This webinar series explored how agroecology (including organic farming) and sustainable food consumption can enable a transition to climate friendly and resilient agri-food systems in Central Eastern Europe, while also addressing the biodiversity crisis and the economic crisis in agriculture. In each webinar, views on different elements of a transition to climate friendly and resilient agri-food systems were illustrated and exchanged, based on agroecology. Insights from research and practical examples were highlighted, followed by an exchange and networking among the participants.
On 1 February 2023, we discussed the food systems approach adopted by the "Farm to fork" strategy and investigated how the strategy will impact producers, consumers and global food markets. We discussed strategies to address food waste and explored why meat is a politically sensitive topic.
This webinar presents and discusses the findings of a report by SEI Tallinn. The analysis, conducted as part of the Climate Recon 2050 project, analyses the role of the LULUCF sector in Member States’ Long-Term Strategies (LTSs). Although the majority of LTSs published so far address the topic, the extent to which countries with significant potential in the sector explore its contribution to climate neutrality varies, even among Member States with significant needs for modernization of their existing legacy networks.
Pesticide reduction, which is urgently needed, is already anchored as a goal in the German coalition agreement between SPD, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and FDP and also in the EU Commission's Farm to Fork Strategy. However, in order to motivate farmers to use non-chemical alternatives, some adjustments are still necessary. A financial compensation is an important part of this. We cordially invite you to the launch of the BUND study "Alternatives to chemical-synthetic pesticides in agriculture" and appreciate your interest.
The aim of the SPRINT project (Sustainable Plant Protection Transition: A Global Health Approach) is to support the transition towards more sustainable plant protection. This relies on close interaction with stakeholders along the whole supply chain, civil society and regulatory bodies. The SPRINT Stakeholder Introductory event, co-organized by Ecologic Institute, took place on Tuesday 22nd June, 2021. With 117 participants and a lively discussion in breakout groups, the meeting was a great way to kick-off our exchanges with stakeholders.
Participants at the CIRCASA closing event explored the strategic research agenda and took first steps towards an international research consortium on soil organic carbon.
COACCH Project (CO-designing the Assessment of Climate Change Costs) launched a webinar series to share its results on economic assessment of climate change and adaptation. On 30 April 2020, the project hosted its first webinar "Insights from the COACCH project I: Climate change impacts on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and coastal areas" and focuses on sectoral economic assessments.
What are the most promising options for result-based carbon farming schemes and what mechanisms can we apply to scale up these schemes in Europe? More than 75 stakeholders explored these questions at a Roundtable on 9 October 2019 in Brussels. A video recording of the event is available.
A presentation by Sophie Ittner on key messages of the latest Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the current state of land systems and future risks of climate change. Important recommendations for action for society and politics are summarized and discussed. Participation is free of charge.
The IPCC published a special report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) in August 2019. The report shows that climate change is increasing pressure on land systems. At the same time, however, land systems also play an important role in climate protection, for example through the preservation of ecosystems, more sustainable agriculture and forestry, more climate-friendly diets and the avoidance of food wastage.
In June 2019, the stakeholder workshop "Optimal soil management to ensure yield capacity & acceptance analysis of measures to upgrade the subsoil" of the BMBF-funded BonaRes project "Soil³ – Sustainable Subsoil Management" took place in Moltzow (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). This workshop is part of a series of workshops with the aim to discuss and gather the prevailing opinions on subsoil management measures with the help of an acceptance analysis. Ecologic Institute researchers discussed with farmers and other ecological actors under which conditions they would implement or support these measures.
On May 9 and 10, 2019 the REFRESH conference took place in the Disseny Hub Barcelona. It brought together 150 participants from all across Europe, China, Australia and the US to present and discuss innovative ideas for food waste reduction and valorisation options acrosOn 9 and 10 May 2019 the REFRESH conference took place in the Disseny Hub Barcelona. It brought together 150 participants from all across Europe, China, Australia and the US to present and discuss innovative ideas for food waste reduction and valorisation options across the whole supply chain. The Conference Documentation is available for download at the REFRESH website.s the whole supply chain. The Conference Documentation is available for download at the REFRESH website.
