In October 2011, delegates from Norway's Statsbygg visited Ecologic Institute to gain new perspectives on European and German approaches to sustainable renewable energy solutions, smart grid implementation and smart buildings.
Elizabeth Tedsen, Transatlantic Fellow, attended the International Arctic Legal Forum: "Protection and Sustainable Development of the Arctic: Legal Aspects" in Salekhard (Russia) and presented Ecologic Institute's EU Arctic Footprint and Policy Assessment projects. The Forum brought together Russian and international policymakers, attorneys, researchers, and diplomats to discuss changes in the Arctic and ideas for sustainable development in Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District and beyond.
How do decision makers in Poland and the Baltic states perceive climate change and climate change adaptation? What impact will climate change have in coastal regions, and how can stakeholders there prepare themselves? What information is available to them? What programs have already been implemented? A series of workshops organized by Ecologic Institute in cooperation with various partners has addressed these questions. The workshops in Szczecin, Gdansk, Klaipeda, and Riga were commonly organized by members of the Baltadapt, "Regional availability of climate knowledge in the Baltic Sea region" (Circum Mare Balticum) and RADOST projects. The presentations are available for download.
During the biogas Congress 2011 Ecologic Institute's Dr. Wolfgang Urban spoke about the options of use for biomethane. He pointed out that the resource 'biogas' is limited and exposed to utilisation competition. In addition, it is to be considered in relation to factors as availability of water and soil, waste and residues potentials. The greenhouse gas benefits of biogas depents of it's usage paths details. To make biomethane energy-efficient and climate-friendly combined heat and power production should be promoted. Furthermore, a CO2 footprint for biomethane should be developed, the GHG emissions from the biogas deployment and preparation minimized and the further coverage of waste and residue potentials pushed.