I am the Green Party’s candidate in the Helsinki City Council elections 2025. My number is 809. I ran for office because I have grown to love Helsinki and its people in the more than ten years I have lived here, and I believe that my perspectives as an academic environmentalist, activist and cultural worker give me a good basis to be involved in deciding on common issues and making Helsinki a better place to live, build a life and family, build a business, express oneself, connect and belong to the community. I will boldly stand up for local nature, local culture, local democracy and local services, and for a civilised way of doing politics that takes care of everyone, regardless of background.

You can support me by donating via this link. Every penny helps and is received with great gratitude!

The City of Helsinki can make ambitious policies with its own vision and be a pioneer in Finland and the world. From an international perspective, Helsinki’s competitive advantages include greenery, a distinctive cultural offer, functionality (although the functionality of the city organisation must be improved from the point of view of businesses and other communities), safety and public transport, the price of which should be reduced. And, of course, the city’s lovely inhabitants! The issues that are important to me, and which I will continue to work on, are

• local nature
• local culture
• local democracy

and local services. The current trend towards centralisation in Helsinki, with Redi-type malls and giant day-care centres, is not a favourable direction, but should be reversed towards a diversity of local actors and services. Health centres, reasonably sized schools, kindergartens, cultural and sports centres and brick-and-mortar shops as local services support prosperous, active neighbourhoods and a vibrant urban culture.

By investing in Helsinki’s assets, green, cultural and safety assets, we can attract even more businesses that will provide jobs and thus increase the city’s community tax revenues, and moderately develop tourism, understanding the strengths of Helsinki’s diversity and its brand. The city must be bold to lead the way and invest in green innovation. A sustainable future is about moderate growth based on a circular economy and strengthening communities, reducing the need for individual consumption. Making everyday life meaningful does not have to be a paid job for everyone; people can participate in community activities based on their own strengths. People on low incomes can also be part of a functioning city through quality public services, affordable housing, public transport and support for families with children.

I am also passionate about empowering micro and sole traders, promoting local and small business products and services in city procurement where possible, promoting walking and cycling, affordable public transport and services for children and young people. Similarly, services for the elderly must be provided in a high-quality and respectful manner, meeting individual needs by offering communal housing and care and enabling older people to participate actively in the various activities of society. In general, I support strong public social and health services that are accessible to all, and the personal doctor or medical team model advocated by the Greens.

Local Nature

Every urban dweller should have access to a local nature site within a reasonable distance. In addition, the city should be planned to keep green spaces high on the priority list. In the future, urban greenness will be of even greater value in the face of climate change and species loss, and will be an international asset for Helsinki. In some areas, the addition of green spaces could be implemented, e.g. by removing asphalt and otherwise adding vegetation to already built-up areas. Research evidence shows the positive effects of being in nature beyond doubt, and this is recognized by people walking in the woods without any need for an academic background, based on their own direct experience. Access to local nature is also intrinsically linked to the mental health crisis through the well-being effects of nature.

As the climate warms, the excessive heat of a rocky city without shade trees is a real risk factor, with potentially fatal consequences. Vegetation also has an impact on the water regime, and flooding, for example, is exacerbated when asphalt pavement is unable to absorb water. As the city grows, dense infill development is not the only option: the city and its planning and construction must be designed with a range of options in mind, including the conversion of existing buildings to residential use, attic development and other smart urban design. A green city is a good place to live, and we all want a good life.

As a biologist specializing in the aquatic environment, I also want to focus on Helsinki’s seashore and small waters, which are sensitive habitats and also need protection. Not all of the coastline should be built on, but the beaches should be left as recreational areas and habitats for other species of animals. Birdwatching areas and other areas ideal for observing wildlife also bring great pleasure and recreational opportunities to city dwellers. Helsinki’s new nature conservation programme has significantly increased the number of marine protected areas, which is a good start. However, the programme should take account of protection zones, flood plains and catchment areas as part of the conservation process. The city’s nutrient discharges must continue to be controlled and seabed modification avoided.

