‘ECOHUB’ – GALWAY’S SUSTAINABLE LIVING CENTRE

– A NEXUS OF ECOIDEAS, CONVIVIALITY AND COMMUNITY

Galway’s Convergence Festival ECOHUB aims to work collaboratively, with those committed to bringing about change, creating solutions to community and environmental challenges, through a week long series of events, films, workshops, exhibitions and thematic talks.

This year’s week long pop-up ECOHUB, offers to host artists, activists, environmentalists, makers, musicians, foodies, healers and hackers, visitors and community members, as a forum for the cutting edge nexus of green ideas and conviviality, ecological health and wellbeing, showcasing local campaigns, offering great local food and introducing radical solutions for a future that works.

Recognising that cities and towns need to continue to create space and new forums to learn from and inspire one another, to promote a vibrant and thriving culture, Galway’s Sustainable Living Festival makes the case for an Eco Centre for Galway. This project aims to further the development of the identified collective vision for a local sustainability research, education and demonstration project for Galway, incorporating community arts, sustainability education, exploring progressive transport solutions, community energy and new technology demonstration projects, recycling and zero waste projects, food sovereignty and local community supported agriculture, self sufficiency projects, community resilience, health and wellbeing.

Galway’s Sustainable Living Festival will champion existing community responses, actions and collaborations, whilst continuing to forge new partnerships and the sharing of tools and practices. It will be an opportunity to educate and inspire citizens and visitors about green energy, sustainable healthy living, collective and cooperative action.

This will be an exciting opportunity to bring together the key players and stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally involved in making carbon neutrality a reality and to showcase the many existing and potential groundbreaking initiatives from across the Region, that are learning how to live more sustainably and enjoy life without compromising future generations.

Building on Galway’s potential to lead the way in transitioning to a more resilient, sustainable and equitable future, by becoming Ireland’s first Carbon neutral city, during this years Convergence Festival, we aim to kick-off the conversations that lead into Galway’s designation years as the first Irish City to host the European Green Leaf Sustainable City Award in 2017 and European Region of Gastronomy in 2018.

Festival partners include; Galway 2020, Galway City Community Network, The Ryan Institute, NUI Galway, Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Transition Galway, Post Carbon Galway, Cultivate, Galway Healthy Cities, Galway City Partnership, An Taisce, Green Sod Landtrust, Third Space Galway, 

For more information contact:

Festival Coordinator Martina Finn on 087 2201972

or email thirdspacegalway@gmail.com -collaborativewaysforward@gmail.com or

visit http://www.collaborativewaysforward.com / http://www.postcarbongalway.ie / http://www.cultivate.ie / http://www.transitiongalway.wordpress.ie

GALWAY – MAKING THE TRANSITION TO A GREEN, HEALTHY, SMART, SUSTAINABLE, CREATIVE CITY

This year’s main Convergence session in Galway provides an opportunity for policy makers, state agencies, civil society organisations, researchers, community practitioners and Galway citizens, to come together to maximise the potential for Galway to be a world city at the forefront of the cultural transformation towards sustainability and wellbeing.

The event will maximise synergy between plans for the 2020 European Capital of Culture, the EU Green Leaf Award, the EU Region of Gastronomy, the WHO Healthy Cities initiative and the many other local academic and citizen engaged initiatives across the city and county. It aims to provide a forum for networking among the key local, national and international stakeholders, dissemination of latest research and an opportunity to showcase and discuss latest actions and policy developments.

Galway has a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of world cities, in leading not only in the fields of arts and culture but in the green transition to a low carbon future. This conference will provide a forum to showcase and discuss latest actions from Galway, in leading the way to becoming Ireland’s first Sustainable City.

Draft Schedule

10.00 – Opening Davie Philip Convergence
10.10 – Setting the context – John Gibbons

FERTILE GROUND
10.30 – Presentation 1 – Sharon Carroll EU Green Leaf
10.45 – Presentation 2 – Patricia Philibin G2020 (tbc)
11.00 – Presentation 3 – Alan Farrell EU Region of Gastronomy
11.15 – Discussion – Maximising the potential for Galway
11.30 – Break

SUPPORT FROM THE FIELD
11.45 – Presentation 4 – Mary Ryan – Teagasc
12.15 – Presentation 5 – Fergal Smith – Food Sovereignty Ireland
12.30 – Presentation 6 – JP Pendergast – Claremorris & Western District Energy Co Op
12.45 – Presentation 7 – Niall O Brolochain – Smart Cities
13.00 – Lunch

COMMUNITY POWER
14.00 – Green Footprints – Vincent Carragher

LEARNING | UNLEARNING – The Way Forward
14.30 – James Glynn UCC
14.45 – Michelle O’Dowd CUSP Ryan Institute NUI Galway
15.00 – Sean Taylor – MASPACE Limerick College Art & Design
15.15 – An Taisce / Post Carbon Galway

15.30 – Break
15.45 – Discussion – “HOW DO WE MAKE THE TRANSITION TO A GREEN, HEALTHY, SMART, SUSTAINABLE, CREATIVE GALWAY?”
16.30 – Next sreps
16.50 – Closing remarks
17.00 – Close

This event is being co-hosted by Cultivate, Third Space and Collaborative Ways Forward and is supported by the Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund, which is funded by Galway City Council and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Everyone Welcome

To register please visit
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/galway-making-the-transition-to-a-healthy-low-carbon-creative-sustainable-city-convergence-tickets-28601821819?aff=erellivmlt

For more information contact;
Festival Coordinator Martina Finn
collaborativewaysforward@gmail.com
E-mail – postcarbongalway@gmail.com and for more information visit www.postcarbongalway.ie / www.collaborativewaysforward.com / ww.cultivate.ie
www.thirdspacegalway.ie
Location: http://www.portershed.com/

Convergence Galway is brought to you with the support of:
Galway 2020, Galway City Community Network, The Ryan Institute and Insight NUI Galway, Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Transition Galway, Post Carbon Galway, Cultivate, Galway Healthy Cities, Galway City Partnership, An Taisce, Green Sod Landtrust, Third Space Galway.