The Åland Society for Nature and Environment - Åland

With around a thousand members, the Åland Society for Nature and Environment has a broad base in Åland, with its population of just over 30,000).  The organisation strives to be proactive in its activities and to inspire people, keeping the threshold to get active low and offering members a platform to get involved in the issues they care about.  

Three pillars serve as the foundation for the organisation – public education, societal impact, and enjoyment of nature. These are delivered by way of training, discussions, campaigns, excursions, and various projects. The organisation is keen to collaborate with other sectors in order to include the whole of society. Driven by the involvement of its members, the organisation aims to make a sustainable lifestyle part of Åland's identity.  

Several initiatives have emerged from the organisation's activities, including the Hållbart initiativ political party, which has had representatives in the Ålandic Parliament for two terms, and the Bärkraft.ax network, which works to implement the Development and Sustainability Agenda for Åland. The association participates in the network as an active stakeholder. The Åland Society for Nature and Environment was the local initiator for introducing Green Key and the Keep the Archipelago Clean initiative in Åland.  

The organisation has its own forest area in the Åland archipelago and has implemented several other initiatives to help get Ålanders out into nature. In recent years, the organisation has run an integration project aimed at people who have recently moved to the area. The association also helps to deliver nature experiences in the centre of Mariehamn in the form of a garden it manages on behalf of the city. 

The Åland Society for Nature and Environment acts as a great inspiration and creates positive engagement in and awareness of the challenges that society faces.