Autor: venred

LONDON, Jan. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — ‘Design for Sustainable Cities’ is an international student competition held by BE OPEN and Cumulus in support of SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Its objective is to recognize and promote top design projects developed by the younger creative generation that are able to tackle the tasks set by the United Nations’ SDG Programme.

The competition is open to students and graduates of all art, design, architecture and media disciplines of universities and colleges worldwide. Their top ideas, be it in an individual or a team submission can win the prizes ranging from €5,000 to €2,000 from BE OPEN, and enter the list of 50 honorary mentions to be featured in the competition’s online gallery.

The honorary list and the winning submissions will be selected by an international jury panel that features designers, architects, academics and experts in the relevant fields whose work has a particular focus on researching non-conventional design approaches to the problems of humanity.

On behalf of BE OPEN, Founder Elena Baturina welcomes the jury members: «We are thrilled to have assembled such an extraordinary and diverse panel, and are deeply grateful for the time and expertise the jury are willing to share in the course of the competition. There is an exciting period ahead of us once the submission window is closed, full of hard work and amazing discoveries. I can’t wait to see the top selection of the submissions our jury will decide upon».

BE OPEN and Cumulus are proud and happy to announce the jury members in the Design for Sustainable City competition:

• Luisa Collina, Chair of the Jury. PhD, Full Professor of Design, Dean of the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano and Rector’s delegate for external relations of the University. Previously President of Cumulus, a member of the Scientific and Artistic Advisory Board (SAAB) of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture of Aalto University (Helsinki), Luisa coordinated several projects for the 150th anniversary of Politecnico di Milano and for the Universal Expo 2015, and was a member of the Scientific Committee for the XXI Triennale Internazionale held in Milan in 2016.
• Regitze Marianne Hess, Architect MAA, Professor of Practice in Urbanism. Regitze is an educator, writer, editor, and facilitator of knowledge exchange for various international fora on cities and the built environment, urban governance and design.
• José Allard, PhD, is a practicing Chilean designer, Associate Professor at Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, where he served as Director of the School of Design.
• Francisca Astaburuaga is Architect UC at London School of Economics; Director of the Centre of Innovation in Cities at Universidad del Desarrollo, chair of the Cities and Infrastructure Committee at the Council of Infrastructure Policies of Chile.
• Karl Stocker, Ph.D., Head of the Institute of Design & Communication at the FH Joanneum, University of Applied Sciences in Graz, Austria. Karl’s most recent project is Designing Sustainable Cities. Manageable Approaches to Make Urban Spaces Better.
• Teresa Franqueira, Associate Professor at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Teresa is Director and Scientific Coordinator of the Design Factory Aveiro at the Creative Science Park with focus on social innovation, circular economy and alternative scenarios towards more sustainable economic and social models.
• Praveen Nahar is Director of National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad. With over 23 years of experience in design teaching, consultancy, and research, Nahar serves on the institute’s Senate and Policy Planning Committee.
• Vrouyr Joubanian is a designer and design researcher, Head of Experimentation at the UNDP Lebanon’s Accelerator Lab. Vrouyr works on context specific and socially conscious products and processes.
• Zhiyong Fu, Associate Professor of Information Art and Design Department, Academy of Arts and Design; Associate Dean of China-Italy Design Innovation Hub, Tsinghua University, China. Focuses his research on smart city, public service, urban regeneration and community construction.
• Robin Turner is a Johannesburg-based graphic and multimedia designer with a passion for digital solutions. Robin teaches at and heads the Graphic and Multimedia Design department at the Greenside Design Center. Robin specialises in physical computing.
• Thais Russomano, Prof. MD MSc PhD. Doctor Russomano has a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Medicine; and a PhD in Space Physiology. Thais is an Elected Academician of the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine (IAASM), and the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).
• Michaël Demeyere, PhD, is head of the Design Team in the New Business Development department at AGC Glass Europe, a manufacturer of flat glass for the building and automotive industries. His work is focused on human-centric design, he is a member of a global project within AGC called «Smart and Sustainable Cities».

