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ECOLINK:
Ecocentres as a tool for local sustainable development and for environmental research implementation

Supported by the Fifth framework programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities. Project N EVG-2002-00509

Project summary report

www.ecosites.net

Foreword by the European Commission The Ecolink project What is an ecosite ? The different functions of an ecosite Ecosites and research, demonstration, dissemination Summary table: R&D capacities of ecosites Conclusions of the four Ecolink workshops
1 - what are the roles of ecosites in facilitating the implementation of environmental research and development ? 2 - what are the interactions between ecosites, nature conservation and applied scientific research ? 3 - how do ecosites contribute to local sustainable development, and what research is needed to support this ? 4 - what are the roles of ecosites in the development and implementation of EU environmental and sustainable development policies ?

Conclusions of the Ecolink inventory of ecosites Conclusions of case studies Data sheet of ecosites and ecocentres Ecosite case studies
Austria (kopark Hartberg) page 12 Colorado (RMI) page 13 Denmark (Folkecenter) page 14 England (HDRA) page 15 France (Ecosite du Pays de Thau) page 16 France (Terre Vivante) page 17 Germany (Artefact) page 18 Netherlands (De Kleine Aarde) page 19 Poland (ICPPC) page 20 Switzerland (kozentrum Langebruck) page 21 Sweden (Ekocentrum Gteborg) page 22 Wales (CAT) page 23

Project conclusions and recommendations

Ecolink Project Overview:

Project supported by the European Commission : References: Dates: WorkPackages Fifth framework programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities ECOLINK EVG-2002-00509 1 January 30th September 2003 inventory of relevant research (lead partner: Barcelona Autonomous University) inventory of ecosites, ecocentres and comparable organisations and projects (lead partner: CAT, Wales) case studies of ecosites and of ecosite projects (lead partner: Ecosite du Pays de Thau, France) four thematic workshops (see table pages 6-7) conclusions and dissemination (lead partner: Ecosite du Pays de Thau, France) including workshop reports, inventory results, case studies and overall project report: www.ecosites.net

Web site

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With the adoption of the EU Strategy on Sustainable Development in Gotenburg in 2001, the European Union added an environmental dimension to the Lisbon process, which set the ambition of developing Europe as the most competitive knowledge based economy in the world within 2010. The European Commission contributes actively to implementing this strategy and DG Research in particular through the concept of the European Research Area and its current 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. The ECOLINK project has, through four workshops in 2003 which assembled some 200 experts from a wide range of organisations and stakeholders, managed to develop a European network of research institutions, environmental innovation and demonstration centres (Ecosites), contributing to the implementation of sustainable development at local level. Ecosites have an important role to play in implementing, demonstrating and disseminating results from environmental research and innovation activities. In this context, their potential contribution to a better dissemination of information to society, as well as their capacity to ensure training of industries and local authorities for solving local environmental issues, could represent a promising support to the Environmental Technology Action Plan (ETAP). Through presentations and discussions on scientific, technological, economical and social subjects, as well as practical demonstrations of well adapted solutions to local environmental problems, the events have shown the success of this network, demonstrating the feasibility of local operations relevant to sustainable development, with substantial impact and great local enthusiasm. The Ecosite concept, which has already proved successful in Europe, as well as in some cases in USA and Australia, has a great potential for further development in particular in the Associate Candidate Countries, and every efforts to strengthen this should be encouraged. The ECOLINK consortium, as well as other interested parties, should be encouraged to continue developing Ecosites and their networking throughout Europe and worldwide. Per Backe-Hansen European Commission DG Research, Directorate I - Environment Policy aspects and strategy for sustainable development

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Ecosites
Ecosites are environment demonstration centres dedicated to innovation and knowledge transfer, often combining applied sustainable development R&D activities with a visitor centre and information, education and training activities, and thus generating economic spin-off and contributing to local development. A small number of ecosites have been operating for over 25 years, proving the viability of such centres. Over the last few years, there has been a considerable spread of interest in these centres, from NGOs wishing to promote environmental protection and education and from local authorities wishing to develop a focal point for local sustainable development: a number of new centres have been established, not always successfully. Also recently, the potential of such centres in providing practical experience in testing, adapting, implementing, demonstrating and disseminating sustainable development research has been identified by European decision makers and researchers. The Ecolink project aimed to bring together ecosite operators, stakeholders and the research community to better define the roles and interactions between ecosites and research, as well as to establish operational networks for further work, exchange and experience transfer.

