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As the concept for circular economy gains traction in the world and the EU pushes for the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy model, the role of waste-toenergy is crucial in a circular economy as it is the last chance to extract value out of material at the same time as providing an alternative energy source, henceforth bringing together a closed-loop system. A functioning circular economy will also have minimal waste generated which is sync with the idea of zero-waste. How all these aspects really work together is the focal point of this Master’s thesis where the aim is to see how the three factors of waste-to-energy, the circular economy and a zero-waste goal work together in accomplishing their respective objectives and to access their performance and potential in Finland using other Nordic countries as benchmarks. A qualitative research method of four semi-structured interviews with experts in Finland involved in various circular economy was supported by secondary sourced data on the other Nordic countries and if found that WtE has additional benefits to Nordics compared to other countries due to district heating utilization of excess steam that provides heat during the long winter months so henceforth offers higher energy efficiency. The state of the circular economy in Finland was harder to ascertain with the difficulty in showing concrete examples of a CE due to misunderstanding of the relatively new theoretical term and the many related terms. The overall conclusion for Finland was that a zero-waste goal was not the correct aim to have as this could still mean high incineration, instead Finland should look at the exemplarily example of Denmark which aims to be incineration free in the future. There would still be a role for WtE, only to a less extent, dealing with hazardous and residual waste. The role of recycling will grow in line with a true CE model which means that energy sourced from WtE will decline, As a result Finland should plan accordingly and invest less in WtE infrastructure and more in other alternative energy sources.

The global forest carbon (C) stock is estimated at 662 Gt of which 45% is in soil organic matter. Thus, comprehensive understanding of the effects of forest management practices on forest soil C stock and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes is needed for the development of effective forest-based climate change mitigation strategies. To improve this understanding, we synthesized peer-reviewed literature on forest management practices that can mitigate climate change by increasing soil C stocks and reducing GHG emissions. We further identified soil processes that affect soil GHG balance and discussed how models represent forest management effects on soil in GHG inventories and scenario analyses to address forest climate change mitigation potential.Forest management effects depend strongly on the specific practice and land type. Intensive timber harvesting with removal of harvest residues/stumps results in a reduction in soil C stock, while high stocking density and enhanced productivity by fertilization or dominance of coniferous species increase soil C stock. Nitrogen fertilization increases the soil C stock and N2O emissions while decreasing the CH4 sink. Peatland hydrology management is a major driver of the GHG emissions of the peatland forests, with lower water level corresponding to higher CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the global warming potential of all GHG emissions (CO2, CH4 and N2O) together can be ten-fold higher after clear-cutting than in peatlands with standing trees.The climate change mitigation potential of forest soils, as estimated by modelling approaches, accounts for stand biomass driven effects and climate factors that affect the decomposition rate. A future challenge is to account for the effects of soil preparation and other management that affects soil processes by changing soil temperature, soil moisture, soil nutrient balance, microbial community structure , processes, hydrology and soil oxygen concentration in the models. We recommend that soil monitoring and modelling focus on linking processes of soil C stabilization with the functioning of soil microbiota. Peer reviewed

This reports outlines D8.6 High Impact Communication of the GreenCharge project and covers the main results of the communication activities that were executed during the project. At the beginning of the project, these activities were defined in the D8.1. Communication Strategy and plan. This plan defined quantitative and qualitative targets to assess and measure communication impact. This deliverable explains the results of the targets. This deliverable reports on the impact of GreenCharge’s main communication activities. Focus is on high impact communication and covers website, social media, newsletters and publications, conferences, workshops, lectures to students and animation. As such it gives not only a valuable overview of how GreenCharge results have been communicated, but also presents their impact on interested stakeholders. Evaluation of Communication activities is also reported. The deliverable describes the results of the GreenCharge project, which was shared with the public and the stakeholder groups the consortium. All communication actions were realised with the purpose to achieve these following goals: • Establishing the GreenCharge “Brand” within the EU: It concerns not a brand in the sense of a consumer product, but rather a widely-known “household name” associated with a widely-supported positive goal. The GreenCharge brand could act as a reference for smart charging and Energy Smart Neighbourhoods (ESNs) in the European Union. • Synchronisation with EC Communication Activities: To co-operate actively in events and initiatives organised by the European Commission for promotion of H2020 activities. The goal is to become a highly visible showcase project for H2020. • High public visibility: While GreenCharge addresses specialist and technical audiences, there will also be a major emphasis on addressing policy makers and cities. • Political inspiration by leading examples: GreenCharge aims to provide an easy to reference political example supported by implementing objectives of the EU Transport White Paper and the Urban Mobility Package (SUMP). • Increased reputation of EU funded projects: The aim of the communication strategy is to reach out to society as a whole, while demonstrating how EU funding is used to tackle societal challenges while generating business for (local) entrepreneurs. GreenCharge establishes these goals by publications and seeking media attention. GreenCharge uses several communication channels for reaching out different stakeholder groups, including citizens. This deliverable is of interest to all communication colleagues on the GreenCharge project and to its sister H2020 projects, to demonstrator city and uptake city representatives and to EU and EU agency staff and the wider H2020 EV Charging community. The deliverable helps them to identify impact of the communication activities on interested stakeholders and provide a basis for developing communication activities on other similar projects, but also in other GreenCharge project activities such as the demos and their further exploitation.