All the stakeholders in this international competition programme are positive that creativity, or design-thinking, is integral in the shift to sustainable existence.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/be-open-and-cumulus-announce-the-jury-for-design-for-sustainable-cities-student-competition-in-support-of-un-sdgs-301211932.html

SOURCE BE OPEN Foundation

42% are in favor of the project, which will boost Maine’s economy and drive down carbon emissions, 35% are opposed and the rest are undecided.

MONTRÉAL, Jan. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – A state-wide poll conducted during the second week of January 2021 shows that there is clear support for the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project in Maine. Our poll of 500 Maine voters found a plurality of Mainers support the corridor. Forty-two percent (42%) support the project, while just 35% are opposed.

Hydro-Québec has been hearing positive feedback from Mainers across the state who are enthusiastic about the project. This January 2021 poll was conducted to verify support for the NECEC. It shows that claims of widespread opposition to the New England Clean Energy Connect project in Maine are wrong.

Hydro-Québec values fact-based information and will continue to inform Mainers about the project and its benefits.

Mainers concerned about oil & gas companies funding opposition to the powerline

The survey also reveals that most Mainers are concerned about the fact that opposition to the Clean Energy Corridor is funded by the fossil fuel industry. A majority (55%) of Maine voters say they are concerned that NECEC opponents get funding from out-of-state oil and gas companies. An even stronger majority (62%) say they do not trust these companies to help determine Maine’s energy future – just 14% say they do trust them.

About the NECEC

The NECEC will deliver 1,200 MW of Québec hydropower to the New England electricity grid through Lewiston, Maine. This key piece of clean energy infrastructure will help reduce air pollution while ensuring homes and businesses a competitive, reliable and renewable supply of electricity.

Polling questions

1. As you may know, the Clean Energy Corridor would be a transmission line in Maine that would bring hydropower from Québec to Maine and New England. It has received all the necessary permits and clearances from federal and state authorities so far. Generally speaking, would you say you support building the transmission line?

Yes 42%
No 35%
Don’t know 23%

2. The opposition to the Clean Energy Corridor gets funding from out of state energy companies, including oil and gas companies who want to keep selling fossil fuel for energy generation in Maine. How concerned are you that it is being funded by these companies?

Very or somewhat concerned 55%
Not too concerned or not at all concerned 36%
Don’t Know 9%

3. Would you say you trust or do not trust out-of-state oil and gas companies to help determine Maine’s energy future?

Trust 14%
Don’t Trust 62%
Don’t Know 24%

FTP Insights conducted this poll among 500 Maine voters between January 11- 16 2021. The margin of error for the survey is +/- 5.0% at a 95% confidence interval.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-state-wide-poll-shows-mainers-support-for-the-clean-energy-corridor-301212590.html

SOURCE Hydro-Québec

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA) and the United States Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC), today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore a pathway to reciprocity between the two sustainability programs by sharing best practices and collaborating on sustainability program development.

Collaboration between the VCA’s PVC Stewardship Program and VSC’s +Vantage Vinyl™ program seeks to promote global harmonization, broaden recognition of industry leaders, and increase industry participation in these sustainability programs.

«While circumstances vary regionally, sustainability is a global issue and vinyl products participate in a global market,» said Sophi MacMillan, VCA Chief Executive. «It is in the best interest of the industry and society to work across borders to help the vinyl industry to continue to make progress.»

Trade association-led sustainability programs serve an important function to advance voluntary improvements in the industry. Working together, member companies can share best practices leading to continuous improvement throughout the industry.

«Many of our members do business throughout the world,» said Jay Thomas, VSC Executive Director. «Developing a pathway to reciprocity between the various sustainability programs will foster progress by easing the administration burden on companies and encouraging more participation. Increased program participation is a key factor in advancing the sustainability of the industry.»

Companies participating in the PVC Stewardship Program and +Vantage Vinyl programs agree to transparent voluntary commitments and guiding principles of sustainability that are measured and reported on an annual basis. The programs are designed to be inclusive for companies at any stage of the sustainability journey but encourage continuous improvement. The overall performance of member companies is reflected in annual sustainability reporting.

To learn more about the PVC Stewardship Program visit https://www.vinyl.org.au/sustainability/stewardship and https://vantagevinyl.com for more information about +Vantage Vinyl.

Media Contact

Susan Wade, Vinyl Institute, 202-765-2296, swade@vinylinfo.org

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SOURCE Vinyl Sustainability Council