About the Event:

The transition to a sustainable, carbon-neutral future is a central theme of current European policy. Tackling the climate crisis – mitigating climate change and adapting to its inevitable effects – is one of the biggest challenges on this path.

We know how to do it. But can we convince others of that? Can we reach out to the important public and private partners and convince them that the transition to a sustainable economy is also in their interests? And does green politics go hand in hand with activism?

It turns out that we need to change the way we communicate on environmental issues. More and more people are aware of the threat of climate change, but it is difficult for them to imagine how to deal with it effectively. They need to hear a new story. The story of how we can handle the crisis together.

We cordially invite all those who are interested in green policy and want to take an active part in promoting to Ecotransformation 2020, a weekend full of interesting seminars, debates, presentations and experiential workshops grouped around several main topics:

• Urban climate crisis and what to do about it: how to transform our cities to be better prepared for climate change and to actively contribute to reducing emissions.
• Transforming the approach to landscape management: how to heal our landscape and increase its resilience to ongoing change.
• Changing ways of communicating the climate crisis and other environmental topics: using the knowledge of ecopsychology and the art of telling the story of positive change.
• Transformation of Czech ecological policy into a successful project – the role of activism, inspiration from neighbouring countries.

 Speakers:

• Carmine Rodi – trainer, facilitator and consultant, an expert in communication skills, public speaking and storytelling techniques.
• Helena Truchlá – editor of Aktuálně.cz
• Ondráš Přibyla – founder of faktaoklimatu
• Petra Kolínská – Zelený kruh (association of Czech ecological NGOs)
• Martin Ander – Partnership Foundation (Nadace Partnerství)
• Zuzana Pavelková – Federation of European Young Greens

Additional speakers may be announced.

Programme:

Thursday, 23 July

Public debate: Million Moments for Climate

Friday, 24 July

Climate change adaptation of cities

• The new building law as one of the tools to solve the climate crisis? (Petra Kolínská – Zelený kruh)
• Climate emergency – how cities respond to climate change (Martin Ander – Nadace partnerství)
• Solutions to heat and drought in cities – LIFE TreeCheck project (Dita Tesařová – Nadace partnerství)
• Blue-green-grey infrastructure (Jitka Češková – Pardubické ekologické forum)
• The transition of cities to renewable energy (Jan Krčmář – Solární asociace)
• Sustainable mobility (Roman Meliška – Consultant in Urban Mobility)

Adapting landscape to climate change

• Healing our landscape – the transformation of agriculture system in the face of the climate crisis (TBC)

Communicating climate change

• Environmental issues in the media – journalist cover of climate change (Helena Truchlá – Aktuálně.cz)
• How to talk about the climate crisis I – project “Fakta o klimatu” (Facts about climate) (Ondráš Přibyla – Fakta o klimatu)
• How to talk about the climate crisis II – topic management in the climate change discussion (Ondráš Přibyla – Fakta o klimatu)

Saturday, 25 July

Storytelling – introducing environmental topics to the public

• Workshop, in English (Carmine Rodi – lecturer of storytelling)

Using videos in environmental activism

• Workshop, in Czech (Petr Salaba – photographer and documentary filmmaker)

Transforming green politics into a successful project

• Sharing European experience (Wojciech Kubalewski – Co-Chair of Green Party Poland)
• European cooperation on environmental policies / European Green Deal (Kateřina Davidová – EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, additional speakers to be announced)
• The relationship between activism, the non-profit sector, and politics (debate with guests from across the environmental movement, to be announced)
• How to involve young people in politics (Zuzana Pavelková – Federation of Young European Greens)

Sunday, 26 July

Workshop: Ideas for sustainable economic recovery at the urban level

Open Space

See the detailed programme here.

The summer school is organized the Green European Foundation with the support of the Institute of Active Citizenship and the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation.