Emilia Olkanen

Sustainable energy solutions

Energy efficiency and energy saving must be starting points when creating new solutions. Thus both environment and money are saved. Where industry consumes about the half of all energy in Finland the shares of transport and space heating (about 20-25 %) are increasing especially because of the forest industry shutdowns. At the same time the proportion of renewable energy of all production is in danger to turn into a dramatic fall, since the same industry has been responsible of most bioenergy production. Cars with big consumption and the increase of scattered settlement with bigger living areas are major factors as well, the latter one especially when implimentation is not sustainable. Thus the low energy criteria for housing from the 1980s is not enough but zero energy homes - the house produces self the energy normally bought from outside - must be the starting point. New residental areas Vuores and Nurmi-Sorila with their “ecoconstruction” are clowning if the far location only supports the increase of private cars.

Public transport must be developed: there should be more routes, enough lines running frequently enough and subsidies must strongly encourage away from private driving. Rail traffic must be increased as well. The choices of individual consumers are very important but the municipalities and the state must bear their responsability in guiding the way and producing information. Media responsability is important as well - for example the local paper Aamulehti has awarded lately some climate change understating opinions and there are anti-environmental articles published in the editorial page almost weekly. When deciding about energy production capacity environmental issues must be important criteria, and constantly developing renewable energy production techniques must be percieved as possibilities in energy consumption as well as in business. For example solar energy is a considerable alternative in Finland’s latitudes as well but unfortunately it is still poorly utilized. Frendliness to the environment is the most rational method - destruction of one’s own environment, although typical for humen in their genre inevitably leads to problems and in a longer run to extinction.

Development of public health care and especially mental health care by concentrating on the whole chain

Nowadays the excellency of the Finnish health care system is unfortunately a myth. When compared with 26 other OECD countries only six of them used less money on health care when talking about GDP percentages. Among these six countries were for example Poland, Czech Republic and Mexico. Finland does not excel in the number of practising nurses per 1,000 citizens either - only nine countries of 23 fall behind Finland. When lately there has been discussion about the inefficiency of the Finnish system we really have to stop for a while to think. OECD has blamed Finland for the inequal distribution of health care services - workers can use good-quality company health care whereas others stay waiting. Student health care, among others YTHS, is not any better either especially after the addition of all students under its area of responsibility. Especially in the dental health care and mental health side have a great number of ticking time bombs as well as school which are still in a bad condition after the economical depression in the 1990s and resource cuts. Teachers, health care workers and school psychologists have too much responsibility with the current resource division.

Money is not always comparable to the utility of it. However, this cannot be an argument for it that money invested in health care is always wasted. In addition, I do not like blaming health care simply “unproductive” - taking care of people is a basic function of society that for its part supports the other functions. Anyway, I do not deny that the Finnish health care would not be in crisis. However, there is an aim to renew it with the help of the SATA committee. In Tampere region there is a lack of doctors as well. The public sector is not the most attractive employer at the moment which means that the sector needs deep changes. Home care should be subsidised more as well: the criteria for obtaining the support should not be too high and it has to be possible to survive with it. Home care is humane for the patient and inexpensive for the municipality. There should be attention for the whole welfare chain from schools to sports facilities. Everyone should have the opportunity to take care of his or her health as near as possible.

The slogan of Porvoo hospital at some point was “police will take care of it”. For my part I want to make sure that the treatment won’t be outsourced this roughly in Tampere.

Reference: OECD Health Data 2008

Better integration and activation of immigrants

There are about 6 500 foreign citizens living in Tampere at the moment of which about 1 000 study in higher education institutions. Diversity is an important resource which affects straight to the innovation capability and competitiveness of the companies and society, especially in the long run. Persons who come to Finland in adult age are very inexpensive for our society as well, since they have already spent the most costly life phases in their home countries. In the coming years especially the public sector will face a lack of employees. In Finland the age groups are becoming smaller and yet a smaller part of the society will be have to pay for the costs of the bigger part. Therefore all new knowledge is very welcome. The interest of Finnish students in founding new companies has increased in the past years but foreigners are still more interested in creating new enterprises and thereby new jobs. A diverse, foreigner friendly Tampere creates new and feels well.

The integration of foreigners is very important which means e.g. more selection in advanced Finnish courses and targeted, well-functioning recruitment services. Good integration creates a bridge between Finns and newcomers, new things are learned and the society is developed to a better direction.