Solution providers and leading international institutions join efforts to raise awareness

and visibility of best practices on islands

Allowing best practices on innovative solutions to be replicated on islands and remote locations is crucial to accelerate their sustainable transition and avoid common mistakes. This is precisely the goal of the GTI Awards, that have reached the 7th edition as a unique occasion to collect deserving projects from islands worldwide, to give them visibility and to reward the very best ones on energy, water, mobility, waste, agriculture, sustainable tourism and the new category governance & inclusion at the closing of the GTI e_Convention 2021.

Last year, the most qualified jury ever assembled for islands has reviewed applications from Barbados, Seychelles, Maldives, Indonesia, Cape Verde, Canary Islands, Sint Maarten, Hawaii, Aruba, Sicily, Madeira, Malta, Elba, Crete, Cyprus, among others. For this edition, delegates from EUROPEAN COMMISSION, IRENA, UNDESA, UNESCO, UNWTO, FAO, GLISPA, INSULEUR, OCTA, OTIE have already confirmed their participation in the jury.

During the webinar, past winners offered an update on the progress made with their projects as well as evidence of replicability and the activities carried out for their dissemination. The webinar aims to incentivize an even larger number of applications for the new edition of the consolidated GTI Awards, hence islands and solution providers are encouraged to take part to the initiative and exploit the opportunity of gaining visibility in the island world and replicating their solutions.

A new partnership was also announced with Green Destinations to support islands as sustainable tourism destinations which includes benefits for participants and winners of the GTI Awards.

 

Watch the registered Webinar :

 

AGENDA

14.00   Introduction 

• Gianni Chianetta – Founder & Director, Greening the Islands

 

14.05   Updates on progress from GTI Awards past winners

              Moderation: Angelo Nogara – Senior Strategy Development Manager, Greening the Islands

 

Seychelles – Winner GTI Awards 2020 Energy

Seychelles Solar School Project

• Cynthia Alexander – Principal Officer for Renewable Energy and Energy Management, Seychelles Energy Commission

 

Barbados – Winner GTI Awards 2020 Agriculture

Barbados Climate Smart Greenhouse Project

• Ralph Birkhoff – Founder & CCO Alquimi Renewables and Island Growers Barbados
• Tony Rawlins – Food Crop Research, Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security

 

Macaronesia (Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira) – Winner GTI Awards 2020 Water

Adaptation to climate change in Macaronesia through the efficient use of water and its Reuse

• María del Pino Palacios-Diaz – Responsable ULPGC (University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) objetivo 3 ADAPTARES

 

Sint Maarten – Winner GTI Awards 2020 Sustainable Tourism

Reef rehabilitation following Hurricane Irma using biomimicking nanotechnology artificial reefs

• Melody Brenna – Executive Director Reef Life Foundation
• Emily Higgins – Director of Ocean Science Reef Life Foundation

 

Madeira – Gran Canaria – Malta – Elba – Crete – Cyprus – Winner GTI Awards 2020 Sustainable Mobility

CIVITAS Destinations Project: Six European Islands – Madeira – Gran Canaria – Malta- Elba – Crete – Cyprus

• Isabel Rodrigues – Regional Director for the Economy and Land transport Autonomous Regional Government of Madeira
• Claudio Mantero – Project coordinator, CIVITAS 2020 – DESTINATIONS

  

Tanzania – Winner GTI Awards 2018 Water

Chumbe Island Coral Park – A Pioneer Ecolodge introducing environmentally friendly technology for water and sanitation in Tanzania

• Sibylle Riedmiller – Director Chumbe Island Coral Park (CHICOP)

  

15.05   Presentation of the GTI Awards 2021

• Francesco Luise – GTI Observatory Technical Coordinator, Greening the Islands

 

15.10   Partnership Greening the Islands – Green Destinations

• Gianni Chianetta – Founder & Director, Greening the Islands
• Patricia Marull – Certification Program & Marketing Coordinator, Green Destinations

 

15.20   Debate with a representatives of GTI’s Jury

• Michela Miletto – Deputy Coordinator of the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)
• Joseph Borg – President of INSULEUR (the Insular Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the European Union)
• Georges Kremlis – Honorary Director – European Commission, in charge for DGENV of circular economy and islands
• Eddy Paris – Representative – Government Aruba to the EU as well as OCTA ExCo President
• Giovanni Ruggieri – President – Observatory of Tourism for Island Economies (OTIE)
• John Portelli – Professor Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education, OISE, University of Toronto

 

15.55   Wrap-up, conclusions and next steps

16.00   End of the webinar