Necessary Transition

Culture|Futures Club: Vertical Cities

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Insights into the Sustainability Culture in slum areas in India

Organised in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Culture|Futures and CPH DOX on 5 November 2012 at the Cinematheque

We show the Indian film ‘Vertical Cities’ by Avjit Mukul Kishore – a movie about slums and ‘megacities’ – and have invited the director of the film as well as the Indian journalist Shastri Ramachandran (Executive Director at the National Centre for Advocacy Studies and former editor and writer at Global Times) to give a keynote speech at the event.

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Symposion on culture & sustainable development

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The French and Québec ministries of culture organize a symposion on culture and sustainable development 22 and 23 November 2012 in Paris. Read more about the symposion at www.culture-dd12.org  

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Call for Proposals – SCORAI

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The Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI) is organizing an international conference on the theme of “The Future of Consumerism and Well-being in a World of Ecological Constraints” on June 12-14, 2013, at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. The conference seeks:

  1. To improve our understanding of the complex driving forces underlying prevalent consumerist lifestyles in the wealthy parts of the globe;
  2. To generate insights about fostering a necessary transition toward alternative ways of pursuing individual and societal well-being in a technological society cognizant of ecological limits;
  3. To build on recent developments to establish a vibrant global research community focused on sustainable consumption.

Proposals are invited for conference sessions, individual papers, and posters based on theoretical and applied research. Especially welcome are interdisciplinary contributions that address consumerism from different perspectives; alternative visions and framings of post-consumerism; and emergent contours of post-consumerist society.

Prospective participants are encouraged to visit http://www.scorai.org for more complete information,including details on the submission of session proposals and paper and poster abstracts. Information is also available on target dates, registration and fees, and accommodations.

The deadline for the submission of session proposals/paper and poster abstracts is October 1, 2012.

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

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Backstage Sustainability Workshop, Roskilde Festival 2012

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Roskilde Festival and Backstage invites you to Backstage Sustainability Workshop on July 3rd from 10:00-14:00. Get a guided tour of the festival ground and experience quirky experiments, green installations and sustainable solutions.

For registration, see:

http://roskildegruppen.dk/raadgivning_viden/backstage/backstage_2012/sustainability/

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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EcoAçãoCultural Seminar, 25-26th of November 2011

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As a result of the Culture|Futures Conference in Sao Paulo May 30th 2011, the following key Sao Paulo institutions; British Council, Centro Cultural da Espanha, Centro Cultural São Paulo, Crie Futuros, Instituto Cultural da Dinamarca, Instituto Cultural Italiano, Instituto Goethe, Virada Sustentável, Serviço Social da Indústria (SESI), Universidade Aberta do Meio Ambiente e da Cultura da Paz (UMAPAZ) have united a group called EcoAçãoCultural, which will join forces the 25-26 of November to  discuss sustainability. The seminar will deal with the questions of how the institutions can implement sustainability in their own daily work and how they approach culture, artistic and social work in a sustainable way.

The themes to discuss at the seminar will be:

  • The way we live
  • The right ways of organizing a sustainable platform
  • Cultural/Creative economy
  • Creative networking and art production

At the seminar there will be speakers from Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Germany and United Kingdom.

Venue of seminar 25-26th November at Centro Cultural Sao Paulo, Sala de Oficinas Tarsila do Amaral – Piso Caio Graco.

For further information and indication of interest go to www.culturefutures.ning.com or contact:

Maibrit Thomsen,
mai@dinacultura.org
Tlf: + 55 21 2532 0599
Culture|Futures

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Culture|Futures conference in Milan, Italy: Oct 19, 2011

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The amazing Palazzo Marino in Milan will October 19th 2011 be the setting for another international Culture|Futures conference, which in Milan is organised by Ragnarock Association in cooperation with the City of Milano and other partners.

The conference will discuss the role that Scandinavian and Italian actors in the creative industry have in reaching an ecological age that is the Culture|Futures vision for 2050.

The conference will also be focusing on the way design, food, fashion and innovation can guide people towards more sustainable standards of living in the next few years.

To speak at the conference, Culture|Futures and Ragnarock have invited several guests from the sector to talk about how they connect creativity and sustainability, the guest-list includes among many others Kigge Hvid (CEO of INDEX), Francesco Paulo Zurlo (Vice director of INDACO) and Guizy Bettoni (Director of CLASS).

For further details on the Culture|Futures Conference in Milan and the full program and guest-list of the day download the Culture Futures programme

For registration  please write conferenza@ragnarock.eu

Please also see, RSVP the Italia Facebook Event page

If any other question, please contact:

Elisabetta Ferrario

e-mail: elisabettaferrario@ragnarock.eu
mobile: (+39) 3473578941.

