ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how students at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (UAS) in Finland construct meanings of climate neutrality in a higher education context and how these meanings may contribute to regional development. The data consist of 127 responses collected through online qualitative questionnaires in June and September 2024. Drawing on eco-discourse analysis, we identified six interrelated discourses in open-ended responses: waste, technology, knowledge, mobility, space and responsibility. These discourses suggest that climate neutrality is not merely a technical or political goal, but a discursive process shaped by personal experience, diverse socio-cultural contexts and social interaction. Students express both hope and scepticism, revealing tensions between symbolic and subjective sustainability efforts. They call for a transparent, interdisciplinary and action-oriented approach with the potential to strengthen regional, cross-sectoral collaboration.
