Energy Cities´Annual Rendezvous, 9-11 May 2012, Guimares, Portugal
Mind-boggling ideas for a new energy culture
Europe is undergoing a major economic and socio-political crisis. What if, instead of just being shocked and passive, we were to come up with new ambitions and new ways of thinking - above all, in the energy field? The more we base our activities on local assets, the more cities and regions will benefit in terms of job creation, financial savings, a stronger autonomy, citizen empowerment and a higher quality of life for all.
One month before the RIO+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Energy Cities´Annual Rendezvous invited Mayors to demonstrate their political commitment in Guimares. As an outcome of the Rendezvous, 30 Mayors from 30 different countries sent out a strong signal: their vision synthesized in a set of 30 strategies for the energy transition of cities. These 30 mind-boggling ideas on how to consume and produce energy locally in an efficient way will contribute to the Rio+20 deliberations and will also provide a concrete answer to the crisis.
Energy Cities´conference also tried to find answers to the following questions: Which cultural roots determine how and why energy is used and managed in a particular way? What can we learn from other countries, regions, cities? The two-day event also included a two-hour session organised within the Energy-Efficiency-Watch project discussing good practices from local authorities. The 2012 Annual Rendezvous demonstrated how local authorities can steer a new energy culture and make territories grow from the inside.
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