Sustainability
Faced with the challenges of sustainable development, Esch2022 will focus on three pillars and formulate its strategy around these:
pillar 1
Develop and introduce tools that will last in time and space
pillar 2
Create and host a network of players that can provide answers to issues arising from sustainable development
pillar 3
Raise awareness amongst both the local population and the visitors and provide them with information
This strategy will make use of two tools: a charter and a toolbox.
The ESCH2022 Sustainable Development Charter is a citizens’ initiative, the outcome of discussions and consultations between the numerous players in the area of sustainable development in Luxemburg. ESCH2022 will be the first European Capital to acquire such a tool.
The Charter takes up the three issues of sustainable development:
Ecology: for example, the need to improve waste reduction, the fight against food wastage, greater use of soft mobility and public transport, or the return to responsible tourism
Social factors: the will to encourage competition between local players so as to create networks for sharing and mutual assistance, or to introduce a proper strategy for rendering culture accessible to all.
Economy: a genuine encouragement to work with the local infrastructure, put local assets in the spotlight and build bridges between the world of business and culture.
To lend greater credibility to these pledges, we are developing a toolbox which holds not only tangible solutions, but also methods and actions that can be implemented. It is our intention to ensure that these actions will stand the test of time and are anchored in space: they will be long-lasting, because both the tools and the networks will outlive Esch2022, and anchored in the territory because they have been developed together with and for the local players.
It is also worth noting that the Charter’s solutions and tools will often exist already and that we will provide further support and encourage their development. The key concept is “identifying beneficial synergies” between the local Esch2022 players, Luxemburg as a whole and the Greater Region.
The Esch2022 programme and events, together with the communication around the Charter during the festivities, will be an excellent opportunity for making the local population, visitors and participants more aware of what is at stake and how it affects them. This will be done through participatory workshops, artistic creations, exhibitions or conferences, whilst also bringing the invisible commitments and actions to everyone’s attention.
Our guiding principle is to conceive a strategy that will take us well beyond 2022. Esch2022 is a unique opportunity for making sustainable development visible and tangible.