Akordi’s new publication focuses on how to build acceptance for green investments and the transition as a whole, particularly through high-quality engagement timed for the early stages of project development. The publication provides answers to frequently asked questions: What do the challenges and skill needs of engagement look like from the perspective of field actors? […]
The event on May 7, 2026 – organized by Akordi, Confederation of Finnish Industries, Finnish Energy, University of Eastern Finland, Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities, Sitra, and Renewables Finland – provided current perspectives and research findings, as well as practical experiences and lessons learned on strengthening the acceptability of the green transition. Jonna Kangasoja […]
Akordi’s view is that conflicts are always present in one way or another when we’re moving from the old to the new. Conflicts are an inevitable symptom of change, and they reveal what matters to us. Conflicts also catalyze the energy of those involved. At its best, conflict can be the impetus that brings parties […]
Welcome to the seminar on current topics in the green transition! Date: May 7, 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (morning coffee starting at 8:30 a.m.) Location: Maija Hall, Oodi (Töölönlahdenkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki) + livestream Language: Finnish We will present the latest research findings on the factors influencing the acceptability of energy projects, associated risks, […]
We have been sparring with the City of Oulu (Urban Environment Services & BusinessOulu) during the fall of 2025 and spring of 2026 as part of the Scaling up the work in anticipating and resolving conflicts in the green transition initiative, supported by the TAH and RELEX Foundations. As a result of this collaboration, we […]
Since 2019, stakeholders in the reindeer herding and wind power sectors have been learning from one another, building collaboration, and defining best practices for coordinating reindeer herding and wind power projects hosted by Akordi, the Reindeer Herders’ Association, and Renewables Finland. Over the past year, this joint effort has evolved into a more targeted model, […]
Akordi’s new publication examines the rapidly developing situation in Central Ostrobothnia in the context of wind power and Finnish forest reindeer from different perspectives and proposes initial steps to resolve tensions. The case is important because it reflects the broader friction associated with the green transition; the challenges are not limited to Finnish forest reindeer […]
How can forest companies and environmental organizations—often seen as standing on opposite sides of environmental debates—successfully collaborate on peatland restoration? Essi Arminen, who works as a junior specialist at Akordi, researched this question in her master’s thesis of environmental policy “Restoration as collaborative governance: from confrontation to resolving common interests in collaborative projects between forest […]
In yesterday’s webinar, DENSE & TENSE: Large Scale Energy Projects in Oulu and The Hague – Systematic Approach to Engaging the General Public and Key Stakeholders, experts from Akordi and WesselinkVanZijst presented systematic and proven practices for engaging the general public and key stakeholders in large-scale energy projects. A state-of-the-art approach to public participation and […]
An interim review of the 2022–2027 natural resources plan for the Sámi homeland was held in Inari at the beginning of the week. The working group involved in drawing up the plan and representatives of Metsähallitus met to evaluate the plan and the implementation of the measures included in it. On Monday evening and Tuesday, […]
Last Thursday, a multifaceted discussion took place at the Oodi Central Library during a public event organized by the City of Helsinki and Helen, where the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in Helsinki was considered. The event presented the city’s views, Helen’s nuclear power project, zoning, and the role of the Radiation and […]
Akordi’s three-day training course Strategic stakeholder engagement in mining projects – critical minerals was held this week at Kommatin maja in Sodankylä on November 5–7, 2025. The training was attended by a diverse group of professionals from the municipality of Sodankylä, the Regional Council of Lapland, Lapland Arctic Environmental Protection, and environmental and sustainability experts […]
On October 27, at the FinEst Twins project’s final seminar, we published answers to the challenges faced by key players in the clean energy transition, as well as English, Swedish, and Norwegian translations of Akordi’s Playbook. We promote a fair and clean energy transition by developing strategic stakeholder engagement and collaboration between different actors. In […]
The nature value market and biodiversity offsetting are currently widely discussed topics. Also in Akordi we have been working to find mutually acceptable and sustainable solutions to halt the nature loss. We have been helping various actors negotiate acceptable solutions to issues related to the sustainability transition since 2013. In recent years, we have worked […]
Small municipalities in Ostrobothnia have become the driving force behind hydrogen development in Finland. According to representatives of four business development companies, this can be explained by investing in the early stages of project development and learning from shared experiences. The discussion between business development companies held in Vaasa on 7 October was followed by […]
We participated in four regional workshops organized by the Natural Resources Institute Finland and the Finnish Wildlife Agency, which surveyed the opinions of large carnivore observers (LCOs) on how to develop their activities, increase its significance, and improve interaction between Luke and large carnivore observers. A total of more than 70 large carnivore observers, Luke’s […]
