2014 Press Releases
100 needed to feed sustainable consumption survey
In a Eurovision of a different sort, more than 1000 Europeans will take part in citizen consultations on sustainable consumption on Saturday 25 October. UCC seeks 100 citizens to that end.
All ages and backgrounds are suitable, with national and European policy makers on the eventual receiving end of the views of the public collected on the day.
MEP for Ireland South Deirdre Clune will open the event. The Europe Wide Views on Sustainable Consumption project is part of PACITA, a four-year EU-funded project that stands for Parliaments and Civil Society in Technology Assessment. It is aimed at improving policy-making processes concerning issues relating to science, technology and innovation.
The discussion runs from 09.30am to 2pm on 25 October, with a particular focus on food, drink, transport, housing and appliances, given they collectively account for most environmental impact. Those attending will be in with a chance to win a Kindle Paperwhite e-reader amongst other prizes.
No pre-knowledge is needed, with the discussions covering a wide range of topics on sustainability, including potentially contentious issues such as the group’s opinion on taxation to create a more sustainable society, whether government should regulate marketing campaigns to reduce consumption, and even the EU’s role in counteracting conflict materials such as diamonds, as well as broader measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions amongst many others.
Dr Ciara Fitzgerald, Lecturer at the Department of Business Information Systems in UCC, is the organiser behind the interactive event. It will see 11 other European countries participating in their home countries with a live Skype link-up at certain stages to explore how each nation view policies around sustainable consumption.
Dr Fitzgerald commented: “This project is exciting as it gives citizens the opportunity to participate in the process of policy-making on issues relating to a living and healthy planet. We will facilitate a discussion with citizens on key policy issues surrounding sustainable consumption. It gives people the chance to have their say on how societies will be shaped in the future.”
Refreshments and lunch will be served during the day. To register and for more information, see http://bit.ly/1CR4HP4 or contact Dr Ciara Fitzgerald on cfitzgerald@ucc.ie.
The other counties involved include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. This is one of a number of projects being conducted under the PACITA banner.
About PACITA
PACITA is a four-year EU financed project under FP7 aimed at increasing the capacity and enhancing the institutional foundation for knowledge-based policy-making on issues involving science, technology and innovation, mainly based upon the diversity of practices in Parliamentary Technology Assessment (PTA).
PACITA works to enhance the foundations of policy making by improving the knowledge base on which those policies are based. It does this by engaging interactively with a range of people and organisations. By doing so, it aims to uncover relevant knowledge, experience and expertise that may otherwise be overlooked in policy making.