Bringing together food waste experts from across Europe, the REFRESH Community of Experts (CoE) launched a series of four webinars on 'Tackling Food Waste Across the Supply Chain'. The series demonstrates how policy makers, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, municipalities and many more organisations involved in the food supply chain can effectively address food waste. This month-long webinar series, hosted from 9 April to 2 May 2019, included expert speakers from ten institutions. The webinars offered an opportunity to gain insights from case studies, ask questions of the speakers and get signposts to further information.
In January 2019, the stakeholder workshop "Using the Subsoil to Better Prepare for Droughts – An Acceptance Analysis of Measures to Enhance the Subsoil" of the BMBF-funded BonaRes project "Soil³ – Sustainable Subsoil Management" took place in Bonn. The aim of the workshop was to discuss the prevailing opinions on subsoil management measures. Ecologic Institute researchers discussed with farmers and other ecological actors under which conditions they would implement or support these measures. The protocol is available for download.
The European CIRCASA stakeholder workshop took place in Brussels on 5 December 2018. This workshop was part of a series of workshops that took place in eight regions across the world. The workshop gathered 30 participants from across Europe, including representatives from the agricultural and food industry, farmers, regional and national policy-makers, non-governmental organisations and the European Commission. The aim of the workshop was to discuss the most promising management options for maintaining and enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) in Europe; barriers to and solutions for their implementation; as well as to identify the key knowledge and research needs for farmers and other stakeholders for bringing forward SOC management in Europe. On 16 January 2019, these results were reflected on with the CIRCASA Stakeholder Advisory Board. The outcomes of the stakeholder consultation will feed directly into the development of an international strategic research agenda on soil organic carbon.
Public campaigns and other policy instruments can significantly influence consumer behavior and contribute to a reduction of consumer food waste. The REFRESH Policy Workshop "Public campaigns and other policy options for behaviour change" discussed the findings of REFRESH work on consumer behaviour and policy recommendations with regard to reducing consumer food waste. Based on a detailed report and policy brief developed by the Ecologic Institute, the workshop provided ideas and inspirations for EU and national policy makers in designing appropriate interventions against consumer food waste. The workshop took place on 19 November 2018 in the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Berlin. The background report, policy brief, workshop minutes, agenda and presentation are available for download.
What is the best way forward for soil protection in the EU? How can we improve EU policies to secure the delivery of soil ecosystem services? These questions were the focus of the final policy conference of the RECARE project which took place on 27 September 2018 in Brussels. More than 100 participants from 21 countries participated in the conference.
This final conference will introduce results of four BONUS projects ending in 2018. Novel approaches for managing nutrients, as well as governance approaches for the Baltic Sea region will be presented for discussion. Ecologic Institute will present research results of the BONUS project Soils2Sea. All scientists and stakeholders with a vested interest in sustainable ecosystem-based governance in the Baltic Sea region are invited to join the conference.
Food Waste policy is affected by a large range of EU policies. EU food waste policy though lacks an integrated approach. Participants see opportunities to go beyond sectoral solutions through an integrated EU Food Policy. Workshop documentation is available for download.
In 2050 nine billion people will live on Earth. Already now with only seven billion people to feed, the distribution of resources is unequal and the global food system is not sustainable. With the World Food Convention, the German newspaper Tagesspiegel organized an international high level event on 22 June 2017 in Berlin. 500 participants from policy, industry, diplomacy, NGOs as well as science and academia discussed the most pressing issues of global food production and distribution. The Ecologic Institute was a partner of the World Food Convention. Ecologic Institute's Senior Fellow Stephanie Wunder spoke in the panel "Human Eating Behaviour".
The third Science Sips event event once again offered the opportunity to discuss mare topics together with by-catch curry or seaweed cocktails. At the event on 21 June 2017, three short presentations on the subject of biodiversity of the oceans were presented. Additionally, the winners of the recipe contest "Klug gefischt/Smart fishing" were honored during this event.
<p>As part of the REFRESH Food Waste 2017 Conference the Food Waste Innovation Incubator Day took place on 19 May 2017. The workshop brought together food waste stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, companies of the food industry and policy makers.</p>
Ever tried bycatch curry, or discussed ocean sustainability while sipping seaweed cocktails? Participants of the first Science Sips event got to experience exactly that on 30 March 2017 while sitting across the impressive dinosaur fossils exhibited at the Berlin Museum for Natural History.
