Jul 16 2024
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Ecopolis: Hope Needs Action (Brussels)

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About the event:

With a mix of panels, workshops, performances, and more, Ecopolis fosters cross-border and multi-lingual dialogues on the ecological challenges of our time. The 2024 edition is entitled “Hope Needs Action” and seeks to turn climate concerns into commitment. Featuring a wide range of authors, scientists, academics, practitioners, activists, artists, and policymakers, this event will answer to the simultaneous need for deep reflection and collective action to ensure a truly just transition in Europe and the world.

To this end, Ecopolis aims specifically to bring together different movements and thereby contribute to a flourishing and diverse European public space – fostering connections between the ecological movement, fights for social justice, decolonisation and anti-racism initiatives, feminist activism, and more. This year, GEF will contribute by hosting a stream of sessions touching on some of our core interests, including energy security, a post-growth Europe, and democratic participation.

Project background:

Ecopolis is an annual meeting point for anyone concerned about a fair and sustainable future. Because ecological challenges know no borders, this event is international, diverse, and interactive. For GEF, it is a key moment to connect and inspire green-minded citizens, activists, NGOs, and other stakeholders and to provide them with the tools, concepts, and energy to fight for a better Europe and world.

Programme:

GEF will be hosting a dedicated stream of sessions as part of this event at different locations .

10h45-12h15, European Quarter – Lobby Tour

A walk organised and guided by the Corporate Europe Observatory. The tour guide will be Hans van Scharen.

13h-14h30, De Markten, zolder – Workshop : Climate Citizen Assembly (FR)
  • Merlijn de Rijcke (coordinator climate citizen panel Brussels)
  • Elze Vermaas (Oikos staff member)
15h-16h30, De Markten, zolder – Workshop : Climate Citizen Assembly (NL)
  • Merlijn de Rijcke (coordinator climate citizen panel Brussels)
  • Elze Vermaas (Oikos staff member)
15h-16h30, De Markten, spiegel room – Is the energy transition a smokescreen?
  • Jean-Baptiste Fressoz (science, technology and environmental historian)
  • Jorrit Smit (researcher)
  • Chloé Mikolajczak (activist)

Moderator: Alice Hubbard (GEF’s Strategy Manager)

17h-18h30, De Markten, spiegelzaal – No climate solution without democratic innovations
  • Sophie Howe (first commissioner for future generations)
  • Eva Rovers (founder of Bureau Burgerberaad)
  • two participants of the Brussels Climate Citizens Panel.

Moderator: Tine Hens (historian, author and journalist)

13h-14h30, Muntpunt, Literair Salon – How to keep democracy alive?
  • Erica Benner (political philosopher and author)
  • Hans van Scharen (Corporate Europe Observatory)

Moderator: Elze Vermaas (Oikos contributor and author)

15h-16h30, Muntpunt, Literair Salon – Book presentation : Enough
  • Lara Ferrante (Oikos employee and co-author of Enough)
  • Dirk Holemans (Oikos coordinator and co-author of Enough)

These are solely the session hosted by GEF, but there are many more ! You may find the complete program on the partner’s website.

 

Practicalities:

Date: November 9th

Location: Brussels, Belgium

Language: English, Dutch, and French

Tickets and registration: (closed)

This event is co-organised by the Green European Foundation with the support of Oikos and with the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this event.

May 10 2023
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Ecopolis: Fair(er) Futures Festival (Brussels)

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Context:

Hope is something you need to deserve,” writes Greta Thunberg in The Climate Book. That’s why ECOPOLIS 2023 takes on the challenge of igniting hopeful activism. How do you turn concern or anxiety about the climate crisis into commitment? How to find a middle ground between naiveté and defeatism?

About the event:

Ecopolis is the day to meet people who care about a sustainable future. Because ecological challenges know no national or linguistic borders, Ecopolis is diverse, international and interactive. Ecopolis invites Belgian and international authors to debate the transition towards a socio-ecological society. Inspiring books, documentaries and debates between writers, academics and civil society thinkers about ecology, economy and society are at the heart of Ecopolis

This year the festival brings together different actors from the political, cultural and social environment to discuss this years focus topic, cooperation for a fair – fairer future as core value. This means tackling the conflicts rooted by competition as basic organisational principle on the individual and economic level. Cooperation is understood as cooperation between movements and allyships, the cooperation between countries and the Global South and Global North, as well as the development of commons, such as housing and energy cooperatives.

Speakers

  • Kim Stanley Robinson, novelist
  • Stephanie Collingwoode Williams, activist in climate justice and anti-racist movements
  • Geert Buelens, poet
  • Jessica den Outer, author and activists for the Rights of Nature
  • Peter Bosmans

Programme:

The festival runs from 10:30 to 21:00, offering different parallel activities, such as panel discussions, workshops or thematic walks around the city. This years programme highlights three different themes, each shedding light on the ecological crisis in a different way.

The first one is Facts and/or fiction. Does knowing more about climate help us make the right decisions? Where can we gain this knowledge from? Can politics and our personal lives also play a role?  How can fiction help bring about our hope and a sense of responsibility? Are these questions on your mind too? In this programme item, you will take part in conversations, a walk and performances with a host of scientists and readers (you, for instance) and share inspiration.

In the series of activities under the umbrella of How to, you will get your hands dirty: come screen printing, pimp your clothes and cycle around in the city visiting places full of hope. Engage with real doers on energy sharing, fair fashion and housing cooperatives. Discover how to transform your own commitment into collective action in your daily life. The debate is open!

In the third theme named The Power of Change you will learn how history shows that a better society does not happen by itself and learn in different workshops wat are the deep conflicts and challenges we are facing today.  It comes from sustained action by committed people. It took decades of social struggles to bring about the welfare state. Today, many are pushing for a quality society for all.

Learn more about the schedule of the programme and speakers. 

Practicalities:

Date and Time: 18 November, 10:30 – 21:00

Location: Muntpunt, Pl. de la Monnaie 6, 1000 Bruxelles (some events, such as walks, happen at different locations, you can find them indicated in the programm)

Language:  The main languages of the event will be Dutch, English and French, with simultaneous interpretation provided EN<>NL<>FR for some sessions

Get your tickets here! 

 

 

This event is organised by the Green European Foundation with the support of Oikos and the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation.