Entrepreneurs Track 2: Circular Economy Opportunities in the Mediterranean Cities (Part1)

Entrepreneurs Track 2: Circular Economy Opportunities in the Mediterranean Cities (Part1)

In 2050, more than 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. Noise, lack of water, energy, materials, food, waste generation, mobility, will be some of the problems that city inhabitants, planners and decision makers will have to face.

The principles of the circular economy, along with its systems change approach, have the potential to provide the necessary framework for building resilient and prosperous communities that in turn provide a supportive operating environment for businesses.

Several cities are already embracing circular economy principles; updating and adapting policies, sharing knowledge, and encouraging innovation for more effective systems.

The overall aim of this session is to provide participants with an introduction to the principles of circular economy and their application to city operations, and then to highlight examples of cities that are leaders in the domain, as well as Mediterranean cities that have already started applying these principles in the region.

This session, organized by Yair Engel, EPEA Cradle to Cradle and Alfredo Balmaceda, ZICLA, will enable participants to identify the role of Circular Economy in cities, the specific challenges of Mediterranean cities and analyze local solutions that can be deployed throughout the region.

Speakers include:

• Paola Migliorini, Team Leader Circular Economy, European Commission, DG Environment
• Françoise Bonnet, Secretary General of the Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling and Sustainable Resource Management (ACR+)
• Cynthia Echave, Area Coordinator of Urban Planning and Public Space, Urban Ecology Agency, City of Barcelona
• Yair Teller, Founder Home Biogas
• Zuhair Ali, Director of Technical Department, Palestinian Housing Council PHC
• Moran Slakmon, Founder Earth’s Promise
• Alfredo Balmaceda, Co-founder and president of ZICLA
• Yair Engel, Director at Kayama – Center for Sustainable Design / EPEA Cradle to Cradle Israel