Since December 2020, Ecologic Institute is a member of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Germany (SDSN Germany). The network brings together thirty leading German research organizations as well as partners from business and society to promote sustainable development in Germany and German commitment to sustainable development in the EU and worldwide. The Ecologic Institute is represented by its Director, Dr. Camilla Bausch, on the Extended Steering Committee of SDSN Germany. There, she also represents the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet) as spokesperson.

In the coming years, the course must be set for the necessary transformation toward a society and economy that is in keeping with the needs for future generations. Science, and sustainability research in particular, has a responsibility to support this change with its resources. But what must science resemble in order to find practicable answers to the most urgent questions of the future? And what demands does this place on the research policy agenda? This event is part of the "Knowledge for Change" series of events celebrating Ecornet's 10th anniversary. Ten years ago, leading independent institutes of environmental and sustainability research in Germany joined forces to form the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet) in order to bring their combined knowledge to bear on the scientific landscape and society. With their practice-oriented, transdisciplinary research, the Ecornet institutes have been accompanying - and actively shaping - socio-ecological change for decades.

In the Ecornet Berlin research partnership, five Berlin institutes of transdisciplinary sustainability research were jointly providing impetus for Berlin's transformation. Their annual conference, "Knowledge. Change. Berlin. 2021" brought current research findings into dialogue with experiences from other cities and the voices of Berlin's practitioners and civil society – for a social and ecological capital.

The city of Berlin has many plans when it comes to climate protection. One major roadblock is the heating transition: To become climate-neutral by 2045 at the latest, around 360,000 residential and non-residential buildings in the capital must be supplied with environmentally friendly space heating and hot water. Furthermore, all new buildings must be planned and constructed in a way that conserves resources. In addition to the organizational and technical challenges involved in achieving a climate-friendly heat supply, a key question is how this can be achieved in a socially just manner that ensures rental prices remain affordable for low-income groups as well. On 2 November 2021, five leading Berlin institutes in sustainability research contributed to the conference "Knowledge. Change. Berlin. 2021" Solution Approaches for Climate-Neutral Housing and Construction and invite stakeholders from the city to the discussion.

The network of independent institutes for environmental and sustainability research marks its tenth anniversary. In 2011, eight non-profit scientific institutions – including Ecologic Institute – joined forces to form the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet). Their goal: to bring scientific work on sustainability, environmental, climate and resource protection even more into the public and political spotlight. Their common goal: to provide a scientific background for shaping a sustainable world, to develop solutions for the necessary changes in economy and society, and to discuss options for action with a wide range of actors.

On 14 October 1971, the Federal Republic's first environmental program was adopted under a social-liberal coalition government. It marks the beginning of an era of political responsibility for man-made changes in nature and the environment, but also the claim to let citizens participate in the political discourse on ecological issues. Finally yet importantly, the environmental program raises the environmental question to a question of social dimension. On the 50th anniversary of the Environmental Program, Ecologic Institute is conducting a contemporary historical study on German environmental policy since 1971 on behalf of the Federal Ministry for the Environment.

On 1 September 2021, Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, participated as an expert in a hearing of the Hessian State Parliament's Committee for Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection on the draft of the SPD parliamentary group for a law to protect people and nature from climate change and its consequences. Together with twelve associations and experts, he commented on the draft law and answered questions from members of parliament. The written statement of Stephan Sina is published on the website of the Hessian State Parliament (Part 1, page 39 ff.) and is available here separately as a download.

Re-using goods and products offers numerous economic, ecological and social potentials. An exciting case example for the reuse of building components and furnishings was presented on 15 July 2021 at the online expert dialogue "Re-use of building components and furnishings in the construction project of the church community of Staaken".

On 17 June 2021, representatives from Berlin's public administration, business and civil society discussed how to accelerate the expansion of tenant electricity in Berlin in the virtual expert workshop of the StromNachbarn project. Practical experience inputs enriched the discussion.

Ecologic Institute has launched its first crowdfunding campaign. We aim to bring a young, aspiring scientist to work with us in Berlin on the pressing issues of climate & health. We would be delighted if you were to support our crowdfunding campaign on the occasion of our 25th anniversary. The Stiftung Mercator has generously offered to match every Euro you donate – so each Euro counts double.

On 30 April 2021 at the online Berliner ENERGIETAGE, the research network Ecornet Berlin presented how tenants can benefit from the energy transition.

The 2021 annual conference of German Association of Dietitians has put a focus on sustainability and its relevance for the work for dietitians as well as policy makers. Stephanie Wunder gave a impulse presentation on this topic entitled "Effectively using synergies between health-promoting and environmentally friendly nutrition".