VisitKouvola is part of the national Sustainable Travel Finland initiative, which offers travel businesses and destinations a practical toolkit for sustainable travel. Environment 2030 is the City of Kouvola’s environmental programme. It aims at achieving key environmental targets within the next 10 years.

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As a sustainable travel destination, sustainability is at the centre of the Kouvola way of life. We in Kouvola are working together to ensure that the biodiversity and cultural heritage of the Kymenlaakso region is preserved for generations to come as part of our concept of a good and active life.

Several travel businesses in Kymenlaakso have joined the Sustainable Travel Finland initiative. The first travel businesses in northern Kymenlaakso to receive their STF accreditation are the UNESCO World Heritage site Verla and Woikoski Feeling. The accredited businesses have proven practices to ensure sustainability in their operations from ecological, social, economic, cultural and ethical perspectives.

The main goal for sustainable development is to secure conditions for a high quality of life now and in the future. Responsibility and sustainable development are at the heart of all the activities of the City of Kouvola. The main objectives of the Environment 2030 programme are carbon neutrality, the protection of biodiversity, and promoting the circular economy. We have determined targets under each objective that must be achieved by 2030, and we have defined the measures and actions to reach those targets. 

The measures are connected to the following major themes:

• energy production and consumption

• material flows

• urban and land use planning and monitoring

• transport

• natural values

• food production and consumption

• environmental education

• other factors supporting sustainable development

With the Environment 2030 programme and carbon neutrality, the City of Kouvola shows its commitment to the UN’s sustainable development goals under Finland’s Sitoumus 2050 Green Deal commitment registration system. You can also register your commitment to sustainable development. 

On the Lapinsalmi bridge trail, the bridge extending across Kapiavesi Lake is a real experience

The impressive view from the top of Olhava rock, which is accessible by foot

In ​​Kouvola’s city center you will find shops, restaurants and cafés, but you can also sit by the fountain or in the Central Park