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Culture|Futures Invitation: Eco-Leadership by Cultural Institutions Venue: São Paulo Cultural Centre 30 May 2011

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Invitation: Eco-Leadership by Cultural Institutions
Venue: São Paulo Cultural Centre
30 May 2011

Download Sao Paulo Culture|Future Conference – Program


Workshops for cultural managers and practitioners
31 May 2011

Venues: Goethe Institute, British Council & Centro Cultural da Espanha em São Paulo


Organized by:

Culture|Futures and the City of São Paulo in cooperation with
C40 cities, EUNIC Brazil, Danish Cultural Institute, Spanish Culture Centre/AECID, British Council, Goethe Institute, Crie Futuros, Arup and other partners at the occasion of the World Summit of the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40)

Culture|Futures Sao Paulo 2011 and partners logos


Conference Program

Eco-Leadership by Cultural Institutions - May 30th 2011, Cultural Centre of São Paulo

Aims and objectives

The overall aim is to foster cultural actions for the transition to an Ecological Age by 2050.

The objectives are:

  1. To inspire cultural institutions in São Paulo to consider new eco-social practices and leadership.
  2. To provide international mutual inspiration and exchange on the vision of an Ecological Age and how cultural institutions in their normal own practice can provide eco-leadership.
  3. To mark the initiation of a new global network for large cultural institutions on eco-leadership.

Program

MC: Wellington

8:45 – 9:15 Arrivals and registration

9:15 – 9:30 General explanation about Culture|Futures, the conference & workshop programs and the whole process

  • •Olaf Gerlach-Hansen, Director of Culture|Futures.

9:30 – 10:00: Opening Address

  • EUNIC President Ana Paula Laborinho
  • Ministry of Culture Secretary Marta Porto
  • City of São Paulo Cultural Secretary CALIL

10:00 – 11:30: Global Key Notes on Connecting Culture and Ecology

  • Mark Watts, Arup (expected): International key note on Entering an Ecological Age.Mark Watts is managing the C40 team in Arup, advising cities around the world on sustainable urban development. His presentation is based on a research done on what the global transition to an ecological age, will require for cities around the world.
  • Lala Dehenzelin: South-South key note on the Creative Economy and sustainability.Lala Dehenzelin is UNDP Special Advisor on the Creative Economy South – South Programme, founder of Cries Futuros and has a background in arts and culture.

Questions & Answers

11:30 – 12:30: Lowering carbon and ecological footprint and benefitting from it

Moderator: Ricardo Voltolini (tbc)

  • Justine Simons, Head of Culture, Greater London Authority: The creative industries green programme in the context of the London Mayor’s Cultural Strategy. The experience of working with the creative sector to lower carbon footprint through goals, practical guides, tips etc. So far with sub-sectors of music, visual arts, film, theatre and now fashion and others coming.
  • Danilo Santos de Miranda, Director SESC São Paulo (tbc): The experience of SESC São Paulo on lowering carbon and ecological footprint in their centres

Question & Answers / dialogue with audience on greening cultural sector based on experiences of institutions in different disciplines.

LUNCH: 12:30 – 14.00

14:00 – 15:00: Re-thinking culture/nature and communication with audiences

Moderator: Paulina Chamorro (Eldorado) ou Denis Russo (Revista VEJA)(tbc)

  • •Janek Müller, fmr. theatre director, current curatorial team-member and dramatic adviser for the Über Lebenskunst festival. Über Lebenskunst is a project initiated by the German Federal Cultural Foundation in cooperation with the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin.
  • Ana Dip, Somos um Só Project

Q & A/dialogue with panel from Sao Paulo/international persons on connecting cultural content and communication with ecology

15:00 – 16:30: Culture – Ecology and Community

Moderator: Felipe Chaimovich, curator from MAM (tbc)

  • Philip Vencken, architect advising founder of Cradle to Cradle, Baumgartner.Introduction on applying cradle to cradle approach to city/community development. Dutch cities are now leading this worldwide
  • Hernani Dias, artist, founder of “re:farm the city”. Refarm the city (aka re:farm) is a collective project started and led by Hernani Dias with the purpose of developing open source software and hardware tools for urban farmers. Its now linking groups in Barcelona, Lisboa, Buenos Aires, New York and Beijing.
  • Questions & Answers/dialogue with panel from SP/int‘ on how culture can be part of community, city, regional or sector greening programs

16:30 – 17:30: Closing panel on the power of culture for green growth

  • Apresentacao dos workshops – MC
  • Olaf Gerlach-Hansen – Presenting Culture|Futures global eco-leadership network for cultural institutions and cities
  • Eduardo Jorge, Secretaria do Verde (tbc)
  • Ricardo Resende, Director of Cultural Center of São Paulo

17:30 – 19.00 Reception and social networking

Please note program is subject to change

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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An update and welcome to Culture|Futures 2011

This post comes to you from Culture|Futures

A  warm welcome to: Culture|Future partners, cultural institutions and cultural actors from around the world

Culture|Futures’ spiral of engagement in 2011 is expanding…

Welcome to the new website and the strategies for Culture|Futures over the next decades.

