Governments of islands from all over the world join the 2nd edition of the conference on sustainability of islands: mobility, energy & water.
“Greening the Islands Awards” for the most deserving initiatives.
This unique event will host Malta’s National Conference on promotion of electric vehicles, in association with Transport Malta.
Milan & Valletta, 15 September 2015 – Island locations capture our imagination: exotic, often remote places that are home to unspoilt land- and seascapes. Yet minor islands are not just enticing tourist destinations but places where people live, work and face their own set of sustainability challenges, revolving around issues of energy, water and mobility.
Continuing its journey to the people and places that are finding solutions to these problems, Greening the Islands showcases new practices and technologies that are reducing environmental impact and setting in motion virtuous sustainability cycles. It’s an event to stimulate the imagination of all those working for more sustainable island living.
For its second edition, the annual, traveling Greening The Islands Conference moves to Malta, following on from last year’s success on the Italian island of Pantelleria. The event has attracted representatives from over 20 countries to promote the best solutions for all aspects of island infrastructure: aside from Mediterranean islands (Italian and Greek islands, Malta, Gozo, Cyprus and the Balearics), the conference will bring together experiences from locations including Cape Verde, the Azores, the Danish island of Samsø, the Canary Islands and the Maldives.
To be held this year on October 28-29-30, Greening the Islands will focus on mobility, energy and water as three key areas of the green island economy. Expanding upon last year’s agenda, the focus will be on getting the latest updates on energy supply, addressing the entire water cycle (desalination, purification, safety, distribution) and discussing clean vehicles for islands as well as economics, technologies, community education and awareness. The event will also host a national conference on electric vehicles of the Malta National Electromobility Platform, part of the country’s Transport Ministry with a horizontal theme entitled “THE AIR WE SHARE”.
The Green Consulting Group – in collaboration with the Government of Malta and Transport Malta and with the support of UN WWAP UNESCO, the Global Water Partnership and many other sector institutions – will bring together experts to discuss best practices, innovative technologies and how to manage infrastructure and systems in the most economically and ecologically efficient way. With the common goal of sustainability and self-sufficiency, island leaders will get a unique chance to meet with financial and government agencies as well as companies and investors. The event already benefits from the support of Ascot Industrial, MegaCivic, Global Hybrid Power.
The Malta event will also see the inaugural Greening the Islands Awards, an initiative that will serve not only to showcase the best technologies, projects and practices but also to facilitate information exchange and set the bar for future collaborative cooperation and competition among islands globally in reaching their CO2 reduction goals. A jury of five experts will determine the criteria and standards needed to pick out the most deserving islands in six categories. This year there will also be a specific focus on clean vehicles, since transport often accounts for a significant portion of CO2 emissions on islands.
The success of the event overall lies in its demonstrated ability to gather diverse stakeholders, entrepreneurs, scientists, politicians and decision-makers around a table to discuss the most appropriate policies and strategies. Specifically, the 2nd edition of Greening the Islands is expected to draw the participation of: institutions (20%), investors (15%), companies operating in the green energy and water industries (25% each) as well as practitioners in eco-sustainable mobility (15%). Greening the Islands is the opportunity to show best practices on energy and water solutions that can be replicated in remote locations and elsewhere all over the planet. For a full agenda of speakers covering three days of workshops, presentations and practical demonstrations, visit www.greeningtheislands.com or contact: secretariat@greeningtheislands.com
Press Office:
Cecilia Bergamasco – press@greeningtheislands.com – mob.+39.347.9306784
James Osborne – press@greeningtheislands.com – mob.+39. 349.7937853
