Social Innovation for Climate Change
On 3 November the 16th edition of the Dutch National Sustainability Congress will take place. A month before the start of COP21 it will emphasize the need of urgency to realise real climate impact and economical and social growth. This year the central theme is ‘Social innovation for Climate Change’. We will bring together all the people who are active on climate change in the Netherlands. The inspiring speakers, plenaire discussions and interactive workshops will lead to key messages which will be presented to the world leaders during COP21 in Paris.
Thematic session ‘Knowlegde sharing and co-creation for real climate impact’
During an interactive session Carolien van Hemel, Director of the Utrecht Sustainability Institute (USI), will present the case of Utrecht Centre-west, the Dutch city district selected as an icon for sustainable transformation by Climate-KIC’s Smart Sustainable Districts programme. It is a great example of how knowledge sharing and co-creation within the community of Climate-KIC can lead to successful innovations, with real impact on climate and the economy.
The sustainable transformation of the Utrecht Centre-west area is part of the Smart Sustainable Districts programme. Together with London, it is set to become a global exemplar project for testing smart, sustainable systems, with the aim to be able to replicate the solutions in other urban districts around the world. Both cities were selected from a wider collaborative network of twelve city districts, and will bring together some of the most advanced innovations from Climate-KIC’s network of over 200 partners.
The ambition in the Dutch city district is high: Utrecht Centre-west will become a model for sustainable and healthy urbanization. The main objectives for the area are energy-neutral, climate-proof and attractive through optimum greening, water retention and personal mobility. Research institutes from the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom, led by the Utrecht Sustainability Institute, will help specify the sustainable transformation ambitions and will provide decisive input for the decision making on the transformation plans in 2015-2016
Join this event
If you would like to attend the Dutch National Sustainability Congress, you can register via the website of this congress. Relations of Climate-KIC will receive a € 50,- discount. Please contact Marjon Eijpe, Communications Manager of Climate-KIC the Netherlands, to receive the discount code for Climate-KIC relations.
About Carolien van Hemel
Dr ir Carolien van Hemel, director of the Utrecht Sustainability Institute. After completing her study Industrial Design at Delft University of Technology, Carolien van Hemel (1967) became a pioneer in sustainable product development.
Her thesis ‘Ecodesign Empirically Explored’ is based on an empirical study of sustainable product innovation in the Dutch industry. She was responsible for the United Nations Environmental Programme international standard ‘Ecodesign; a Promising Approach’.
She became a specialist in sustainable energy technology for the built environment during her years as R&D program manager at ATAG Group and as product manager at NEFIT.
While working as science attaché at the Dutch Embassy in France she developed an international perspective on energy issues. Since her return to the Netherlands in 2011, she works on sustainable urban (re)development at the Utrecht Sustainability Institute, since 2015 in the position of director.