Please see the

  • information about the events planned for 2011 on the News Page
  • information on Culture|Futures  strategic Vision

If you are new to Culture|Futures you may be interested in its history since 2007

Please feel free to share this resource site and its information to other Cultural Institutions, Cultural actors and practitioners in your area.

You or your organisation may also wish to join and share information about your cultural activities in this area on the Culture|Futures Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and News links below

__________________________________

Individuals are invited to connect to Culture|Futures through the Culture|Futures ning.community

This site will be re-launched in the near future at www.culturefutures.ning.com

Please also connect with  Culture|Futures social media: you can also sign up  for email updates by entering your email on the homepage

facebook logo link  youtube logo culturefutures link  culturefutures twitter logo link  culturefutures news feed logo

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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culture | futures

How a ‘spiral of engagement’ of Culture, Sustainability & Policy intends to create an Ecological Age by 2050

by Juhi Shareef, Martin Farrell, and Olaf Gerlach-Hansen

Published in the Winter edition of the CSPA Quarterly, which was focused on the 2009 United Nations Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen.  To view or order back issues, visit http://magcloud.com/browse/Magazine/38626.  To subscribe to the CSPA QUARTERLY, join us! https://www.sustainablepractice.org/join-the-cspa/

In 1982 UNESCO defined culture as

“… the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group. It includes not only arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and beliefs.”

Background

Culture|Futures is an expanding, positive ‘spiral of engagement’: a collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an  ‘Ecological Age’ by 2050. Culture|Futures is the brainchild of Olaf Gerlach-Hansen from the Danish Cultural Institute and Peter Head from the engineering firm Arup and was first presented at the UN Climate Change Summit (COP 14) in Poznan, Poland. The positive reception it received has since led to ongoing activities in London, Brussels and recently, a three-day Launch Symposium and Working Seminar in Copenhagen in the run up to COP 15.

This was organised in collaboration with many important international cultural organisations and actors in the cultural field, including the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC), the International Federation for Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies (IFACCA), the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF), Arup, Cultura21, the European Cultural Foundation, the Association for Performing Art Presenters and the RSA. UNESCO and the European Commission also attended.

These events brought together well over a hundred artists, musicians, filmmakers, architects, designers, international cultural institutions and many more cultural actors and organisations from 27 countries and 5 continents. The participants discussed the cultural sector’s visions for an ecological age and the relationship between cities, culture and an Ecological Age. These discussions were facilitated by a draft Background Paper, comprising practical actions, sustainability  recommendations and case studies, that is currently being reviewed to include feedback from participants. A strategy is now being developed based on the event outcomes.

A key outcome of the Culture|Futures events was a letter to the then President of COP 15, Connie Hedegaard. The letter stated that “a large number of private sector, public and civil society, cultural organisations in the world have agreed to collaborate on a cultural agenda to achieve a sustainable future by 2050” and called for COP 15 to formulate “a cultural agenda”.

What is an ‘Ecological Age’?

 An Ecological Age is defined as having achieved an 80% reduction of carbon emissions in developed countries compared to 1990 levels (50% reduction at world level), the lowering of the global ecological footprint to 1,44 gha/person based on a projected population, and furthermore an improved Human Development Index.

This definition is a contribution from Peter Head, a Director at Arup – the design-engineering firm better known for the engineering of the Sydney Opera House and the ‘bubble cube’ aquatics centre at the Beijing Olympics that has also  developed detailed designs for the eco-cities of the future.

As part of the Brunel Lecture Series, Peter Head in 2008-9, discussed the definition in the lecture ‘‘Entering the Ecological Age: The Engineer’s Role””

 which has been peer-reviewed by numerous international organizations and NGOs. The    lecture content has been informed by an ongoing dialogue with business leaders and policy-makers who have shared   practical realities, local solutions and best sustainability practices from each location. One of the outcomes of the dialogue has been  a powerful message that an Ecological Age will not be achieved without widespread cultural and behavioural change.

The Role of Culture

The cultural sector has a unique part to play in creating an Ecological Age by 2050. It is trusted, collaborative, interactive and transformative – and it is everywhere in all communities, in rich and diverse shapes and forms.

The cultural sector is understood to be an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policymaking, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research & development.  Cultural actors are people, institutions and enterprises in art, design & architecture, film & media, cultural heritage, sport, education, leisure, communication and many more areas. 

