Filenews 18 December 2020
On 16 December 2020, the 1st electronic workshop of the series of workshops entitled "Cyprus talks Green" took place, where organizations from all over Cyprus had the opportunity to present their actions on sustainability and the environment and social actions to improve the quality of life in Cyprus. Greeting addressed by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and environment, Dr. Kostas Kadis, while the organizations that presented their actions were the Cyprus Energy Office, the Centre for Social Innovation, the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK), the Gardens of the Future initiative, the University of Cyprus and the non-governmental organization Oxygono.
The Cyprus Energy Office presented the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SDSEs) drawn up by the Municipalities of Cyprus participating in the Covenant of Mayors, as well as the targets set through them to reduce CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions by 40% by 2030, compared to the reference year 2009.
Within the framework of the SDEK, the Cyprus Energy Office also presented the project "Copete4SECAP",which is funded by Horizon 2020 and the European Union and provides solutions for the strengthening of the SDGEs and the efforts of the Municipalities to reduce CO2 emissions, through energy tenders and the ISO 50001 Energy Management standard.
The "Yeitonia+"initiative, which includes the Energy Office and the Sustainable Energy Laboratory of the TEPAK, was also presented. The aim of this initiative is to create sustainable neighbourhoods for citizens to address urban challenges such as mobility and climate change. This is possible, inter alia, through the development of utility sites along roads and the application of Nature Based Solutions, such as permeable roadways.
The Sustainable Energy Laboratory of the TEPAK presented the actions and achievements of the EIT Climate-KIC hub in Cyprus over the last 5 years, as well as all projects that are or were active in 2020. Attention was paid to the "SysMa4Transition" project, the aim of which is to find ways to increase the resilience of socio-technical systems.
Other topics presented and discussed during the workshop are initiatives for more sustainable urban areas through the ban on the use of vehicles in the urban centre and initiatives for sustainable neighbourhoods through the co-creation of pilot gardens by citizens of the neighbourhood itself. Also, the importance of climate change education - how, for example, Internet of Things technologies can help create sustainable and "smart" cities. Finally, practices were discussed to reduce the gender gap in information and communication technologies.
The aim of the Cyprus Talks Green workshop is to enhance the positive impact of the actions of the participating organisations and to identify opportunities for cooperation. These workshops will take place at least twice a year, keeping the community constantly informed of the initiatives undertaken by the participating organisations.
For more information, contact the Cyprus Energy Office via e-mailinfo@sea. org. cy or by phone at 22667716.
