Greening the islands

The kick off of the sustainable islands general states

2 December Dec 2016 1558 02 December 2016

Greening the Islands, the international conference dedicated to the promotion of the islands environmental sustainability due to be held on 2 and 3 December, lands in Gran Canaria, Spain. The event’s protagonists are the finalists of the Greening the Islands Awards, the prize that recognizes environmental best practices that can be replicated in countless islands around the world and in remote locations in general.

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Gran Canaria
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Greening the Islands, the international conference dedicated to the promotion of the islands environmental sustainability due to be held on 2 and 3 December, lands in Gran Canaria, Spain. The event’s protagonists are the finalists of the Greening the Islands Awards, the prize that recognizes environmental best practices that can be replicated in countless islands around the world and in remote locations in general.

A new appointment for the islands that embrace sustainability policies has hit the shores of the Mediterrean beach. Greening the Islands, a traveling international conference aiming at finding sustainability solutions for islands, kicks off today with two days of engagements at Gran Canaria. The agenda marks the unveiling of the winners of the 2nd edition of the Greening the Islands Awards. The price is a unique opportunity to gain recognition for island administrations or business partners involved in innovative projects that are helping in the transition to a more sustainable future and offer a chance to share leading initiatives with similar communities internationally.

Due to their fragile environment and the need to protect their resources, islands are natural laboratories for climate change adaptation and integrated solutions concerning energy, mobility, water and other environmental segments. A jury will evaluate projects based on qualitative and quantitative criteria, including CO2 savings, ecological and economic value added and transferability to other islands or common areas.

Among the seven projects selected as models that can be replicated in countless islands, four are Italian:

P680 biofactory (Capriate San Gervasio, Bergamo, Italy): Building and spreading a zero-emissions biofactory model using simple, efficient and economic biotechnologies (microalgae) to convert floristic companies in crisis and push the agricultural sector towards climate protection through carbon capture.

Green PV Safety Cover System (Palermo, Italy): The proposed G-SCS system is a multifunctioning device system for photovoltaic systems (PV) guaranteeing: i) the safety conditions for workers and/or operators both during maintenance and emergency conditions (fire, etc.); ii) cleaning of the PV panel without the activation of external procedures; iii) the reduction of insulation of the back of the PV panel.

Pressure recovery system for hydropower plants (Sicily, Italy): Large-scale application of pressure recovery system in agriculture for simultaneous energy generation and discharge control; dissemination of energy saving culture among farmers.

Replacement of police motorbikes (Rapallo, Italy): The project aims at replacing the police motorbike fleet of Rapallo town, in Liguria, with e-bikes. The Municipality has so far acquired one motorbike, model DSP15 fully equipped for the police.

Cover photo: DESIREE MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images

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