From a milk carton to a house: Variska’s second graders learned about recycling and programming during Energy Saving Week

At Variska Comprehensive School, second-graders got to explore the recycling theme with robots.

Each pupil created a house from a milk carton, with LED lighting installed inside. The children then worked in groups to build small towns using the milk carton houses, complete with a recycling centre.

– Unfortunately, litter was found on the streets of the milk carton town, which was loaded on the trailer of a Bee-bot robot taken to Stormossen for recycling. In addition to recycling, we also learned programming to guide the robots in the right direction, says class teacher Johanna Hännikäinen.

The workshop is part of the ‘Energetic Vaasa’ multidisciplinary learning module in basic education. Throughout the school year, similar activities and exercises will be conducted in the second grades of other Vaasa schools.

Energy education pathway implemented in Vaasa

Vaasa is the Nordic Energy Capital, implementing an energy education pathway that stretches from early childhood education to higher education.

In primary education, energy is addressed from various perspectives. At different grades, age-appropriate content and subject-specific objectives are emphasised.

– In the primary school grades, energy is explored from the perspective of energy saving, environmental protection, and food production, for example. In the higher grades, the topic of energy is dealt with in a broader way, for example by learning about energy production in Vaasa’s surrounding areas and, if possible, visiting companies, says Maiju Rintala, Digital Pedagogy Developer in basic education.

Vaasa schools develop energy education

Vaasa’s primary education system is also currently running the ‘Inspiring Energy for Schools’ project. The project promotes sustainability education in schools by developing learning environments, producing materials, learning content and learning packages to support teaching, also in cooperation with external parties.

– We are creating a bilingual approach to sustainable development for schools with an energy focus. The project will produce bilingual materials, learning content, and learning packages to support teaching, says Rintala.

The project has been awarded a special state grant for climate and sustainability education.

Examples of the City of Vaasa’s climate efforts

The City of Vaasa’s strategic goal is to become carbon neutral in the 2020s. Find out more about the city’s energy actions on the new Carbon Neutral Vaasa 202X website ( in Finnish).

Energy efficiency is a key objective in the City of Vaasa Premises Management Office’s building projects.

• Renovation projects aim to improve the thermal insulation and air tightness of buildings.
• In conjunction with renovations, the aim is to replace the ventilation equipment, improve energy efficiency, and reduce heat losses.
• Projects also aim to explore the possibility of using renewable energy sources. For example, a photovoltaic system was installed at the new Teeriniemi Kindergarten.
• In conjunction with building projects, fossil heating can be replaced with lower-carbon alternatives. In Sundom School, for example, oil heating was replaced by a geothermal system.

Read about Motiva’s energy-saving tips! (in Finnish and Swedish)