Protecting local nature also involves measures to prevent climate breakdown and species loss. Coherence of habitat networks enhances species resilience. The coexistence of humans and other species in everyday life reinforces a sense of belonging and the human understanding that we are inextricably one with our environment. Acting in the local environment is a direct influence where we each have the greatest potential to make a difference, thereby strengthening the individual’s experience of agency.

Local culture

Culture is the crown jewel of humanity, the way we exist, tell stories and make them immortal. Culture has the power to change the course of the history of nations, to bring people together and to express the essence of the individual and the collective. I myself can be grateful to a great cultural figure, Virpi Suutari, whose wonderful documentary film Havumetsän lapset (2024) made me know that a forest machine must stop if a human being goes near it, and so I dared to go and stop a machine that had driven over the Hukka River crushing freshwater pearl mussels. Thank you film art and thank you Virpi! Then I got video evidence of a serious environmental crime and evidence for the media in a story that turned on the tap on the debate about forest use and the responsibility of big business.

Given the importance of the economic discourse in our society, we must not forget the importance of culture as a source of GDP and economic value. More important than the value of money, however, is the importance of experience for the individual, the community and the nation. Access to culture should be made as easy as possible, as should the opportunity to create and express it.

The City of Helsinki should support diverse culture both financially and by providing facilities for grassroots cultural actors, for example, as these enable low-threshold participation in the creation of cultural content, diversify the offer and create a sense of community. Further, mega stars will emerge from this growth, generating significant revenues for the city. Access to high quality children’s culture should also be addressed. The diversity of Helsinki’s cultural institutions should be guaranteed and the regional cultural offer should be kept broad.

I myself have been involved in implementing low-threshold music events and have seen the power that can be found in the shared experience within this framework. I organize events at the Lapinlahti Centre for Arts, Culture and Mental Wellbeing, a place that is loved by the people of Lapinlahti and has attracted interest and attention abroad. This unique, historically significant place is open to all and encourages participation from a personal point of view. The city’s character and attractiveness are strongly linked to the different forms and expressions of culture and the opportunities it offers.

Local democracy

When everyone feels that they are heard and that they are cared for equally, social peace can be maintained. It is not in the interest of decision-makers to distance citizens from the decisions that affect them, but to involve them wisely and in a timely manner. Involving citizens in decision-making processes such as land-use planning is a real challenge under current practices, but it is possible when the will is there and resources are allocated. A cultural planning approach can be taken here, which sees culture broadly as the basis for the functioning of human communities and emphasises broad participation. It requires cooperation between different sectors and a holistic change in the overall philosophy of action, so that the activity of citizens is seen as an asset rather than a threat. This would also avoid cumbersome appeals processes.

Identifying and consulting stakeholders, as well as genuine interaction, requires an understanding of the bigger picture and active communication. To this end, a citizens’ forum should be created where stakeholders can be informed and have their say on plans and projects. For example, working closely with neighbourhood and other associations not only provides the city with perspectives, but can also activate more people to get involved in associations and to take care of common issues.

Active citizens who are involved in decision-making feel a sense of ownership of the city. They are thus intrinsically motivated to act and make the city a good environment for themselves and their fellow citizens. We should not stifle civic engagement and activism, but on the contrary encourage it. Many important activities in Helsinki today have been started by passionate activists. Examples include Oranssi, Suvilahti and Lapinlahti. There are also positive sparks of activity in the city, such as the Maunula democracy project and the Oma Stadi participatory budgeting proposals.

On the employer side, the concept of internal entrepreneurship is well known. When employees act as if they were working in their own company, they are innovative, self-motivated and willing to make an effort to make the company successful. Involved, active residents can be like entrepreneurs in their own city instead of assembly line workers (without disparaging assembly line workers in any way!). This is an analogy between city and business, as our recent mayor made an otherwise rather questionable point. Under that mayor and since, the planning of Helsinki’s development has unfortunately been largely property investor-driven, but this can be changed. We, the people of Helsinki, are the city, and we can envision its future on our own terms!