European Day Of Sustainable Communities Launched By ECOLISE

The first European Day of Sustainable Communities will take place on the 23 September 2017, with registration now open, highlighting pioneering initiatives in communities across Europe that are making strides towards a low-carbon, ecological future.

Ecovillages, Transition initiatives, permaculture projects and many other citizen and community-led initiatives are at the forefront of developing and testing new and innovative approaches to sustainable living, covering a wide range of themes, from community energy, local food chains, sustainable mobility, eco-construction, local currencies, education for sustainable development and more.

The European Day of Sustainable Communities will provide an opportunity to showcase this experience and to engage a much wider public (citizens, communities, policy makers, researchers, the business community, etc..) in building momentum towards a citizen-engaged, community-led transition.

Achieving the ambitious climate targets agreed by governments, preserving natural resources and biodiversity and creating a fairer and more equitable future requires a fundamental shift in society. This process is already underway. Thousands of communities across Europe are transforming themselves from the bottom up and in so doing designing the blueprint for a much wider societal transformation.

Now is the time to share this experience and be part of a global, citizen-engaged, community-led transition.

REGISTER here to participate in the first European Day of Sustainable Communities (EDSC).

EDSC Objectives:

Promote awareness of community-led action and initiatives on climate change and sustainability in Europe in order to support their development and replication;
Encourage and provide opportunities for more citizens and communities to move from awareness to action;
Engage with policymakers and other stakeholders (researchers, businesses, etc..) at all levels with a view to creating and strengthening horizontal and vertical linkages.

Who can participate?

The invitation to register and be part of the EDSC is open to all those who are interested in supporting local, community-led action on climate change and sustainability. From small rural villages to the streets and neighbourhoods of urban centres, individuals, groups and organisations are invited to organise expositions, workshops, open days, debates, or other activities that help to share experience and create possibilities for greater engagement and participation in local, community-led action on climate change and sustainability.

The overall theme for the 2017 day is, Supporting a Citizen and Community-led Transition in Europe.

What is ECOLISE?

The European Day of Sustainable Communities is an initiative of ECOLISE, the European network for community-led initiative s on climate change and sustainability. ECOLISE a coalition of organisations engaged in promoting and supporting local communities across Europe in their efforts to build pathways to a sustainable future. The members of ECOLISE include international, national and regional networks of community-led initiatives, as well as other bodies engaged in European-level research, training, communications or other activities to support community-led action on climate change and sustainability. By bringing these organisations together, ECOLISE seeks to establish a common Europe-wide agenda and a platform for collective action.