Sebastian @ICLEI World Congress in Edmonton

Thanks to ICLEIS Press serivce you can get here a little overview what I’ll do in Canada from Thrusday. I’ll keep you updated with tweets and shurly will post some pictures as well.

Title: Stadt Freiburg contributes to local sustainability movement with ICLEI in Edmonton, Canada

From 14 to 18 June 2009, Sebastian Müller from Stadt Freiburg will join the triennial World Congress of ICLEI, the largest global association of local governments working on sustainability. The event is hosted by the City of Edmonton (Canada). 500 participants are expected to join the conversation on advancing sustainability in cities and towns.

“Cities are facing financial and ecological challenges. To find viable solutions, we will connect leaders from the municipal, business and academic worlds. We look forward to the contribution of Stadt Freiburg,” says Konrad Otto-Zimmerman, Secretary General of ICLEI.

Since 1990, ICLEI has been leading the movement for local sustainability with global campaigns on climate, water, procurement, biodiversity and more. Its 1000 Members are improving the urban environment for over 400 million people in 68 countries.

At the event, keynote speakers such as Matthis Wackernagel, the co-creator of the concept of the “Ecological Footprint” and Alex Wong from the World Economic Forum will provide insights into future scenarios that cities will face. Delegates will also connect with each other in smaller sessions aimed at strengthening the connection with the global ICLEI Network and share local expertise.

The City of Edmonton is serious about becoming one of Canada’s most sustainable cities. In May 2009, it received the ISO 14001 environmental certification and it is one of a few municipalities in the world to implement the standard on such a large scale. For the past year citizens are participating in Edmonton’s ‘EcoVision’ through local initiatives. Participants will get a chance to explore Eco-Edmonton by visiting some of the City’s world-class projects on the environment.

During the event follow the proceedings of the Congress through podcasts, videos and more at www.iclei.org/worldcongress2009