Held on 16 December 2020, the 1η electronic conference of the series of conferences entitled "Cyprus talks Green", where organizations from all over Cyprus had the opportunity to present their actions related to sustainability and the environment and social actions to improve the quality of life in Cyprus. The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Dr. Costas Kadis, while the organizations that presented their activities were the Cyprus Energy Agency, the Center for Social Innovation, the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), the Gardens of the Future initiative, the University of Cyprus and the non-governmental organization Oxygono.
The Cyprus Energy Agency presented the Action Plans for Sustainable Energy and Climate (SDAEK) that have been prepared by the Municipalities of Cyprus participating in the Covenant of Mayors, as well as the goals set by them to reduce CO emissions2 (carbon dioxide) by 40% by 2030, compared to the reference year 2009.
Within the framework of SDAEK, the Cyprus Energy Agency presented the project "Compete4SECAP", Which is funded by the Horizon 2020 program and the European Union and provides solutions for the strengthening of SDAEK and the efforts of Municipalities to reduce CO2, through energy tenders and the ISO 50001 Energy Management standard.
The initiative "Yeitonia +", In which the Cyprus Energy Agency and the Sustainable Energy Laboratory of CUT participate. The aim of this initiative is to create sustainable neighborhoods for citizens, to address urban challenges such as mobility and climate change. This is possible, among other things, through the development of utility spaces along roads and the application of Nature Based Solutions, such as permeable pavements.
The Sustainable Energy Laboratory of CUT presented the actions and achievements of the EIT Climate-KIC node in Cyprus in the last 5 years, as well as all the programs that are or were active in 2020. Attention was given to the project "SysMa4Transition", whose goal is to find ways to increase the resilience of socio-technical systems.
Other topics presented and discussed during the day are initiatives for more sustainable urban areas through the ban on the use of vehicles in the urban center and initiatives for sustainable neighborhoods through the co-creation of pilot gardens by the citizens of the neighborhood itself. Also, the importance of education on climate change - such as technologies Internet of Things 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" conference is to enhance the positive impact of the actions of the participating organizations and to identify opportunities for cooperation. These workshops will be held at least twice a year, keeping the community constantly informed about the initiatives taken by the participating organizations.
For more information, contact the Cyprus Energy Agency via e-mail info@cea.org.cy or by phone at 22667716.