilion and some technological innovations. Definitely, general thing now, is environment, much more than 10 years ago.
A: I wondered just because in Finland, you are so close to nature and you have so may different types of already green friendly measures that you make: is that easy to dot here as well or is it challenging just because of the city of Shanghai being so different?
M: Well, I have seen that people in China, and Shanghai especially, they have been very interested about development and solutions in Nordic countries that they can use for their, also maybe for their help, in order to develop their own systems. They have been already examples, even in Shanghai, and the authorities have been contacting also our designers and people who have been developing our green clean technology.
A: I know, in terms of environmental law in Finland, I believed the first was passed in 1923, and there were an other one passing in 2000, is that something that Shanghai and China can learn about green measures from a country like Finland?
M: Well, it is difficult to teach other countries but one thing that has been useful and sustainable for us is that this is an on going process, you cannot put into effect measures that will change totally the things, you have to plan in a longer perspective and also not only with punishment but also giving incentives and that is thing that has been proved through years in Finland. Through the years, step by step, we have been able to develop that system that also has been working.
A: Any positive reinforcement for plants? What are the other things that they have done so far in Finland? Like we have been talking about, what positive reinforcement to make changes?
M: One element is the water management, and I think about the municipalities and industry, how they, what kind of regulations they have because they have to. They are the major polluters.
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