Tropical problems are best resolved in the tropics, says Kristina Lindström, professor in sustainable development from University of Helsinki. She believes that small-scale farmers and their ability to manage plots in a sustainable manner play a key role in addressing climate change and food security in Africa.

After long autumn it is finally winter in Helsinki, with 20 centimeters of snow that came down in just few days. Finnish snow-how is tested with rigour and regularity. Despite the weather, urban life keeps pulsating and air travel rolling.

The combined annual carbon dioxide emissions of urban areas within the EU are estimated to be four times the amount of carbon stored by vegetation in the area. This finding was presented by Finnish researchers, whose data indicates the direct impact of land use in cities on its carbon dioxide emissions.

Green roofs are… simply wonderful. Not only that, but they also cool houses, retain water and purify the air.

Today is the Earth Overshoot Day that means that the renewable natural resources produced annually globally have been spent, and for the rest of the year, we’ll be growing our ecological footprint to unsustainable proportions.

The earth’s oil and coal reserves are remnants of ancient forests. The formation of coal beds stopped about 300 million years ago. A recent article published in Science magazine confirms that this was not only because of the climate, but also because of the evolution of fungi.

The increased frequency of allergies and asthma among city dwellers compared to people living in the countryside may result from decreased biodiversity. Broad contact with nature may have far-reaching benefits.

As a result of the Fukushima nuclear accident, some 120,000 cubic meters of radioactive waste water was created in the process of cooling the reactors. The method to be used for the treatment of the enormous amount of water is a technology developed at the University of Helsinki.

Deusdedith Mbanzibwa trained at the University of Helsinki as a specialist in plant diseases prevalent in his native country, Tanzania. His discoveries will bring help to Tanzanian cassava growers.

Thinking green and design fit perfectly together in a new, innovative company, Green House Effect, run by three young men. The company provides walls made out of plants, sort of “living interior designs” for office spaces and private homes.