2019 edition of Transformative Cities launched

(15th November 2018) :- The 2019 edition of the Transformative Cities initiative opens today with an open call to communities worldwide who are finding inspiring solutions in the face of water, energy, food and housing crises, to share their story and apply for the #TransformativeCities Peoples Choice Award. Transformative Cities is

ECOLISE makes submission to Talanoa Dialogue process

6 November 2018: – ECOLISE has made a submission to the Talanoa Dialogue platform based on the dialogues held by many member organisations, as well as knowledge gathered and practices learnt and shared among participating communities and member networks. It answered the questions invited by the platform: “Where are we? Where

New handbook on review process for assessing Governments’ SDG performance

6 November 2018 – ECOLISE members and those involved in community-led action on climate change and sustainability will be interested to know about some very useful tools which have been developed to engage with governments in examining their performance in implementing the SDGs. These so-called Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) have

Reflections from Brussels conferences: Postgrowth and Citizens collaborating with municipalities

(9 October 2018) In late September ECOLISE was closely involved with two ground-breaking events which took place in Brussels – the Post-growth Conference and its Preparation Day, and the Civil society and municipalities conference co-hosted by ECOLISE and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in collaboration with the Committee

Communities, collaboration are vital in responding to IPCC’s unequivocal 1.5°C report

(8 October 2018) – Responding to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 1.5°C special report published today, Eamon O’Hara, executive director of ECOLISE, said: “The report’s clear message of urgency and hope will only serve to encourage the thousands of communities across Europe and beyond that are already creatively

Making climate a priority in the EU LEADER programme

(8 Oct 2018) –  ECOLISE executive director, Eamon O’Hara (centre, above), recently participated in the LEADER Reloaded conference in Portugal, where he underlined the need to put climate and transition centre stage in the next round of the EU’s LEADER programme for rural development. Organised by ELARD (the European LEADER

Communities in 22 countries are celebrating the European Day of Sustainable Communities on 22nd September

(12th September, 2018; updated 13th & 21st September) – Communities in 22 countries across Europe – from Sweden to Serbia and from Ireland to the Ukraine – are celebrating the 2nd European Day of Sustainable Communities (EDSC) on 22nd September 2018. The EDSC is a celebration of the efforts and

ECOLISE contributes to postgrowth discussions and conference in EU parliament

(10 September 2018) – ECOLISE team members Meera Ghani and Tom Henfrey will attend the upcoming Postgrowth Conference at the EU parliament on September 17th-18th, which will discuss alternatives to growth as the basis for economic policy. The conference was initiated by a group of academic researchers associated with the

A personal view of Global Ecovillage Network Europe’s recent gathering in Estonia

(8 August 2018) – Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Europe recently held its annual conference in Estonia. Nara Petrovič from Slovenia, who is an ECOLISE council member, was there along with some 600 participants from around Europe and beyond. He wrote a reflective article about his experience for the Slovenian newspaper,

Compilation of first ‘Status Report on Community-led Action on Sustainability and Climate Change in Europe’ continues

(8 August 2018) – Work on ECOLISE’s first Status Report on Community-led Action on Sustainability and Climate Change in Europe is well underway. A small team – involving Gil Penha-Lopes, Tom Henfrey and others – have been assembling core information and creating a framework describing key movements, issues and impacts.