On MTV’s Huomenta Suomi program, Lasse Peltonen (co-founder of Akordi and professor of environmental conflict management at the University of Eastern Finland) and Satu Penttinen (campaign director at Business Finland) discussed critical minerals, their extraction in Finland, and how mining could be carried out in a way that is sustainable for the environment and local […]
A Community of Practice based on a common approach is being built through our Strategic Stakeholder Engagement in Clean Transition Projects training, in which more than 120 experts are participating this year. At the first joint meeting, students who had studied and were studying on different courses got to know each other and discuss topics […]
Yesterday, we gathered at a Space for Science and Hope (Puistokatu 4) and through a live stream to discuss how sustainability transition can be achieved while respecting the rights of the Sámi people and what challenges the current situation presents. At the heart of the discussion was the internationally recognized FPIC (Free, Prior & Informed […]
On September 3–4, 2025, we gathered with reindeer herding cooperatives, wind power companies, one mining project representative, and the business area director of energy funds to discuss the cumulative impact of wind power projects on reindeer herding and to brainstorm solutions for mitigating and compensating for the negative effects. At the meeting in Luppio, the […]
This week, we met with our new advisory group, whose members often sit on opposite sides of the negotiating table. At the meeting, experienced experts from different sectors discussed how we could best scale up and establish Akordi’s proven procedures at the national level. With the support of the advisory group for the scaling up […]
Seize this unique opportunity and develop your negotiation skills together with the Akordi team at Nuno Delicado’s intensive training course in Helsinki on August 6–7, 2025. “Discover the power of negotiation and how it can transform your life (and the world) with the Impact Negotiations Toolkit and Training” Nuno Delicado is a long-time mentor and partner […]
Akordi participated in Kristiinankaupunki Community Days on July 9–11 as a speaker, moderator, and active listener. Kristiinankaupunki is one of the project locations where we are working in our new foundation-funded project to help anticipate and resolve conflicts related to the green transition. Keep cool and citta slow – Kristiinankaupunki style to the […]
The TAH Foundation and the RELEX Foundation have joined forces to fund Akordi, a Helsinki based organization specialised in environmental collaboration and conflict resolution. The funding allows Akordi to get out on the ground, and help municipalities, enterprises and local communities in finding fair and acceptable solutions to the puzzles presented by new industrial green […]
SuomiAreena 2025 once again brought together decision-makers, experts, companies, and citizens to discuss current social issues. Akordi’s Business Development Director Minna Näsman and Communications Specialist Taika Tikkanen represented the JustH2Transit project, which focuses on the fairness of the green hydrogen transition. Akordi acts as the project’s interaction manager. Reconciling the interests of different parties, fairness, […]
During the spring, more than 80 experts have graduated from our Strategic Stakeholder Engagement training courses, forming a Community of Practice based on the shared approach. Akordi’s Strategic Stakeholder Engagement in Clean Transition Projects training program delves into the essentials of project acceptability: how acceptability challenges manifest themselves in practice at the local level and how […]
Results from Pinja Pöytäniemi’s master’s thesis Agriculture is essential for food security, but it is also a major cause of biodiversity loss. In Switzerland, many habitats and species are endangered and government monitoring programmes show a steady decline in ecological quality. In this study, solutions were sought using participatory system mapping (Causal Loop Diagrams) and […]
The establishing process of the Kvarken archipelago nature conservation area has been Finland’s largest environmental conflict resolution process assisted by a neutral third party. Over the decades, deep tensions have developed between environmental administration and local actors in the Kvarken area. The roots of the disputes lie in the 1980s coastal protection program and the […]
Strategic stakeholder engagement in clean transition projects – wind power in reindeer husbandry areas training day focusing on this special topic was held on May 21, 2025, in Pudasjärvi. The training day explored topics such as Pudasjärvi’s innovative wind power program, which enables the municipality to assess the suitability of projects based on criteria it […]
The Akordi team supported by our steering group, network partners and some of our alumni gathered to discuss how conflicts related to the green transition can be anticipated and resolved applying the mutual gains approach to negotiation and collaborative problem solving – and how these practices can be scaled up to the national level. Social […]
We started the week on an inspiring note with training from our Dutch colleagues, where we got to dive deeper into their approach to strategic stakeholder engagement and got to hear some interesting examples from the Netherlands. Our international colleagues from the Consensus Building Institute Global Network, Marc Wesselink and Robin Schram, gave us inspiring […]
One comment we heard at the end of the training day stuck with me: “I knew what to expect, but I was still surprised by the difficult issues that people working on projects face.” The story of the Green Transition promises nothing but good things for everyone, and it is difficult to live up to […]
The establishing process of the Kvarken archipelago nature conservation area has been Finland’s largest environmental conflict resolution process assisted by a neutral third party. Today, on 25th of March, a working group of representatives appointed by the municipalities of the Kvarken archipelago region unanimously approved the decree draft proposal on the establishment of the nature […]
