Please note that this event will take place in German.

The BioVoices project will host another "Mobilisation and Mutual Learning Workshop" on 13 February 2020 in ICLEI Member Freiburg (Germany), as part of the two-day "Kongress Energieautonome Kommunen" (Congress of Energy-autonomous Municipalities) event.

The workshop, organised by ICLEI Europe, brings together stakeholders spanning business, politics, science and civil society, to discuss multi-perspective approaches, BioVoices-relevant ideas, and policy recommendations that address challenges related to the bioeconomy and to the importance of strengthening knowledge and application of the bioeconomy in the field of sustainable architecture. In particular, the workshop will explore the role of circular and bio-based products in the construction sector in Germany, and will identify best practice examples in this field.

The European Union has recognised that our societies produce and consume beyond the sustainable planetary boundaries. In response, strategies to make European production and consumption more circular and climate-friendly have been developed. One of these strategies is fostering a "bioeconomy," which, in addition to environmental effects, should stimulate innovation and growth.

In Germany, the bioeconomy is also becoming a focus of the national debate on sustainable production and consumption; although bio-based products and services still play a minor role in the national economy. Another piece of this puzzle is construction: a sector that plays an important role in terms of its energy and emission intensity, and where potential energy savings are particularly high.

With this context as a starting point, the following questions will be discussed at the workshop among a panel of experts and participants:

• What solutions are needed to increase the proportion of bio-based and circular products in the construction sector in Germany and in Europe?
• Which materials and material properties are necessary to replace conventional, climate-intensive building materials?
• Which innovations can be developed, and which research and communication strategies are appropriate?
• What role does architecture play in the transformation towards sustainable construction and lifestyles? and
• What federal framework conditions are needed to strengthen this effort?

For more information on the workshop (in German), click here.

Click here to register for the workshop and the Kongress Energieautonome Kommunen.