Instructions
What is Sustainability Leap?
Sustainability Leap is a platform provided and maintained by the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) to present and disseminate good climate, circular economy and nature solutions.
It is an open, permanent and free service for all actors: municipalities, companies, organizations, residents, parishes, research projects, etc.
Actors can add their own logos to their leaps, and all users have the opportunity to display any content in their own web services and share their own content through social media channels.
The service’s marketing address is sustainability.fi
What is the purpose of the service?
The leaps added to the service can reach a wide audience through SYKE’s municipal and partner networks. SYKE works actively with different media, ministries, partner organisations, the Hinku, Fisu, Canemure and Circwaste networks, as well as national and international research communities. Our goal is to build a sustainable society together.
Ideally, a practice shared with others will begin to multiply, and information conveyed about difficulties faced will help others solve the problems that they face. For companies, the service is a great opportunity to share information about their reference targets.
For whom is the service intended?
Sustainability Leap is an open service for all actors: municipalities, companies, organizations, residents, parishes, research projects, etc.
Do I need to register for the service?
You can browse and read the good practices of the Sustainability Leap service without logging in, but in order to produce content, you must register as a user via the “Register” link at the top or at kestavyysloikka.ymparisto.fi/rekisteroidy/ .
If you are planning to add leaps to the service on behalf of a company or other community, it is recommended that you register with the company’s name or abbreviation. For example, the leaps produced by the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) are published by the username SYKE.
How do I browse good practices?
The most important contents of the service are the climate, circular economy and nature solutions leaps that talk about the progressive measures taken. The easiest way to get started is to go directly from the homepage to either Climate, Circular Economy or Nature Leaps.
You can also browse different leaps:
- By category or by keyword by clicking on words in the word cloud on the homepage
- On the map by location: kestavyysloikka.ymparisto.fi/en/leap-map
- By projects and operators: kestavyysloikka.ymparisto.fi/en/actors-and-projects
- By using the search. The search will target all content: headings, text, categories, keywords and other metadata.
How do I add a leap to the service?
When you have the necessary rights to add new leaps, a ‘+ New’ link will appear at the top of the page, allowing you to enter the details of your leap. Selecting this option opens the ‘Add New Article’ form, which has its own fields for the leap title, category, description, location, keywords, and different quantities that describe the leap.
Most of the fields are optional and can be left blank if there is no information. The fields can also be completed later. Note the number of characters and be sure to add a (preferably horizontal) image with photographer information to your leap.
The ‘Categories’ selection may affect the fields displayed. For example, annual energy savings are only displayed if a leap has been added to the Climate Leap category. Correspondingly, data on decreased waste volumes can be entered for Circular Economy leaps.
If your leap contributes to both climate and circular economy goals, you can mark your leap as belonging to both categories.
Your saved leap will be reported to SYKE’s administrators, who will check that the leap meets the criteria of the service. After the check, Syke will publish the leap.
What does a good leap description look like?
A good leap description is concrete and reflects its author. Include the basics of the leap: what was done and why, who were doing it, what was accomplished. Also tell us about your feelings and moods during the project, if something was particularly difficult, if there were any surprises, what brought you joy – these stories are interesting, and you will reach a wider audience.
Always add one or more photos to your leap, videos and infographics are a bonus! Photos can be about the subject or the investment, but it’s also worth including pictures of the participants and their practical work – these spread well on social media.
Similarly, the video may be a story about the project, but also about its participants. Even a short, atmospheric clip can be really good. Hook the viewers with a bold beginning and save the details for the leap description text.
How can I calculate energy, material and emissions savings?
It’s a big plus if you have numerical information about your leap, such as the size of the investment, the repayment period, and annual savings. Report the numbers that you have, and if some data is missing, leave those fields blank. If you wish, you can complete the information later.
You can familiarise yourself with the general rules published by Motiva on the calculation and documentation of savings effects (downloads the PDF guide).
How can I share a leap?
Once your leap has been published, let others know on social media. If you want to make sure that Syke is aware of your leap and you want them to participate in sharing information, use the hashtags #ilmastoloikka, #kiertotalousloikka, or #luontoloikka, and mention SYKE’s account if possible. SYKE can be found on Twitter @SYKEinfo, on Instagram @SYKEresearch and on Facebook @SYKE.fi.
On Twitter, climate leaps are also shared by @hiilineutraali, circular economy leaps by @circwaste and nature leaps by @luontokunnat.
How can I embed a leap on my website?
You can embed Sustainability Leap content in your own web service with the help of the leap plugin. On the page https://kestavyysloikka.ymparisto.fi/loikkaupotukset you can define the plugin you want and copy the embed code to be added to your website.
For example, a company can place embedded content on their website about its leaps, or a municipality about all leaps in its area. You can search the leap plugin for leaps based on category, keyword, municipality or region, project, or operator.
Feedback or other questions?
Feedback? Any other questions? Contact the Sustainability Leap administrators via Syke’s feedback system: