Recent years have shown a boom of urban gardening initiatives in Berlin. Among the core motivations of many gardeners has been the wish to actively experience and contribute to sustainable agriculture. Within the European FP7 research project SOLINSA the Ecologic Institute conducted a case study about urban gardening initiatives in Berlin. The study, authored by Stephanie Wunder, analyses the role that sustainability plays among other motivations in these initiatives, identifies success factors and barriers and eventually draws conclusions about the transferability of experiences to other regions. The study and a poster presentation are available for download.

Cassen, Christophe et al. 2013: Deliverable 1.2 – Report on Global and Macroregional Key Trends and Scenarios. SMASH, Paris.

The objective of the DYNAMIX project is to identify policy mixes to absolute decoupling of economic growth from resource use and its associated environmental impacts. This study by Ecologic Institute's Katharina Umpfenbach serves to clarify the shared key assumptions that are used throughout the project and ensure their consistent application. It goes on to present a framework for assessing the effectiveness, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of EU policy mixes aimed at achieving absolute decoupling. The study is available for download.

Despite the legislation in place and the growing awareness of the need for full cost recovery and incentive pricing in the European water sector, Member States have not yet achieved the objective of integrating these key principles into their water policy. Through a comparative analysis of water pricing schemes and governance structures across selected European countries, a recent study in which Ecologic Institute participated provides practical information on the implementation of the key principles under Article 9 of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The study is available for download.

Biomethane is a flexible and easily storable fuel that can be used wherever natural gas is used without the need to change any settings on equipment designed to use natural gas. In regions where a natural gas grid already exists, there is a ready-made system for the distribution of biomethane. In chapter 16 of the Biogas Handbook, Ecologic Institute's Dr. Wolfgang Urban briefly introduces the legal framework and technical standards of biomethane feed-in to the German gas network. The chapter furthermore describes the different subsidy schemes and reliefs to encourage biomethane production or utilization; and the different available options for biomethane feed-in and feed-in facilities.

The electronic newsletter, published in English, includes stories on the latest findings of the BASE project (Bottom-Up Adaptation Strategies towards a Sustainable Europe), along with information on other key developments related to climate change adaptation in Europe. Furthermore, the newsletter includes a number of recurring features. These include the 'Adaptation Dialogues', chronicling the perspectives and experiences of local level stakeholders implementing adaptation activities, as well as the 'Adaptation Snapshots', images from around Europe of adaptation in action.

The project Baltadapt addressed the issue of climate change adaptation as a macro-regional challenge in the Baltic Sea Region. At the final conference the project results were presented. During the conference Ecologic Institute's Susanne Altvater, together with Lotta Andersson (SMHI), officially presented the final products of the project, the Baltic Sea Region Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and its accompanying Action Plan. All presentations and videos of the keynote speeches are available online.

The water and wastewater sectors face tremendous challenges to assure safe, cost-effective, and sustainable water supply and sanitation services. Detecting and treating emerging pollutants has become a critical need in these sectors. Innovative technologies could hold the key to solving these challenges. To support the market penetration and broader application of innovative methods and technologies in the water and wastewater sectors, DEMEAU cooperates with relevant policy makers, regulators, and standardisation bodies as well as with technology producers and users on the national and EU level. The DEMEAU newsletter delivers insights and shares developments within the DEMEAU FP7 project.

(2013). ELEEP Policy Recommendations For Water-Energy-Climate-Nexus. US Southwest Study Tour 7-12 July 2013. ELEEP Policy Brief. Ecologic Institute US, Atlantic Council, ELEEP.

Climate change has and will continue to have far-reaching impacts on environmental, social and economic conditions. Increasingly, climate change and the associated increase in the frequency of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and rising sea level is recognized as not only having humanitarian impacts, but also creating political and security risks that can affect national/regional stability and the welfare of people. This report presents a comprehensive regional assessment of these questions in the CLICO study area – the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Sahel – and is available for download.

The Baltadapt Strategy and its accompanying Action Plan on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region were launched and presented during the final Baltadapt Conference. The aim of the Baltadapt Strategy is a connected region with informed actors on all levels, where the specific objective of the Action Plan is to strengthen the capacity for adaptation action at all relevant levels and to enhance adaptive capacity in the region. The aim of the Baltadapt project was to formulate a Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region, as well as an accompanying Action Plan with recommended actions and proposed guidelines for climate change adaptation. Both documents are available for download.

Sustainable river basin planning and management are not "business-as-usual" approaches, creating exceptional challenges for water managers across Europe. To address these challenges, additional knowledge and know-how in designing dissemination activities and management approaches are needed. Ulf Stein from Ecologic Institute and Beatriz Medina from Amphos21 held a lecture on "Communicating Science" as part of the second WaterDiss2.0 Summer School.

ELEEP is a dynamic, membership-only forum for the exchange of ideas, policy solutions, best-practices and professional development for early and mid-career North American and European leaders working on environmental and energy issues. Ecologic Institute developed ELEEP's website which offers a place for ELEEP members to interactively exchange information in a blog, register for ELEEP study tours, get news about ELEEP and join online events. The website also contains a dynamic map displaying the origins of ELEEP's fellows and alumni.

This video addresses the advantages and shortcomings of bioassays to tackle pollutants in water and waste water. It was produced as part of the DEMEAU project that Ecologic Institute was involved in.