ProSPER.Net E-bulletin Issue 118 (November 2022)

This webinar, part of UNESCO-UNFCCC's series on the road to COP27, will look back at COP27 now that it is over, and examine its key takeaways, achievements, and commitments made related to climate change education. Read more

Economic growth based on a linear economic model is not feasible with the reality that our resources are finite. Moreover, a limited capacity for landfill at end of life is also putting more pressure on governments. Transforming away from this model is urgently needed as resources are better managed and holistic solutions of material flow as well as waste elimination are considered through supply chains. The Circular Economy (CE) model has been globally regarded as a promising solution to tackle these issues. However, there is still a question: "What is the relationship between CE and the Sustainable Development Goals?". To address this question, this seminar will discuss the relationship of CE and SDGs as well as analyse local-based CE case studies mapped against the SDGs to get an in-depth understanding of how CE can be considered as a tool to meet the SDGs and ultimately meet sustainability outcomes.

As part of the webinar series in the ProSPER.Net research project 'Circular Economy Integration for Sustainable Built Environment Education', this second webinar will be presented by five universities: RMIT, University of Peradeniya, TERI School of Advanced Studies, Asian Institute of Technology, and Arabaev Kyrgyz State University.

The webinar will start with an introduction to CE, SDGs, and the built environment. A literature review will be presented with a focus on the relationships between CE and SDGs and how the three triple bottom lines of sustainability can be achieved by CE practices. Local-based case studies will underline the diversity of CE implementation in construction projects with industrial innovation and environmental considerations. A discussion and recommendation will be provided to improve the relationship between CE practices and SDGs targets. The webinar will conclude with a 30-minute Q&A session for discussion between the research panel and participants. Register here.

The 13th International Conference on Sustainable Built Environment 2022 (ICSBE) or The Kandy Conference, will be held at Earls Regency Hotel, Kandy, Sri Lanka, as the next in line of a highly successful series of conferences held since December 2010 with collaborations with local and worldwide universities and research institutions. The Conference will run over three days and features general and plenary sessions and presentations, and will be accompanied by workshops and technical sessions. The Kandy Conference aims for exchanging of ideas, sharing of knowledge, and dissemination of information among academics, professionals, and policymakers on the management of the built environment all over the world. Read more

Expressions of interest, (abstracts consisting of 200 words outline of a paper and/or presentation, along with the names and full contact details of the authors) should be sent to the coordinating team at: isdrup@ls.haw-hamburg.de. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 15 December, 2022. Full papers are due by 20 May, 2023. More information can be found here.

The SBC Programme will continue its work on circularity and responsibly sourced materials by forming closer links with the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction. A global conference on advancing a circular built environment, Emerging Concepts for Sustainable Built Environment will take place between 23-25 November 2022 in Finland as an online event.

The OPN has a focus on climate change, and what needs to be done to plant the seeds of change to address our problems. OPN will continue its work on mainstreaming SCP and circularity across the climate change agenda will determine success in transitioning to green and inclusive economies. OPN want to show that changing how we produce and consume is the common thread which must run through climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. For further information on the SBC Programme, please contact: Usha.Iyer-Raniga@rmit.edu.au.

This year, 157 applications from 51 countries/regions were accepted. At the first round of selection, 10 projects were selected as finalists, with two projects selected as winners in the final stage.

Okayama City and the ESD Okayama Award Steering Board are pleased to announce the winners of the ESD Okayama Award 2022:

Project: The initiative 'Hamburg Learns Sustainability' has started the 'Hamburg Master Plan ESD 2030'
Organisation: Initiative 'Hamburg Learns Sustainability' (Federal Republic of Germany)

Project: Environmental Education Programme
Organisation: Green Growth Africa Sustainability Network (Green Growth Africa) (formerly International Support Network for African Development) (Federal Republic of Nigeria)

For more detailed information about the winners, please visit Okayama City's Award web page here.

This event was organised by WBCSD, ARUP, and World Green Building Council, and held as part of the COP27 Buildings Pavilion on 14 November, 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh. It featured key industry leaders on how they are driving business to take a systematic approach to achieve a sustainable built environment system. Watch a recording of the event here.

In this article, an overview and analysis of activities from RCEs around the globe is offered to provide some trend analysis for topics and modalities of ESD projects conducted during the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD which ran from 2015 to 2019. This empirical analysis can serve as record of where the Global RCE Network has been over the 5 years of the GAP, where it is now, and where it may wish to go in the future. Read the article here.