Tara Joensuu.（COURTEST PHOTO）

By LONG Yun & SONG Ziyan

In 2014, Tara Joensuu, a Finnish/American woman, originally planned to live in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province for one year. However, her plan changed. With the passing of each year, she found it increasingly easier to extend her stay in the city, Joensuu told S&T Daily recently.

Her family, the hospitality of the locals, open society of the city and business opportunities were major factors in her decision to stay.

After coming to China, Joensuu has promoted talent and expertise exchanges between China and Europe. In November 2021, she established her own company named Osa Greentech, primarily focusing on the promotion and implementation of European carbon reduction technologies and expertise in China, particularly in the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region.

She also serves as a member of the Energy Working Group at the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Beijing.

It is not surprising that she chose her current career path to contribute to environment protection. Joensuu said she developed a deep affinity for nature and protecting the environment from very young. However, her inner passion to make a difference in the environmental industry was not ignited until she began living in Shijiazhuang. "I chose this industry because the environment and climate change ties all of humanity together and I feel like I can make a positive difference in China," she said.

Joensuu's career is thriving now. She believes that being fully aware of one's advantages is one of the elements that contribute to the prosperity of a business. She added that China has released 1+N policies for achieving carbon neutrality and peaking carbon emissions in October 2021, which created, "the political environment and market opportunities" for shaping a successful business.

"The past year has provided me the perfect political environment to do my work." she said. In addition, one of the most impressive things she has experienced in China is "how evidently and rapidly policies drive the development of the country and direction of business”. Once national policies are released, the local governments and related businesses take swift actions to respond and adapt.

As a professional working in the environmental sector, Joensuu applauded the improvement of air quality in Hebei, a province ever famous for steel manufacturing in China. Compared to ten years ago when she first came to China, she now takes blue skies and white clouds in Shijiazhuang for granted.

As to the other changes in Hebei, she noticed that the acceptance of international ideas and global expertise has grown drastically in the past seven years. The Hebei province and Shijiazhuang city are stepping up to embrace foreign companies and international professionals.

This young female entrepreneur has become adept at balancing her career and family life. “The only way to properly balance work and family is to be realistic about your time and capabilities and accept that perfection is impossible,” she said. She plans to continue the same work in the future.