Yleinen

 

Better engagement to foster trust and acceptable solutions in the green transition

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…
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Seminar on the Acceptability of Green Transition Investments brought together nearly 300 participants for a multi-faceted discussion

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…
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Ilmakuva Katajanokalta, Akordin toimistotalo

Annual report 2025

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…
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Seminar on the Acceptability of Green Transition Investments, May 7

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…
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Starting points for implementing an acceptable and just green transition – Akordi’s proposal for an engagement strategy for the City of Oulu

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…
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Finnish forest reindeer and wind power development on a collision course: Situation overview and paths to resolving tensions in Central Ostrobothnia

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…
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Experts from Akordi and WesselinkVanZijst presented systematic and proven practices for engaging the general public and key stakeholders in large-scale energy projects

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…
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DENSE & TENSE: Large Scale Energy Projects in Oulu and The Hague – Systematic Approach to Engaging the General Public and Key Stakeholders

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Akordi facilitates discussions between municipalities and the state on the future of the Palokki power plant

Akordi's year began in North Karelia with discussions about the future of the Palokki power plant, when Juha-Pekka Turunen and Lasse Peltonen facilitated four discussion events in Tuusniemi, Tohmajärvi, Koli, and Joensuu. A total of 120 municipal decision-makers and mayors participated in the events…
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The role of independent facilitation in tense discussions

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,…
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The training session and webinar in Sodankylä explored critical minerals in the sustainability transition – watch the recording!

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…
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FinEst Twins Final Event: Answers to the challenges faced by key players in the clean energy transition, and translations of the Playbook into three languages

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…
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Blog: The social acceptance of the green transition requires negotiated problem solving alongside the nature value market

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…
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Blog: In Vaasa this week, the acceptability of hydrogen projects was discussed in our seminar and training

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…
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Working together towards more meaningful activities of large carnivore observers

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…
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Lasse Peltonen emphasised issues of acceptability relating to critical minerals on the Huomenta Suomi programme.

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…
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The autumn meeting of Akordi’s Community of Practice reinforced the learning and cooperation networks created during the training

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…
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Master’s Thesis: Wind power may pose an existential threat to the Sámi people – ontological conflicts and green extractivism in the Fosen wind power conflict

Sara Vanhanen, who has worked as a project worker at Akordi, examined the Fosen wind power conflict from the perspective of ontological conflict and green extractivism in her master's thesis. In this blog post, Sara explains what the conflict is about and how these perspectives manifest themselves in…
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What does FPIC mean? Specific issues of sustainability transition in the Sámi homeland

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…
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In Luppio, solutions were sought together with reindeer herding cooperatives, wind power companies, one mining project, and the business area director of energy funds

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…
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A multi-perspective advisory group supports our work in anticipating and resolving green transition conflicts

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…
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Blog: Nordic Green Youth Summer Summit – a journey with the Green Youth to learn about the Sámi people and the green transition

This summer, nearly 70 young activists gathered in Åland to learn about the green transition and the Sámi people. Participants came from Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Some of the participants were long-time party activists, while others, like me, were learners who were inspired by the topic…
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The green transition and ways to build social acceptance for it were discussed at the Kristiinankaupunki Community Days

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.  …
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Kristiinankaupunki councilors discussing the prospects for a green transition with Akordi experts 17.6.2025

Significant funding to Akordi for anticipating and resolving green transition conflicts on the local level

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…
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SuomiAreena 2025: Building consensus with conflicting interests is essential to ensure just hydrogen transition

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…
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We are creating a Community of Practice of Strategic Stakeholder Engagement in Finland

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…
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Master’s Thesis: System Mapping of Key Strategies to Develop Biodiversity in Swiss Agriculture

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,…
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Establishing the nature conservation area of the Kvarken archipelago

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.…
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Strategic stakeholder engagement was discussed from the perspectives of wind power and reindeer herding in Pudasjärvi

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…
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Collaborative problem solving tooling the sustainability transition – applications of mutual gains approach from the Netherlands and Finland

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…
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Our Dutch colleagues visited Finland

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…
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The draft decree for establishing the nature conservation area of the Kvarken archipelago was finalised after a long conflict resolution process

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…
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We clarified the joint commitment of the business sector and the City of Helsinki for development of the city centre

Together with MDI, we carried out a assessment on the joint commitment of the business sector and the City of Helsinki. This was a joint development project in which the participants defined the future direction for the city centre in wide-ranging collaboration. The shared vision for the Helsinki…
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Ilmakuva Katajanokalta, Akordin toimistotalo

Annual Report: better risk and conflict management in the green transition

Green transition projects often involve local tensions and potential for conflict. In Finland, Akordi is working with our extensive network of partners to develop conflict management capacity and proactive conflict management methods for green transition. Conflicts show that there are values at stake…
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Talvinen puronuoma

Blog: Akordi joins Finnish Business & Society network FIBS

FIBS membership provides tools for regenerative business development and perspectives for systemic change. Akordi joined Finnish Business & Society FIBS at the turn of the year. For me, membership represents continuity in the field of responsible business, where FIBS is an unrivalled network and…
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