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Our first event of 2021 saw The Future Economy Network discuss “Sustainable Cities Around The World: What Can We Learn?”, with speakers joining from Brussels, Norway and Tasmania. The event was well attended by a wide range of attentive guests from across the world. Attendees enjoyed some pre-seminar networking in small break out groups before the event began.
Katherine Piper, Director of The Future Economy Network, welcomed attendees, highlighting the benefits of joining the Network and also sharing updates about The Future Economy Network’s Carbon Neutral Hub in Bristol, Future Leap. Katherine also briefly ran through the plans for The Festival of Sustainable Business.
André Aasrud, Senior Adviser with the Climate Agency in the City of Oslo, was our first speaker. André spoke about the pivotal role of cities in reaching the global climate goals. Oslo is hoping to do its part and has a target to reduce emissions by 95% by 2030. In this session André gave an overview of Oslo’s climate strategy and targets - highlighting some of the biggest challenges and opportunities. He also showed examples of Oslo’s climate policy measures and how the city, through public procurement and regulation, is shifting the market in the construction sector.
Next up, we welcomed Toby Kent from EllisKent Consulting and Former Chief Resilience Officer for Melbourne. Toby addressed what makes cities resilient and considered approaches that achieve multiple benefits with single interventions. He drew from his work in Melbourne in creating a metropolitan-wide ‘urban forest’, covering almost 10,000km2, and the importance of positioning walking and cycling as some of the most important transport modes.
Last but certainly not least, we welcomed Esra Tat, Associate Director at Zero Waste Europe. Esra explained how cities across Europe and around the globe are increasingly investing into waste prevention strategies and better waste management systems, to create sustainable living environments aligned with ambitious carbon neutrality agendas. Using Cappanori and Ljubljana as key examples, she presented the successful journeys undertaken by local decision-makers and authorities in Europe as part of ZWE's "Zero Waste Cities" programme.
During all discussions, the audience were invited to ask questions and take part in the conversation throughout. Multiple attendees made use of the 60 second pitch opportunity, including Network members Garrett Creative, Europartnerships, Pyterra and Claric Legal Services. Everyone was then able to network in different groups using facilitated break out rooms, before the event finished. A huge thank you to the speakers and attendees of this event, without which our events calendar would not be possible.