Abstract The state of, and changes to, altitudinal and polar treeline ecosystems and their services in selected mountain regions in Europe were analyzed using the drivers-pressures-state-impacts-responses (DPSIR) framework. The analysis was based on 45 responses of experts from 19 countries to 2 semi-structured questionnaires on treeline ecosystem services (ESs), stakeholders and the DPSIR factors, and 11 case study descriptions of best management practices. The experts recognized climate and land-use changes as the main drivers, resulting in various pressures that contrasted among the regions. The impacts of the pressures were mainly considered as negative (e.g. loss of biodiversity, root rot diseases, moth and bark beetle outbreaks, wild fires, decrease of (sub)alpine grasslands, browsing), but also as positive (e.g. increase in forested area). The influence of climate warming, altered precipitation regimes, a longer growing season, annual variation in winter climate and increased ground-level ozone concentrations were considered less critical for recent treeline dynamics than land abandonment, increased tourism and livestock pressure. Current policy responses to emerging pressures and stakeholder demands were considered insufficient and incoherent. Mitigation, adaptation and restoration actions were rare and with no evident long-term impact. We conclude that (1) locally-specific human−environment interactions have greater influence on treeline dynamics than global warming; (2) ecological and social sustainability of the treeline areas can be enhanced by simultaneously promoting traditional land use and regulating tourism development; (3) ES users should look for new opportunities arising from environmental change rather than trying to sustain current levels of ESs indefinitely; and (4) to safeguard the unique ecological and social values of treeline areas, more coherent and proactive policies are needed.

This study is a follow-up on the the implementation of a business model, which was created in a co-creation process between two universities and an established SME specialized in monitoring municipal and industrial water distribution systems.. A shared collaboration sustainability innovation project between two universities and SME company on research, development and innovation context results was analyzed. A product was innovated for water systems monitoring service's needs and generated from two universities and SMEs shared RDI pilot. Authors elaborate findings for commercialization possibilities success factors and challenges for the co-creation concept. Evaluation criteria used are implementation feasibility and environmental & economical value. InTo tool is utilized for after commercialization phase to evaluate business model in this case study. Literature review focuses on collaboration enhanced sustainability innovations, which is used as comparison frame. Authors suggest efficient actions for collaborative innovation and hurdles to stay away for smooth environmental area innovation commercialization.

This interview study was conducted within the Future possibilities for CLT (FCLT) Nya möjligheter för CLT project financed by ERDF Interreg Nord. FCLT is a research project implemented by Luleå Technical University, Technical Research Institute of Sweden (SP), Centria University of Applied Sciences, Digipolis and Lapland University of Applied Sciences. The project started in September 2015 and will continue until May 2018. The main goal of the project is to promote the use of CLT and to increase the knowledge about the possibilities of CLT as a building material within the Interreg Nord area. The interview study was executed with a qualitative research approach and data was collected by means of a semi-structured interview. Case study was used as a research method and the experiences of using CLT in the Finnish construction industry were studied as cases. The study was planned to include wide variety of actors from different phases of construction projects. A total of 18 different professionals that have been involved with CLT building projects were interviewed. The aim of the interview study was to find answers to the main research question: What are the experiences of construction professionals on using CLT in building projects? Answers to more defined subsections were also expected: Differences when compared to other building systems, The effects of the material’s characteristics, Know-how and competitiveness, and Future expectations and needs for development. Based on the themes that were identified from the interview data, a strategic action plan called Build using CLT was created. The action plan has five different sections and the proposed actions were written as in the imperative mood so as to make the message clear and the use would be as simple as possible. The Build using CLT action plan consists of the following sections: Use the value of the material, Work efficiently, Be active in communications, Develop operational models and Co-operate and evolve. Based on the interview data, the most discussed topics were additionally highlighted using word clouds. Based on the results of the interviews, we can conclude that CLT has a positive image and it is seen to have a great deal of potential to serve as an ecological alternative for future sustainable construction. Wooden surfaces are seen as valuable and aesthetically impressive enablers of high-quality indoor environments. As a construction material, CLT is a relative newcomer, and the lack of references and experience are seen as its main challenges at the moment. The expected effect of executing the case study was to widen the perspective of earlier work in FCLT project regarding the knowledge-base of building with CLT. During the next phase of the project the focus will be in helping the companies in the Interreg Nord area to find new possibilities for business in using CLT. The objectives in the next phase are to create interest towards CLT and sustainable building solutions and then to help companies create preliminary value chains for CLT construction. The work towards the objectives is carried out by mapping the interested pilot companies, working together in workshops and distributing information via seminars, informative sessions and publications. The interview study aimed to determine the experiences that operators involved in various phases of construction have had with regard to CLT con-struction. The study sought to interview the selected operators as extensively as possible with regard to the various phases of the construction project. Based on the study, we can conclude that CLT has a positive image and it is seen to have a great deal of potential to serve as an ecological alternative for future sustainable construction. Wooden surfaces are regarded as valuable and aesthetically impressive enablers of high-quality indoor environments. CLT is still relative new as a construction material, and the lack of refer-ences and experience are seen as the main challenges at the moment. The “Build using CLT” collection of operating strategies was prepared based on the themes that emerged over the course of the interview study. The interview study report was prepared under the Future possibilities for CLT (FCLT) project, which is implemented as an Interreg Nord research proj-ect funded by the ERDF. The project involves the Luleå University of Tech-nology, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Centria UAS, Digipolis Oy and Lapland UAS. The primary objective is to promote the diverse use of CLT and increase awareness of the possibilities provided by CLT construction in the Interreg region. The project was initiated in September 2015 and will continue until October 2018.

