Unfolding Tomorrow — The end of ignorance

Join our next Unfolding Tomorrow session to learn why raising awareness of sustainable development is crucial in reaching the SDGs, and how you can play your part in it.

We keep producing way more stuff than we really need, and too much of what we no longer need is not recycled. 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are thrown away each year. At this point, you’d think people knew better — but many still don’t. There are of course those who believe climate change is a hoax. However, there are far more of those who simply ignore it, or even acknowledge it but don’t really know how to live more sustainably.

While no amount of knowledge may not affect the first group, we can get through to the others. By making sure sustainable development is part of all education, we can raise awareness, give knowledge and equip people better for creating a sustainable future.

At Aalto University, we believe in solving problems related to sustainability through entrepreneurship, in facing problems rather than pretending they don’t exist, and in educating ourselves rather than using the lack of knowledge as an excuse. And we believe in you.

Unfolding Tomorrow is an event series that brings the brightest minds in business, academia, and government together to talk about what we can do today to make tomorrow better. The event topics come from the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and their targets and indicators.

This Unfolding Tomorrow session is about SDG 12: ‘Responsible consumption and production,’ and more specifically about Target 12.8: ‘By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.’

We’re joined by representatives from academia, the business world, and politics for brief introductory talks followed by a panel discussion. You’ll hear about the importance of awareness and education in reaching the SDGs from different perspectives, learn of our current and future efforts, and get ideas for making an impact yourself. After the panel, you’re more than welcome to stay for pizza, drinks and to have a chat with the speakers and other guests.

Meet the speakers:

Minna Halme

Professor of Sustainability Management at Aalto University School of Business

Minna Halme is professor of Sustainability Management at Aalto University School of Business. Her research focuses on co-creation of sustainable innovations for solving grand challenges. She is Associate Editor of Organization & Environment, and member of the editorial boards of several journals in the field of sustainability and management. She is member of several national industry and public policy boards, including Finland’s Sustainable Development Expert Panel. She is co-founder of Aalto University’s cross-disciplinary Creative Sustainability master programme, Aalto Sustainability Hub, and Aalto Global Impact, and her work has received both scientific and societal impact awards.

Harri Paananen

Director of Economic Development at City of Espoo

Harri Paananen is the Director in charge of leading the Economic Development and Employment Unit of the City of Espoo and chairing the management group of Business Espoo, the local business service network. He is responsible for supporting the growth of companies and creation of private sector jobs, and leading an inter-organizational development program which tackles wicked urban challenges related to competitiveness, employment, entrepreneurship and innovation. He has a background both in innovation management research as well as private sector work, ranging from consulting and business development to marketing and sales in Finland as well as internationally.