03 September 2021
A record 10 green spaces in Finland have won the Green Flag Award in 2021!
The 10 winners were announced on 27th August at the Piha & Puisto landscape industry expo held in the City of Espoo, west of Helsiki.
The location is a unique 'landscape showcase park' called Marketanpuisto - the largest permanent outdoor garden and landscape exhibition in Finland, where companies, organisations and cities exhibit their products, services and know-how.
For 2021-22 the Green Flag Award winners are:
| Park or Green Space | ManagingOrganisation |
| Katariinan Meripuisto | City of Kotka |
| Jokipuisto | City of Kotka |
| Sapokan Vesipuisto | City of Kotka |
| Sibeliuksenpuisto | City of Kotka |
| Fuksinpuisto | City of Kotka |
| Marketanpuisto - Axxell Överby | Marketanpuiston ystävät ry |
| Naisvuori | Mikkelin kaupunki |
| Hatanpää Mansion Park and Arboretum | City of Tampere |
| Pikku-Vesijärvenpuisto | City of Lahti |
| Lepaa Campus | Häme University of Applied Sciences |
Photo1: Mikkelin Naisvuoren puisto won the Award for the first time this year
The Award has been growing successfully in Finland for the past 5 years, and even better since the Finnish Association of Landscape Industries: Viherympäristöliitto ry (VYL) took over it's management in Finland in 2019.
Essi Mäkinen - Green Flag Award co-ordinator for VYL said:
"Finnish green areas that have won the Green Flag Award should be celebrated. The diligent maintenance of green spaces and the strategic development work that is being done for a greener environment deserves respect."
"The importance of parks and green spaces has become even more important in a changing world, and especially after the challenges of 2020, so we are happy to spend another record year with the Green Flag Award in Finland!"
Photo2: Also a first time winner - The Axxell Överby campus in Espoo
Carl McClean - International Development Manager for the Award said:
"It's fantastic to see the Green Flag Award spread in Finland like this - and thanks to the hard work of park managers, their employees and the communities they work with who maintain these parks in line with the international standard."
"It's also a good demonstration of the benefits the Award can bring to the parks sector in all countries around the world. We hope to see more Scandinavian countries follow in Finland's path to support the parks sector with an internationally recognised accreditation."
The Green Flag Award® is a non-profit international accreditation program that recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces. Originating in England in 1996 - today the Green Flag Award proudly flies above more than 2,000 places in over 15 countries around the world.
For more information on Green Flag Award in Finland visit: https://www.vyl.fi/alan-kehittaminen/green-flag-award/
To find out more in general, or apply for an Award, whichever country you are based in; please feel free to explore our website and get in touch.
If you know of a park or a country not yet involved in the Green Flag Award that might be interested, please Contact Us
