Tickets to attend the Forum are now available for purchase on the website www.foro-ecoislas.es with the option to attend the full event or just one of the two days.
Manuel Maqueda, Christian Felber, Bernard Fletz and Leen Gorissen make up the panel of speakers who will lead the plenary sessions.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Wednesday 11 January 2023-. Island territories must progress on this journey towards sustainability together, as it will bring significant benefits to future generations. With this goal, the first International Ecoislas Forum will take place on 2nd and 3rd February, created to provide a space for discussion, proposals, and the promotion of measures aimed at enhancing the comprehensive transition towards a more profitable, more self-sufficient, more sustainable and more environmentally friendly socio-economic model, with a specific focus on islands.
Promoted and funded by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and organised by Infecar, Ecoislas will be structured in four different thematic blocks: the circular and blue economy; energy, water and mobility; adaptation to climate change; and regenerative tourism.
Antonio Morales, president of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, and Raúl García, Technical Coordinator of Economic Development, Energy Sovereignty, Climate and Knowledge at the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, presented this first International Ecoislas Forum on Wednesday, 11 January. “We have decided to bring inspiring speakers to Gran Canaria and promote engaging work sessions that encourage imagination and creativity in the face of the challenges of decarbonisation and the transition to a cleaner and greener model,” said Antonio Morales.
“The International Ecoislas Forum aims to highlight islands as real laboratories for new management and innovation models. Additionally, it seeks to create a collaborative space between public, private, and scientific institutions to promote innovative resilience measures in islands to address the climate change challenge”, he added.
Thus, the event will feature international, national, and local speakers who will present best practices and discuss the needs and solutions in each of the four main areas that structure the programme.
As Raúl García explained, “the Forum will last for two days, with the schedule being from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, 2 February, and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 3 February. Those interested in being part of this event can purchase their tickets on the website www.foro-ecoislas.es to attend either a single session or both days of the full programme. Tickets are priced at €7.50 for one day and €15 for two days for students, and €15 and €30, respectively, for professionals.”
The International Ecoislas Forum is designed for individuals interested in understanding the challenge of green employment as a means to reduce unemployment levels; accessing specific information related to the four main themes; establishing collaborations between public, private, and scientific institutions to promote innovative measures in the face of climate change; and learning about policies aimed at mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Panel of speakers
The first International Ecoislas Forum will feature four plenary sessions led by Manuel Maqueda, who teaches Applied Circular and Regenerative Economics at Harvard University; Bernard Fletz, Belgian biologist and philosopher; Leen Gorissen, biologist specialising in Ecology, Regenerative Design and Bio-inspired Innovation; and Christian Felber, proponent of the Economy for the Common Good.
“While the panel of specialists consists of four experts in the field, the Ecoislas programme is organised into four distinct blocks of parallel sessions which will delve into each of the areas covered by the programme. These spaces will include round tables and practical case studies, with over 40 speakers, including representatives from Gran Canaria, La Palma, Lanzarote, Tenerife, the Balearic Islands, Cyprus, the Greek Islands, and Gotland (Sweden),” noted Raúl García.
Greening The Islands
This first International Ecoislas Forum will also host experts from Greening The Islands, an innovative organisation that supports the self-sufficiency and sustainability of islands worldwide. During the event, GTI’s annual report and its annual awards will be presented and some of its members will participate in some of the round tables.
Greening The Islands is a company committed to building a network for self-sufficiency, sustainability, resilience, and improved livelihoods in islands and remote locations.
Programme
The programme for the first International Ecoislas Forum will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, 2nd February, with the plenary session by Manuel Maqueda. Following this, at 10:30 a.m., three parallel sessions will be held: one dedicated to the block on Energy, Water, and Mobility, titled ‘Energy Communities on Islands’; another on Circular and Blue Economy, titled ‘Algae Cultivation as an Emerging Sector on Islands’; and lastly, a block on Climate Change Adaptation, titled ‘Energy Transition Agendas on Islands’.
At 12:00 p.m., the annual Greening The Islands report will be presented, and from 1:00 p.m., various practical cases will be presented in parallel sessions. The morning session will conclude at 1:30 p.m. with the presentation ‘Ecoislands: The Challenge of the Future’.
On the afternoon of Thursday 2 February, at 4:00 p.m., Bernard Fletz will lead the plenary session. At 5:00 p.m., three more blocks of parallel sessions will be held: on Circular and Blue Economy, under the title ‘Best Practices in Circular Economy on Islands’; on Climate Change Adaptation, titled ‘How to Urbanise or De-Urbanise the Ecological Transition’; and lastly, the block on Energy, Water, and Mobility, titled ‘Sustainable Mobility on Islands’.
From 6:00 p.m., two new blocks of parallel sessions will be held: on Energy, Water, and Mobility, one of them on ‘Green Hydrogen and Storage: A Solution for Transitioning to Decarbonisation’ and another on ‘Present and Future Implications of Sustainability on Islands’.
On Friday 3 February, the day will begin with a plenary session led by Leen Gorissen at 9 a.m. Following this, from 10:00 a.m., parallel sessions will start, this time on Regenerative Tourism, under the title ‘Perspectives and Experiences of Regenerative Tourism in Island Environments’; Circular and Blue Economy, on ‘Entrepreneurship initiatives in circular economy’; Climate Change Adaptation, titled ‘Smart Technologies for Fire Prevention and Forest Management’; and lastly, Energy, Water, and Mobility, titled ‘How Will Islands Save the Planet?’.
From 11:30 a.m., four more parallel sessions will be held: on Energy, Water, and Mobility, titled ‘Climate Neutrality in the Context of Islands: The Path Ahead’; another in this block on ‘Water and Energy: Strategic Allies’; one in the Circular and Blue Economy block, titled ‘Barriers to Entrepreneurship in Circular and Blue Economy’; and lastly, a block on Climate Change Adaptation, on ‘Opportunities for Coastal Areas’.
At 12.30 p.m., new practical cases will be presented, and at 1:00 p.m., Christian Felber will lead the last of the plenary sessions. In the afternoon, Greening The Islands will hold its awards ceremony starting at 3:30 p.m.
Cajasiete is the official partner of this 1st International Ecoislas Forum, which features the participation of Greening The Islands, European Projects and Mac Clima; and the collaboration of the Gran Canaria Island Energy Council, the Spegc (Economic promotion Agency of Gran Canaria), the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Maritime Cluster of the Canary Islands, the Island Water Council, the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN), the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (ITC), Gesplan and the Chamber of Commerce of Gran Canaria.