Sustainability The nature, people and local way of life in Salla are important to us. At The Middle of Nordic, sustainability is reflected in our accommodation, the daily operations of Kaira Café and our activities through practical actions and everyday choices. We are a small family-run business, and we want to develop our operations with a long-term perspective. We do not believe everything has to be perfect all at once. We are constantly learning, gaining new knowledge and improving the way we work, one step at a time. Nature and the Environment We operate surrounded by the unique nature of Salla, and we take the environment into consideration in our everyday activities. We pay attention to the responsible use of energy and water, as well as waste sorting and recycling. At Kaira Café, the building is heated using geothermal energy. In our activities, we do not use disposable tableware, and our laundry services are provided by a local company. We also participate in Salla’s nature compensation programme, which supports nature conservation in the Salla area. The programme is a collaboration between Salla Tourism and the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation. Food In the kitchen at Kaira Café, we make use of seasonal ingredients and, whenever possible, products from the surrounding region. These include berries picked by local foragers, mushrooms we gather ourselves and herbs grown in our own garden. Our reindeer meat and fish come from Finnish Lapland. We prepare our baked goods in our own kitchen. Our food waste is very low, and we continuously monitor it. We aim to use our ingredients as efficiently and thoroughly as possible. We work together with local businesses and service providers and choose products and services from the surrounding region whenever possible. People For us, sustainability also means creating a good working environment. We want to provide our employees with a safe workplace and fair working conditions where everyone is treated with respect and equality. We respect human rights and take them into consideration in our relationships with partners and other businesses we work with. Openly, One Step at a Time For us, sustainability is a continuous learning process. Not every solution happens overnight, but we want to make thoughtful choices and develop our operations based on practical experience. We believe in being open about where we are on this journey – including the areas where there is still room for improvement. Our Goals We want to develop our business with a long-term perspective and make responsible choices part of our everyday work. Our goals are to: • monitor and reduce our energy and water consumption • reduce waste and keep food waste as low as possible • increase the use of local products and services whenever possible • maintain a safe working environment where everyone is treated with respect and equality • take the needs of nature and the environment into consideration in our activities • give our guests opportunities to enjoy the unique nature of Salla while helping to ensure that it remains just as special for future generations