The world's first meeting of leading international think tanks based in and around the European continent, which took place on 20 November 2012 in Rome, concluded with recommendations for think tanks, donors, and policy communities concerning think tanks. The Summit focused on lessons from the current fiscal and economic crises in Europe, and sought ways to enhance the role of think tanks in anticipating crises and providing effective early warning, formulating dynamic and innovative ideas for solutions, and overcoming the policy paralysis that often aggravates crises. Sydney Baloue, Transatlantic Fellow at Ecologic Institute, acted as lead rapporteur for the event. The conference paper is available for download.

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.

The PHARMAS project organized a Science-Policy Event in Brussels on Pharmaceuticals in the Environment. Several European, national, and international projects presented their results – from the perspective of their relevance to environmental policy – to interested stakeholders. All presentation slides, summaries, and statements are available for download.

The LEDDRA Policy Conference aimed to present selected and policy-related project findings and to discuss associated policy recommendations, as well as to develop new critical thinking to support future initiatives addressing Land and Ecosystem Degradation and Desertification (LEDD). The conference brought together LEDDRA researchers, policy makers from international, EU organizations, and Member States, as well as stakeholder groups and NGOs. The discussion and questions raised by the presentations and dialogue at the conference will contribute to ongoing efforts to combat land degradation and desertification at the international, European, and national levels.

Ecologic Institute, the Urania Berlin, and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin present the event series "Biodiversity - local/global" to offer a better understanding of biological diversity and its socially-relevant facets.

The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the International Relations Program, University of Pennsylvania, conducts research on the role policy institutes play in governments and in civil societies around the world. On Wednesday, 22 January 2014, the TTCSP released its 2013 Report. On this occasion, more than 25 global partners implemented local launch events.

Is there a trend towards more sustainable consumption patterns in the European Union (EU)? Is there a reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions? Is the EU losing its natural capital? Answers to these and other questions are presented in the 2013 Eurostat monitoring report on Sustainable Development in the European Union. As partner in a consortium with the Vienna University of Economic and Business, INFRAS, and Haymarket Media Group, the Ecologic Institute played a substantial role in drafting the 2013 Eurostat monitoring report.The monitoring report is available for download.

Ecologic Institute, the Urania Berlin, and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin present the event series "Biodiversity - local/global" to offer a better understanding of biological diversity and its socially-relevant facets.

In this project Umweltbundesamt Wien, the Research Institute for Managing Sustainability (RIMAS) and Ecologic Institute jointly support the Committee of the Regions in the process of stakeholder contribution to produce an Outlook Opinion on the review of the targets contained in European Waste legislation.