On 24 and 25 October 2011, Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Legal, and Gesa Homann, Researcher at Ecologic Institute, held a seminar on current issues in German and European environmental law at the Berlin Academy of Public Administration (Verwaltungsakademie Berlin).

On Thursday, 13 October 2011 the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy (YCELP), in partnership with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), presented R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute in a web-based seminar on The Nuclear Phase-out and Green Power Shift in Germany. A recording of the presentation is now online available.

From 22 to 26 August 2011 the Vereinigung für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung (VÖW) organized a summerschool on "Sustainable Production Chains" together with the Humboldt University of Berlin. Part of the diverse programme for PhD and master students was a seminar held at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim (ATB) on renewable energies with a special focus on bioenergy and biomass from agro-forest systems. In his presentation Timo Kaphengst, Coordinator for Biodiversity and Forest at Ecologic Institute, highlighted different sustainability challenges within the biomass production chain and presented current policy responses on EU and German level. The presentation can be downloaded.

In the summer term of 2011, Christiane Gerstetter and Doris Knoblauch, Fellows at the Ecologic Institute, taught a seminar on policy consulting at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen. Some 35  students, enrolled in  a bachelor’s programme, participated. The seminar consisted of a block of three units for a total duration of 32 hours  for a full course credit.

<p>&#13; With Arabia in turmoil and nuclear tragedy at Fukushima, Japan, the US rethinks energy dependence on unstable or hostile parts of the world, and looks anew at sustainable energy options.  R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute presented German and EU experience at the University of Pennsylvania's International Relations Program on 15 March 2011.</p>&#13;

Climate change brings significant changes to the Arctic, resulting in a new geopolitical dynamics and challenges in the relations between Arctic and non-Arctic nations. On 23 November 2010, the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation convened an expert meeting in Berlin to discuss the strategic, military and political challenges, the role of the EU, and implications for resource, energy and climate policy. R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute was invited as keynote speaker on EU Arctic Policy in the context of regional environmental governance.

<p> A gradual shift of today&rsquo;s taxes away from personal income and capital- and towards taxes on consumption, pollution, and inefficient use of energy and resources can boost employment, eco-innovation and protect the environment. In this context, biodiversity protection also plays an important role. Building on previous work related to the use of market-based instruments in the field of nature conservation at the EU and global levels, Sandra Naumann gave a presentation on &ldquo;Preserving Biodiversity with Market Incentives&rdquo; at the &ldquo;Environmental Tax Reform - learning from the past, and inventing the future&rdquo; conference in Dublin, Ireland. The focus on her presentation was the success or failure of these instruments and their potential for further use in the future.</p>