The event “Canarias Circular” took place last Friday, 18th of November 2016 at the Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the context of the OSCE days. The day focused on the concept of Circular Economy and how Canary Islands could represent the perfect example of “living lab”, where the development of this approach could be implemented at its highest in order to provide social, environmental and economic benefits for all the inhabitants.
Many organizations participated to the event, including representatives from research institutions, universities, enterprises, along with private citizens interested in knowing more about the concept and the principles of Circular Economy. The event was organized by Consulta Europa, a small agency specialized in territorial development projects and sustainable growth, that aims at implementing the idea of Circular Economy in Canary Islands through collaborative actions, joining forces with other local actors.
The event was organized in the context of the global initiative “OSCE Days”. OSCE (Open Source Circular Economy) is a digital open platform with the goal of disseminating practical ideas, solutions and tools for implementing the principals of Circular Economy. It is an international initiative and it has seen already the participation of more than 70 organizations world-wide. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), which is part of the Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias, has sponsored the event.
The day was divided in two distinct parts: the morning was dedicated to host an open conference on the concept of Circular Economy and to present the Circular Economy Package developed by the European Commission. During this time, some Case Studies from different part of Europe and from Canary Islands were also presented.
In the afternoon, three round tables on specific topics (construction, tourism, agriculture and aquaculture) were organized for the participants, in order to allow them to meet in closest circles for discussing and sharing opinions on their preferred subject. This moment was also a chance to explore concrete opportunities for implementing Circular Economy actions in the territory of Canary Islands, for underling barriers and possibilities, for creating a network with other people interested in the same topics and for discussing about future projects.
Together with Consulta Europa and the EEN, a number of experts on the theme of Circular economy have given their contribution to the event. Some of them participated remotely, such as María Inmaculada Rincón Liévana, the Policy Officer from the European Commission – DG ENVIRONMENT, who connected from Brussels and Laars Zimmerman, Funder of the OSCE Platform, from Berlin. Some others were able to come all the way to Canary Islands, such as Nicola Cerantola, Funder of Ecologing, from Madrid, who joined other organizations from Canary Islands like Brinergy, Ewaste, ECCA, European Circular Construction Alliance.
The badges for the event were created out of recycled paper and metal plugs from the Consulta Europa team!
Here you can find some more information about the event and pictures taken during the day.
Available for download:
More info about the event: http://canariascircular.consulta-europa.com/