The second BONUS Soils2Sea workshop in the Swedish case study region brought together project partners from BONUS Soils2Sea, as well as an engaged group of Polish and Swedish farmers, representatives from the community Mykanow, a representative from a fishing association, the Länsstyrelsen Skåne (The County Administrative Board Skåne), and Havs- och vattenmyndigheten (Swedish Marine and Water Authority). Highlights of the workshop were a film screening of a Soils2Sea documentary recently shot in Poland, presentations on the Tullstorp river restoration project, and a world cafe stakeholder discussion on different governance scenarios to regulate nutrients. The workshop was followed by a field trip to the Tullstorp river, where the different restoration measures and the recently created wetlands could be experienced hands-on.
On 14 October 2016, the documentary film "Soils2Sea: Reducing nutrient loadings into the Baltic Sea" premiered in Poland. Developed and produced by Dr. Grit Martinez (Ecologic Institute) and Anne Berrini (berrini films) with support from Dr. Przemyslaw Wachniew (AGH University of Science and Technology Krakow), the movie illustrates the societal story of implementing the EU's nitrate directive at regional realities in the EU member states, particularly in the Kocinka catchment area in south central Poland. The 35-minute film will be available soon on Ecologic Institute's website.
In implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Germany has to deal with a range of new challenges. Achieving goals in land and soil protection, for example, cannot build on a long tradition of policymaking or on a solid basis of information and data for monitoring. An expert workshop together with the Federal Agency of Environment (UBA) and Federal Ministry of Environment (BMUB) on 6 July 2016 in Berlin sought to clarify how Germany can achieve "land degradation neutrality" domestically. Stephanie Wunder from Ecologic Institute presented results from a report, which served as the basis for intensive discussions among the participants.
Concluding four years of interdisciplinary collaboration and research the BASE project brought together representatives working on climate adaptation policy at EU and Member State level, as well as local practitioners for an interactive day on climate change adaptation in Brussels. The main focus of the workshop was a series of policy observations that emerged from research in the BASE project. As a result another policy recommendation was developed which is available for download.
On 30 September 2015, the conference "SmartSOIL: sustainable soil management aimed at reducing threats to soils under climate change" took place in Brussels. The conference concluded the 4-year research project SmartSOIL funded by the 7th Framework Programme.
Through which global political approaches can a (more) sustainable land use be reached? Over the last four years, the GLOBALANDS project team has attempted to answer this primary research question. On 19 May 2015, the final conference of the project took place at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building, and Nuclear Safety. Stephanie Wunder, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented the project results related to global governance of urban-rural relations. All presentations are available on the GLOBALANDS website.
In an effort to increase education on the environmental, health and socioeconomic impacts of unconventional drilling such as fracking, Ecologic Institute and FracTracker Alliance are collaborating through an initiative to share the American fracking experience. As part of this initiative, a compelling series of 14 US-based and international workshops in affected communities has been created. One such workshop was hosted by the South Florida Wildlands Association in partnership with Ecologic Institute and FracTracker to share the latest insights on oil development activities (including seismic testing) in Florida and ways that the public can get involved.
This workshop aimed at discussing the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade agreement under negotiation between the European Union and the United States of America with regards to the specific food and agricultural provisions that would be included in the agreement. Issues with regulatory cooperation between the two systems as well as eliminating trade barriers to facilitate the flow of goods across the Atlantic were discussed. Ecologic Institute, US (EIUS) co-hosted the workshop with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on 9 January 2015.
Inefficient use of fertilisers leads to the accumulation of nutrients in areas of intense agricultural activities and can cause serious environmental problems in these areas and beyond. Within the project "Resource Efficiency in Practice – Closing Mineral Cycles", the most promising and cost-effective measures at the regional and farm levels were identified to increase the resource efficiency and use of nutrients (N, P, K) and help close mineral cycles, particularly in saturated areas in Europe. The findings have been translated into relevant practical measures for the farming community in these areas.