Ecosite du Pays de Thau

ecosites and ecosite projects, and four workshops (see box). The workshops brought together researchers and ecosite operators to discuss modes of cooperation in specific areas. Each workshop took place at one of Europes longest standing and recognised ecosites, with a scientific research institute taking responsibility for the workshop participant invitations and content. Some 200 people took part in the workshops, representing countries across Europe and in some cases other continents and from a wide range of organisations (environment centres and ecosites, NGOs, local authorities, research institutes, large and small companies). The workshops brought together ecosites who had never met before, and allowed direct exchange with a number of promoters of ecosite projects. It was emphasised that there are a very wide variety of environment centres active in Europe, and that it is important to define what specifically is meant by an ecosite.

Ecolink
The 9-month Ecolink project involved inventories of relevant research and of existing ecosites and similar centres, short case studies of a number of best practice

The four Ecolink workshops: 1 - what are the roles of ecosites in facilitating the implementation of environmental research and development ? (content: Barcelona Autonomous University ; ecosite: De Kleine Aarde, The Netherlands) 2 - what are the interactions between ecosites, nature conservation and research ? (content: BOKU Vienna; ecosite: CAT, Wales ) 3 - how do ecosites contribute to local sustainable development, and what research is needed to support this ? (content: Montpellier University ; ecosite: Folkecenter, Denmark) 4 - what are the roles of ecosites in the development and implementation of EU environmental and sustainable development policies ? (content: EC Joint Research Centre, Ispra ; ecosite: Ecosite du Pays de Thau, France )
Folkecenter for Renewable Energy

The bringing together of different actors in the workshops resulted in agreement on a definition of an ecosite, and led to the establishment of the European Federation of Ecosites. This will enable a clarification of ecosite status, through the future development of a label and a structured ecosite R&D offer to research institutes and other stakeholders looking for applied R&D services, testing, dissemination, demonstration or other facilities (see table page 5).

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Defining an ecosite
There exists across Europe a wide range of different environment centres, including nature interpretation centres, regional natural parks, botanic gardens, natural history museums, research field centres, field teaching centres, environmental technology or enterprise parks. These all have certain ecosite activities so what is an ecosite, and what are the distinctive features which make ecosites a relevant and effective tool for sustainable development R&D implementation ? Discussion around the Ecolink workshops took as a starting point the 10 ecosite functions (see this page) identified by the studies carried out by Ecosite du Pays de Thau for the European Commission Joint Research Centre (2000, published at www.ecosites.net ). Participants agreed what makes an ecosite an ecosite is the combination, on one site, of innovation/research activities, demonstration and proactive dissemination (visitor centre, training, outreach).

The definition of an ecosite As adopted in the European Federation of Ecosites statutes An ecosite is a demonstration site dedicated to innovation and knowledge transfer to promote environmental protection and equitable sustainable development. An ecosite is a centre which: Is a physical site (or local network of related sites), Actively promotes and contributes to environmental protection, sustainable development and social equity Develops, on site, sustainable development related innovation (such as research, experimentation, testing) Proactively carries out actions for knowledge transfer, such as awareness campaigns, education, training, interpretation, and where receiving visitors and demonstrating environmental technologies/systems is a regular and integral part of the sites activities

