At present, 600 million tonnes of material that could be reused or recycled is going to waste each year in Europe. On average, every citizen of the European Union produces almost 0.5 tonnes of waste per year. More than two billion tonnes of waste is disposed of around the world as landfill each year – and the number of consumers is growing...
The aim of this year’s forum is to find anchor points that help us to adapt and manage our lives in a way that imposes the minimum burden on the environment and creates a clear personal and social benefit.
Guest speakers from Estonia, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and Finland will be exploring the theme of a waste-free sharing society from three points of view: management, community and enterprise.
One of the speakers at the forum will be Ciaran Mundy from Bristol in the United Kingdom, which has its own currency – the Bristol pound, a complimentary currency which is designed to boost the local economy. There are more than 800 companies in the city today that accept the Bristol pound, of which almost one millions pounds is in circulation. The mayor of the city has publicly declared their commitment to the community by withdrawing their salary in Bristol pounds.
Kaidi Tamm from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany has thoroughly studied how communities work and will be speaking at Rohevik about the potential of and stumbling blocks in joint activities between communities and local authorities. She will discuss the success of the Karlsruhe repairment café as well as the difficulties implementing the “Let’s Do It!” campaign in Germany.
Annika Kruuse from the City of Malmö will be offering solutions to make cities more liveable and talking about the direct and indirect benefits of diverse urban space and bringing nature into the city.
Also speaking at the forum will be Peeter Eek (head of the Waste Department of the Estonian Ministry of the Environment), Suvi Holm (Ecofellows OÜ), Henri Laupmaa (founder of Fundwise and Hooandja), Riinu Lepa (‘Väike jalajälg’ ecocommunity), Taija Sinkka (Natural Resources Institute Finland) and Kristi Zolgo (Reuse Chamber).
More information about Rohevik, the speakers, the programme and registration is available online at www.rohevik.ee.
Rohevik will be live streamed at Postimees and Estonian University of Life Sciences web page.
Rohevik is organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the City of Tartu, the Association of Local Authorities of Tartu County and the Tartu Regional Energy Agency.