The regional conference “Closing the mineral cycles at farm level – Good practices to reduce nutrient loss in the Wielkopolskie region” took place on 13 November 2014 at the National Research Institute in Poznań, Poland. It aimed to present the results of the study “Resource efficiency in practice – Closing mineral cycles” commissioned by the DG Environment (European Commission). It focused on the good practices, which were identified as potential ways to reduce the nutrient loss at farm level and to close mineral cycles, based on the current state of nutrient saturation within the Wielkopolskie region.
The regional conference "Closing the mineral cycles at farm level - Good practices to reduce nutrient loss in the Lombardy region" took place on 5 November 2014 at the "E.c.ho." Hotel, Milan (Italy). It aimed to present the results of the study "Resource efficiency in practice – Closing mineral cycles" commissioned by the DG Environment (European Commission). It focused on the good practices, which were identified as potential ways to reduce the nutrient loss at farm level and to close mineral cycles, based on the current state of nutrient saturation within the Lombardy region.
The aim of the regional conference in Murcia was to present the region-specific results from the project "Resource Efficiency in Practice – Closing Mineral Cycles." The most promising and cost-effective measures at the farm level to close mineral cycles and reduce resource and economic inefficiency from nutrient losses (N, P, K) were presented. The conference seeks to highlight farmers' experiences with nutrient management, as well as barriers which may prevent uptake of good practices.
The regional conference “Closing the mineral cycle at farm level – Good practices to reduce nutrient loss in Southern and Eastern Ireland” took place on 28th October 2014 at the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, Ireland. The aim of the conference was to present the results of the study “Resource efficiency in practice – Closing mineral cycles” commissioned by the DG Environment, European Commission.
Between September and December 2014, the first group of students from the University Colorado Denver successfully participated in the newly established semester abroad program "Sustainability in Berlin." In addition to two courses on "Environmental Politics and Policy" taught by Prof. Christoph Stefes and a course on "The Global Ecological Crisis" taught by Stephanie Wunder from Ecologic Institute, the students experienced firsthand what sustainability means in practice. During field trips to Berlin, Dessau (Germany), and Copenhagen (Denmark) they learned about alternative concepts for transport, energy, food waste, diets, housing, and climate change adaptation.
On 17 June 2014, a project workshop on 'Mainstreaming climate change into rural development policy post 2013' took place at the European Commission in Brussels. Organized by Ecologic Institute in cooperation with DG Climate Action, the workshop provided an opportunity to present and discuss the draft technical guidance for Member States on how to design and integrate new and innovative climate actions in rural development programs. All presentations are available for download.
This workshop aims to present climate adaptation strategies used by various sectors (including agriculture and forestry, water, tourism, etc.) with practical examples from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Additionally, the selected success factors will be analyzed and from them will be gleaned recommendations for political action to strengthen the promotion and implementation of ecosystem-based approaches. Registrations are welcome until 5 November 2013.
What is the role of the Common Agricultural Policy in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation? Has the recent round of CAP reform sufficiently contributed to the effort to address these issues? These questions were the focus of the 25th Climate Talk, jointly organized by Ecologic Institute and the Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), which featured presentations by Clemens Neumann (BMELV), Reinhild Benning (BUND), and Sandra Naumann (Ecologic Institute).
Ecologic Institute together with the ICLEI African Secretariat and Durham University co-organized a session 'Urban Action Towards a New Deal for Nature' at the IUCN World Conservation Congress on 7 September 2021. The session, moderated by Ecologic Institute's McKenna Davis, demonstrated the success of urban action for biodiversity through evidence and experiences from around the world.
The objective of transformative research is to find out, together with actors from the corporate sector, politics and civil society, how our economic and social system can be made more sustainable, and to jointly test possible solutions. Transformative research is thus also transdisciplinary - it involves actors beyond academia as equal partners. This kind of research involves certain methodological challenges and questions; some of these were discussed at the tF Symposium 2021: From Experiment to Mainstream. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers and Christiane Gerstetter, both Senior Fellows at the Ecologic Institute, contributed to the online symposium, which was held in German language.
Training the next generation of environmental lawyers is crucial for ensuring that environmental law is complied with and can thus serve its function of protecting the environment. Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow at the Ecologic Institute, co-moderated an online course for German and Russian students entitled "Ecolaw and ecoactivism in Germany and Russia".