Sustainable Travel

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Responsibility - Sustainable travel in Heinolan Heinäsaari

Heinäsaari got Green Key certified in March 2024. We are glad to act as Green Key ambassadors, and we want to take part in making travel more sustainable. We work on developing Heinäsaari in the long term and the development work is implemented sustainably, taking into account people and the environment (ecological, sosio-cultural and economic sustainability).

We openly communicate about sustainability and strive to also engage travelers in sustainability efforts.
Tips for sustainable travel

Green Key Certifikation

Heinolan Heinäsaari has been awarded a Green Key certificate. Green Key is an international certificate with over 4800 certified establishments from over 60 countries across the globe.
Certificate criteria are based on the UN goals of sustainable development and contain requirements related to decreasing environmental impact, increasing social benefits, and supporting the local economy. Green Key certificate is also approved by the STF-program (Sustainable Travel Finland).

Locality and values

We welcome everyone regardless of their sexual orientation, religion or other factors. We are committed to equality, and we have a zero-tolerance for threatening behavior, discrimination and bullying. We wish for our guests and employees to have a pleasant and sincere experience as travelers and workers.
We at Heinäsaari want to employ locals for seasonal work. We find it important to offer summer jobs to local youths. Our goal is to provide the summer youths with a positive/good first job experience. We have employed around 20 to 30, 14–17-year-old adolescents during the summer. We guide and encourage our employees to act sustainably. For our part we wish to support locals and entrepreneurs in the local area by using their services. We also warmly recommend guests use local services; we are after all located only a walk away from the city’s services.
Local services we use include e.g.:

Recyling

We recycle waste at Heinäsaari. Our island contains two recycling stations, at both ends of the island. The recycling stations are marked on our map of the area. One of the stations is open for year-round use and the other is open for the duration of the summer season.
We guide and encourage our customers to pay attention to sorting and recycling waste. You can find our recycling guidance on our website, information sheet, cottage folders and common areas. The guides are available in both Finnish and English. Our sorting stations have containers for glass, metal, biowaste, cardboard, paper, plastic and mixed waste.
Our goal is to raise travelers’ knowledge about recycling, increase recycling and minimize mixed waste.

Nature/ Environment

Our island is located in the National Urban Park area that is one of the Salpausselkä Geopark sites. For our part, we wish to care for this impressive area, and we also take it into consideration in our actions.
We encourage exercising in the nearby nature and environment. We rent our customers bikes, snow-shoes, SUP-boards and boats for transport. We share information and guide our guests to the beautiful outdoor trails in Heinola. We hope our customers get acquainted Outdoor Etiquette that provides tips for sustainable hiking.
There are various different nature trails and hiking trails in Heinola. Near us you can find e.g. a trail to Saittalahti lean-to, Tähtiniemi trail and a beautiful pathway along the shore to the city.Links to Heinola outdoor trails:
Saittalahden laavu: https://www.heinola.fi/hyvinvointi-ja-vapaa-aika/luontoaktiviteetit/ulkoilureitit-ja-luontopolut/pirttisalmen-polku-ja-saittalahden-polku/
Koskensaari: https://www.heinola.fi/hyvinvointi-ja-vapaa-aika/luontoaktiviteetit/ulkoilureitit-ja-luontopolut/koskensaaren-polku-ja-luontopolku/
Rautvuori: https://www.heinola.fi/hyvinvointi-ja-vapaa-aika/luontoaktiviteetit/ulkoilureitit-ja-luontopolut/rautvuoren-polku/
Torninmäenpolku: https://www.heinola.fi/hyvinvointi-ja-vapaa-aika/luontoaktiviteetit/ulkoilureitit-ja-luontopolut/tornimaenpolku/
Korvenlammen reitti: https://www.heinola.fi/hyvinvointi-ja-vapaa-aika/luontoaktiviteetit/ulkoilureitit-ja-luontopolut/korvenlammen-reitti/
Läpiän reitti: https://www.heinola.fi/hyvinvointi-ja-vapaa-aika/luontoaktiviteetit/ulkoilureitit-ja-luontopolut/lapian-reitti/
Lusin luontopolku: https://www.heinola.fi/hyvinvointi-ja-vapaa-aika/luontoaktiviteetit/ulkoilureitit-ja-luontopolut/lusin-luontopolku/
Sataojan luontopolku: https://www.heinola.fi/hyvinvointi-ja-vapaa-aika/luontoaktiviteetit/ulkoilureitit-ja-luontopolut/sataojan-luontopolku/
Suomenkielinen Pirunkirkko toimii, mutta tämä englanninkieliseen mieluummin: https://visitpaijanne.fi/en/activities/hiking-routes/paistjarvi-pirunkirkko-trail-44-km/More information you can find here GREEN KEY

Below you can see a few measures that are implemented in Heinäsaari and which are part of Heinäsaari's responsible travel plan.

Ecological sustainability

  • We sort waste on the island.
  • We strive to reduce food waste.
  • Efforts have been made to reduce energy consumption.
  • In accordance with the electricity contract, energy produced in a climate-friendly manner (water, wind and nuclear power).
  • The island is located in the national urban park area, which is one of the Unesco Salpauselkä Global Geopark destinations. We are aware of it in our own operations and understand its meaning.

Socio-cultural sustainability

  • We value local culture and cultural heritage.
  • We co-operate with local operators.
  • We communicate openly about our responsibility.
  • Through communication, we try to commit travelers to responsibility.
  • The cafe's offer also includes local delicacies and we prefer Finnish products.
  • We pay attention to the working conditions and rights of our employees.

Economic sustainability

  • We implement sustainable investments on the island.
  • Our operations are long-term.
  • We also employ locals during the high season.