Krista Mikkonen

Personal details

Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, 10 December 2019 to present
Master of Arts, Biologist, Member of Parliament
The Greens in Finland
Date and place of birth: 15 November 1972 Hamina
Place of residence: Joensuu

Political career

Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, 10 December 2019 to present
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (Rinne), 6 June 2019–10 December 2019

Green Parliamentary Group, Chair 2016–2019
Green League, Deputy Party Leader 2011–2015
Green League, Deputy Board Member 2009–2011, Deputy Party Delegation Member 2007–2009, Deputy Party Leader 1999–2000, Party Delegation Member 1997–1999

Member of Parliament, 2015 to present
Parliament work

North Karelia Joint Municipal Authority for Education, Board, Member 2017 to present
Regional Council of North Karelia, 2nd Vice Chair of the Board 2017 to present, Deputy Member 2013–2017, Assembly Member 2009–2012
Joensuu City Executive, Member 2005–2012
Joensuu City Council, Member 1997–2000, 2005 to present
Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Board Member 2013–2017
Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, Council, Member 2009–2017

Other work experience and societal responsibilities

Waste Management Company Puhas Oy, Project Manager 2012–2015
The Sports Federation of North Karelia (Pokali), Club Developer 2006–2012
Cooperative of Environmental Specialists TOIMI, Biologist, (one-off assignments) 2005–2009
North Karelia Environment Centre, Coordinator 2006

Other information

Spouse: Ville Vuorio
Language skills: Finnish, English, Swedish
Interests: board games, cultural events, reading, baking

Profile

Krista Mikkonen was born in the town of Hamina in south-eastern Finland and went to school in Koria (now part of Kouvola). Now she lives in the North Karelian city Joensuu. She is married to Ville Vuorio and they have three sons.

Mikkonen got interested in environmental issues during her general upper secondary studies. She organised Environment Days at her school and joined a nature protection organisation. She completed her Master of Science degree in biology at the University of Joensuu in 2003. During her university studies, she was involved in various kinds of activities related to the environment and nature. Mikkonen has been an exchange student abroad on two occasions: during her general upper secondary studies in Florida and during her years at the university in Namur, Belgium.

During her career, Mikkonen has worked at the North Karelia Environment Centre, as Club Developer at the Sports Federation of North Karelia and at Waste Management Company Puhas Oy. She has also written various kinds of reports on nature and environmental affairs for the Cooperative of Environmental Specialists. From 2000 to 2003 Mikkonen and her family lived in Kenya.

Mikkonen joined the Green League during her university studies. The first time she was elected to the Joensuu City Council was in 1996, and she has served as a Council Member since 2005. She was the Deputy Party Leader of the Green League in 2011–2015 and, before that, she served in different bodies of the party. 

In the parliamentary elections of spring 2015, Mikkonen was elected to Parliament, where she was the first MP representing the Greens from the Savo-Karelia electoral district. In 2016–2019 she chaired the Green Parliamentary Group. Mikkonen was again elected to Parliament in spring 2019. In politics her particular focus has been on the environment, biodiversity, education and equality, and on combatting poverty.