The Informed Cities Forum is set to bring together activists, local governments, artists, researchers, entrepreneurs and actors for transition from 16-17 June in Dresden (Germany). The Forum focuses on transition initiatives in cities and the conditions that can accelerate change towards a sustainable low-carbon society. The diverse mix of speakers span the political, academic, research and activist worlds, including Ricard Gomà , Professor of Political Science, UAB Barcelona and former Mayor of Barcelona (Spain), Mayor of Dresden (Germany) Kristin Kaufmann, Professor Derk Loorbach and Associate Professor Niki Frantzeskaki of DRIFT.

The conference also considers the interaction between art, activism and social transition, with input from urban designer Paola Cannavಠof LabGov, recycling activist and Brazilian graffiti artist Mundano, founder of the Pimp my Carroà§a, who has drawn attention to the unsung heroes of sustainability by painting rubbish collectors' carts on the streets of Sao Paulo and around the world, and Liselotte Nà³ren of Refo, which helps to integrate job seekers back into employment through producing design products from waste materials.

This question not only informs the content of the conference, but underlies every aspect of the event. The event takes place in a former church reconfigured into a theatre, field workshops will lead participants around Dresden's urban gardens, zero-packaging shops, a former rail workshop repurposed into an artistic hub, before convening in the evening for an all-vegan meal in a DIY makers' warehouse. The Forum is the final conference of the ARTS project, which is committed to understanding the role and impact of transition initiatives in cities and examining the conditions that can aid accelerating change towards a sustainable low-carbon society. The programme is available here for download.

For more information, visit the website.Image copyright: Image (Mediaserver Dresden) by "DML-BY Jan Wiedemann " more   9 June 2016 Rotterdam and Denver, two of the GLCN on SP cities, discuss sustainable procurement strategiesRepresentatives of the cities of Denver (USA) and Rotterdam (The Netherlands) have met to exchange experiences on implementing sustainable procurement activities. Both cities are part of the Global Lead City Network on Sustainable Procurement, pushing to drive a transition to sustainable consumption and production by purchasing sustainably.

Denver is rewriting its executive order on procurement and is looking to other cities' policies and plans to shape its procurement actions. As Denver and Rotterdam have similar populations, Jerry Tinianow, Chief Sustainability Officer of the City of Denver, and Léon Dijk, Coordinator of Sustainable Public Procurement of the City of Rotterdam, have held discussions to compare how both cities have organised their procurement activities and introduced sustainable criteria. Tinianow and Dijk also focused on assessment of needs and how to go beyond simply deciding what to purchase by focusing first on whether to purchase or not.

"It was great to get together and talk about our procurement systems, challenges and goals. We learned a lot from each other. Collaboration and peer support is a real benefit of being part of the Global Lead City Network," said Léon Dijk. Jerry Tinianow found the meeting very beneficial saying: "it was fascinating to compare the procurement structure of Rotterdam with our own. I have brought back a lot of fresh ideas to Denver and look forward to continued idea sharing and knowledge exchange with Léon". Rotterdam and Denver have recently finalised their Sustainable Procurement Profiles, including information about their policies, strategies, achievements and challenges. These documents are aimed at showcasing how the GLCN on SP cities are championing sustainable procurement.

For more information, click here.Image copyright: Image ( ICLEI European Secretariat) more

» Publication Date: 10/06/2016

» Source: Iclei Europe

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