Within the GreenCharge project, Oslo is one out of three pilot sites. In the Oslo pilot, there is a particular focus on providing cost efficient home charging facilities for inhabitants living in blocks of flats. For piloting, the project has selected the Røverkollen housing cooperative, comprising 246 apartments distributed over five blocks. The housing cooperative has a stand-alone four-storey parking garage where most residents have their own parking spot. In this report, an overview is given of the Oslo pilot site and its specific challenges are identified. The challenges include general mobility requirements, where many needs a car for their daily life and that potential buyers of electric vehicles (EVs) expect charging at their own dedicated parking place before committing to buying. This has been confirmed by a survey addressing all residents in the housing cooperative. In addition to charging for the residents, the housing cooperative sees an opportunity in providing charging to visitors and employees at a nearby work place. As of 14.01.2019, there were 17 chargeable vehicles at Røverkollen (based on data from the Norwegian Public Roads Authority). The housing cooperative has established four outdoor semi-fast chargers. These are accessed through a rudimentary booking scheme. At the start of the project, 15 residents have signed a contract for using these outdoor chargers. Results from the conducted survey indicate that approximately 50 % of the residents at Røverkollen consider buying their own chargeable vehicle within two years. GreenCharge has defined seven innovation scenarios. Four of these have been identified as relevant for the Oslo pilot: 2. Charging at booked Charging station 4. Home charging in older (groups of) residential or working buildings with common internal grid and parking facilities, or at work in (groups of) buildings with similar limitations 5. V2G (vehicle-to-grid) 6. Reacting to Demand Response (DR) request Based on these selected innovation scenarios the different use cases to be implemented and tested at the Oslo pilot has been identified and detailed. The expected growth in ownership of EVs, and the need for charging these EVs, is a challenge for the housing cooperative. This is both related to investment costs and the increased demand for electric power. To satisfy user needs a new charging infrastructure needs to be deployed in the parking garage. This needs to be implemented with demand management to ensure that the usage will not overload the electricity grid.

In the near future, more emphasis must be put on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in road transportation, house heating, agricultural activities, marine transport etc. This study concentrated on the use of alternative fuels in engine - driven applicat ions of non - road machineries and decentralized energy production . Today, the engines are mainly designed for crude oil derived fuels and liquid renewable fuels are blended with crude oil based fuels to fulfill the requirements of renewable energy usage. Du e to the environmental reasons on one hand and to the agricultural needs, on the other hand , different blends of bio - and fossil fuels are becoming more popular. In Europe, the maximum FAME content in diesel fuel is 7 vol% according to the EN 590:2013 but higher percentages are also available and targeted around the world. For example in the United States, the 20% blend fraction is becoming more common. For these reasons, B20 fuels were chosen to be investigated in this study. Special emphasis was put on im proving blending issues since fuel blending may cause some operating risks. The main aim was to research widely the properties of animal - fat based methyl ester (AFME) and B20 fuel blend produced from it. AFME is a waste based fuel and produced in Ostroboth nia region, Finland. The aim was to find out in which engine applications the fuels are feasible and investigate if the fuels fit in the quality of automotive fuel Standards. According to the results, AFME is a feasible option to increase self - sufficient e ne rgy production in Ostrobothnia.

Worldwide, buildings are responsible for one-third of the total final energy consumption, and are among most significant creators of carbon dioxide emissions. Due to constantly increasing prices of energy and changing environmental circumstances, more emphasis is given on the discovery of energy efficient solutions. Exploitation of energy efficient technological solutions and renewable energy sources provide environmental friendly and cost-effective alternatives also for renovation of buildings and living. Local infrastructure as well as directives, laws and standards set by the European Union and governments guide energy performance of buildings and implementation of renovations. By adjusting and unifying regulations, the challenges of cold climate could be encountered in sustainable manner and cross-border trade accelerated in the high north, where vast resources are available. In this report, building stock, renovation status, energy production and usage are discussed in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. The work is mainly done for the purposes of the SBHN-project. The goals of the Sustainable Buildings for the High North (SBHN) -project are to discover arctic climate- adjusted methods to improve energy efficiency of residential apartment buildings and to enhance cross-border trade between Scandinavian countries and Russia. The results of the project are expected to promote various business opportunities and the development of close co-operation between the northern countries in the fields of building technology industry, innovative research and education among companies, universities, colleges and the authorities.