Many cultural actors choose to express their perspectives about sustaining life on earth through their chosen media.  In diverse and creative ways they bring their perspectives alive and as they do so, the thinking and behaviours of people and communities are affected and gradually begin to change. As living sustainably gradually becomes accepted, an Ecological Age evolves.

However, we face a cultural challenge of enormous proportions. An ecological transition can fail if it is not supported by cultural development. Political, economic and technological solutions are crucial, but they are not enough. For example, without cultural development these solutions can be expected to face a backlash from voters that would undermine political will for new ecological policies, and even support the return of previous unhelpful policies. As stated by  UNESCO:

“Achieving sustainability will depend ultimately on changes in behavior and lifestyles, changes which will need to be motivated by a shift in values and rooted in the cultural and moral precepts upon which behavior is     predicated. Without change of this kind, even the most enlightened legislation, the cleanest technology, the most sophisticated research will not succeed in steering society towards the long-term goal of sustainability.”

Diversity is essential to the ecological cultural transformation. The UNESCO 2005 convention on “The Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions” provides a normative cultural policy instrument to constructively deal with the challenge of retaining diversity in the face of globalisation.

New cultural responses and paradigms are still under development and urgently required; the positive incentive of a better future life arguably outweighs the negative. Culture has a fundamental role to inspire as well as the inevitable requirement to make its own practices sustainable. 

Culture, climate and ecology are all cross-sectoral policy issuess. Addressing the cultural dimension of how to deliver an Ecological Age by 2050 is thus relevant not only to cultural sector policies, but to all policies at local, national and  international levels.

Underpinning Principles

Participants of the Copenhagen events and the wider Culture|Futures community have been asked to consider the principles which will inform the further development of Culture|Futures.  Based on the input to the discussions at the  Copenhagen Culture|Futures working seminar, the preliminary formulation of these principles is that Culture|Futures will:

Proceed with a sense of modesty in service to the noble idea of creating an Ecological Age.  Culture|Futures will therefore seek recognition for itself only in so far as it achieves this goal – it will not seek to create a self serving brand identity.


Seek to engage cultural actors across the globe. Culture|Futures is seeking to sustain human and all life by addressing global warming, the planet’s limited biocapacity and human development, which are all interdependent and global issues. 


Create an enabling environment for cultural action by (1) advocacy and bridgebuilding vis a vis governments and other large stakeholders for establishing policies, strategies and actions, which together will enable the ecological age; (2) offer a global platform for diverse culture actors from different sectors, who freely act from their own local, regional or international base, to inspire each other; and (3) encourage research on best practices fostering sustainable living, behavior and structural change.


Hold the vision and imperative of an Ecological Age in 2050 whilst being realistic about what can be done immediately and quickly to move towards it.  This means that planning horizons, particularly now, are short (eg now to summer 2010, and the following few years), but may extend as Culture|Futures unfolds.

Three Strategic Objectives

The strategic direction for for Culture|Futures over the coming years is now being considered, having first been outlined at a meeting of key partners in Brussels in October 2009. The current three, mutually interdependent, strategic objectives for Culture|Futures are:


i)   Advocacy and bridge building with key stakeholders, with a priority on cities

I.e. to create an enabling environment for cultural actions which together will create an ecological age by 2050 by collaborating with key stakeholders. One key focus is likely to be urban development: urban cultures will   increasingly be decisive for shaping the conditions for sustainable living. With cities moving from constituting 50% in 2010 to 75% of world population in 2050 and therefore carrying much of the ecological strain related to this change, they are a natural choice for an initial strategic focus for global cultural action.

ii)  Building a worldwide platform for cultural action for sustainable living

This will mean the establishment of a global cultural platform which will enhance the ability of key actors in the cultural sector to partner with other stakeholders to take cultural actions for sustainable living.

iii) Building a basis for research, learning and inspiration

I.e. to i) establish research on cultural actions for sustainable living ii) communicate research and learn to inspire and improve practices  iii) build an evidence basis for assessing which actions are most efficient in relation to achieving the goal of sustainable living and an Ecological Age by 2050.

Whilst 2050 is four decades away, it is essential to act now to strengthen dialogues, foster synergies, learn and share best practices, and do what culture does best: inspire.

For more information, including the programme of events at Copenhagen, the Background Paper, visit: http://www.culturefutures.org

To join the Culture|Futures community and contribute to the conversation, visit: www.culturefutures.ning.com Also on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Authors:

Juhi Shareef of JUHi SHAREEF & ASSOCIATES:   www.juhishareef.com

Martin Farrell of get2thepoint:   www.get2thepoint.org

Olaf Gerlach-Hansen of the Danish Cultural Institute and Culture, Development & International Cooperation (CuDIC):   www.dankultur.dk