Sustainable governance and green procurements were discussed at Tallinn’s green governance conference
Today, the international conference on green governance “Changing Course: empowering sustainability through green governance” took place at the Tallinn Creative Hub. Over 24 representatives from 10 countries participated.
As the European Green Capital for 2023, Tallinn has set green governance as a priority, emphasizing inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient urban management. In the opening speech of the conference, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn Tiit Terik highlighted the significant role of municipalities in achieving sustainable development. “The political decisions on value decisions and procurements shape the environment,” said Terik.
According to the Deputy Mayor, green governance helps create a cleaner and healthier city for everyone. “This conference offers an excellent opportunity to discuss this topic with leaders in the field, learn from each other, and gain inspiration. We will hear stories about how different cities apply the principles of green governance, thus supporting the goals of the European Green Deal,” said Terik.
The aim of the green governance conference was to bring together local governments, businesses, and all those interested in green governance in the Baltic Sea region, providing a valuable opportunity for networking to facilitate collaboration and mutual learning. Additionally, the conference served as a platform for exchanging experiences and sharing best practices.
The central theme of the conference was environmentally friendly public procurements, recognizing its crucial role in implementing green governance and promoting sustainable consumption and production. Local governments have significant potential to achieve sustainability goals through their procurement processes, especially by ensuring that these are not only climate-neutral but also circular.
“Green procurements must become the new normal. In the future, we won’t have to talk about environmentally friendly, circular, or low-carbon footprint procurements. We can talk about public sector procurements that naturally include environmental and, why not, social aspects,” said Evelin Piirsalu, Senior Expert at the Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Center, in her opening presentation at the conference.
The conference also marked the opening of the NonHazCity competition for environmentally friendly buildings and construction processes, recognizing local governments for promoting chemical-free circular economy and climate-neutral construction. The award is presented as part of the NonHazCity3 project, in which Tallinn is a partner city.
The green governance conference was organized by the City of Tallinn, the Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Center, and the Baltic Environmental Forum, and the event was part of the Tallinn GreenTech Week.
The conference can be viewed here.
Photos: Aleksandr Guzhov
