In their article for the Zeitschrift für kommunale Wirtschaft (Magazine for Local Economy), Nadine Herbke, Ecologic Institute, and Dr. Nicole Weiß, Verband kommunaler Unternehmen (Association of Local Businesses) (VKU), present the results of the "Entwicklung lokaler Wasserpartnerschaften" ("Development of Local Water Partnerships") workshop, which took place on 23 November 2005 in Bonn.

Electric vehicles have the potential for significant contributions towards achieving the EU’s climate protection goals in the transport sector. However, the environmental impacts of a large scale introduction of electric vehicles are still unknown. This project has developed scenarios for the increased dissemination of electric vehicles in the EU until 2050 and formulated policy recommendations from these findings. The full report of this project is available for download.

Ecologic Institute leads a multi-year project for the European Commission to design and implement outreach and capacity building activities on emissions trading for developing countries. Activities include ten Summer Universities and training courses carried out on behalf of the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) as well as an eLearning and stakeholder information platform.

As part of a VDI Conference dealing with demand-driven electricity generation from biogas and biomethane, Ecologic Institute's Dr. Wolfgang Urban gave a speech about the political expansion goals in the field of renewable energies and the prospect of biogas from the Federal Government's point of view. He especially presented the Energy Concept 2010 and related challenges, e.g. the demand for a flexible electricity supply. The presentation slides are available for download.

In the light of shrinking public budgets – both at the state and at the federal level – new approaches to leveraging public funding for renewable energies need to be developed. Reed Hundt, CEO of the Coalition for Green Capital, REH Advisors, presented his approach: State Clean Energy Finance Banks.

The European Union (EU) wants to increase the share of renewable energy in the transport sector to 10% by 2020. This 10% target was set in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). However, it currently focuses on the use of biofuels in transport and assumes a grid-average for electricity used in transport. No methodology is available for biomethane and hydrogen from renewable sources. The study "Shifting Renewable Energy in Transport into the Next Gear" was performed to determine whether there are conditions under which it is possible and beneficial to amend the RED to include new methodologies for renewable electricity, hydrogen and biomethane to count towards the 10% transport target. The final report is available for download.

The EU research project "Bottom-Up Climate Adaptation Strategies for a Sustainable Europe" (BASE) supported action for sustainable climate change adaptation in Europe. BASE made experiential and scientific information on adaptation meaningful, transferable and easily accessible to decision-makers at all levels. The project was funded under the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7).

This report presents an analysis of the Peatland Rewetting Project in Belarus, which explores the potential of carbon emission reductions from rewetting degraded or depleted peatland located within the Belarusian territory and the opportunity to trade credits representing these reductions in a voluntary carbon market. Peatland rewetting as applied in the Belarus Project represents an ecosystem-based approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation and is approached in this report as such. The report is available for download.

Agricultural management is a key priority area for achieving the objective of good ecological status of European waters under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). This report presents the outcome of work by the River Basin Network (RBN) on WFD and Agriculture in the period from 2010 to 2012. The RBN is a technical network established within the Expert Group on WFD and Agriculture. Comprised of 21 River Basins representing 14 Member States, the RBN mandate was to facilitate exchange of practical experiences and knowledge on good practices in support of the WFD implementation. The publication is available for download.

5 years ago, on Earth Day 2008, we founded the Ecologic Institute in Washington, DC. A recognized public charity under U.S. law, Ecologic Institute has since expanded its presence with a second office in San Mateo, California, and actively engages partners and stakeholders in government, academia, and civil society throughout North America. In our brochure we introduce our team and our programs in the US, give some insights into our project work on both sides of the Atlantic, and introduce our partners, donors, and networks. In conclusion, we demonstrate how our project value has increased in the recent years. The Ecologic Brief 5 Years Ecologic Institute US [pdf, 4,8 MB, English] is available for download.