Solar Panels, kopark Hartberg, Austria

The ten functions of an ecosite A key factor is the synergy between these different functions: the demonstration, training or visitors activities enable hands-on testing, adaptation and monitoring of R&D innovations, providing feedback to research. But at the same time, the ongoing research and innovation means that training is state of the art (attractive to trainees or stakeholders) and that there is always something new to show visitors. The definition below was elaborated in discussions around the first two Ecolink workshops, and was then adopted in the statutes of the European Federation of Ecosites (EF-Ecos see www.ecosites.net ) created in an ad-hoc meeting alongside the third workshop. Like any definition, this is imperfect and destined, no doubt, to evolve, and the Federation has already set in motion a process of defining more precise criteria for an ecosite label. The following ecosite functions have been identified. Different functions are developed at different rhythms by given ecosites as a function of existing activities, local priorities, capacities and means, but the overall set of functions provides a development objective. The balance and synergy between different functions appear to be keys to ecosite effectiveness and viability. 1) Protection of the environment 2) Centre of competence for sustainable development research and innovation 3) Equity and solidarity 4) Sustainable local/regional development, in particular job creation 5) Territorial identity and culture 6) Environmental technology or systems development, testing and implementation 7) Professional training and knowledge transfer 8) Demonstration site for environmental technologies and know-how 9) Public environmental awareness, outreach, visitor centre
Visitors, CAT, Wales

10) International exchange and development

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Water classroom, Earth Centre, England

The Ecolink workshops brought together actors who do not usually meet and exchange (ecosite practitioners and professional researchers), which provided a fruitful forum for the discussion of environmental research and development, and the comparison of conventional or institutional research with R&D activities in ecosites. Research and sustainable innovation are key functions in ecosites, yet the workshop showed that there is an important gap between ecosites and formal research. The very applied R&D carried out by ecosites (through to testing and full-scale demonstration) is traditionally not considered as real research by academics, and further, many areas of applied innovation developed by ecosites are not, or have not until recently, been recognised as respectable or serious research domains (be it home composting, green building techniques, natural waste water treatment, organic gardening or community ecology) despite their significant implications for sustainable development. Also, ecosites rarely publish their work through peer-reviewed journals, preferring professional media, information pamphlets or courses. Often, ecosites do not speak the language of the research world and understanding R&D programme funding processes can be an obstacle to preparing projects.

technology demonstration and development, but are also increasingly active in areas of applied social ecology R&D, such as eco-districts, community transport systems, ecocitizenship and consumer behaviour. Ecosites also play a significant role in ensuring dialogue between R&D and stakeholders, be it through public visitors, NGO links, publications, or their range of on-site training courses for professionals, SMEs, students and decision makers. Ecosites play an important role in providing unbiased advice and positions on R&D issues and on products, prototypes or systems; for the longstanding ecosites this is reinforced by the reputation developed as practitioners of a range of technologies. Finally, and by virtue of their generally high credibility among the public and other stakeholders, ecocentres can develop new roles as mediators for environmental questions or can act as catalysts for enhancing public participation in environmental matters. However, this potential of ecosites to contribute to R&D implementation and dissemination is today probably largely underused: a number of ecosites have poorly developed R&D activities and few links with research institutes, other environment centres do not today have innovation/ R&D activities despite a clear stakeholder demand. To address this, a structured programme should be initiated to inventory ecosite R&D potential, to network with relevant research institutes and to facilitate the development of joint programmes.

Plastics recycling, Ecosite du Pays de Thau, France

What ecosites do for research implementation * develop new sustainable technologies or systems from the research stage through to the pilot demonstration stage * adaptation of new technologies or systems to specific applications, local conditions, markets * appropriate systems development through to economic, consumer-friendly, or SME-transferable applications * demonstration, with both the credibility of a handson demonstration system operated in the field at an ecosite, and the recognised, independent opinion of the ecosite on its performance * feedback to researchers, through monitoring and assessment of prototype/ demonstration systems, including monitoring of stakeholder reactions (visitors, trainees ) and independent expert opinion * development of and feedback concerning local sustainable development tools and policies * capacity to directly involve stakeholders by on-site involvement of visitors or testing through members * targeted dissemination through professional media

Implementation
Both the EU 6th Framework Programme and national research programmes now emphasise applied R&D and implementation dissemination of research results. Ecosites offer fast reacting, flexible, responsive and problem-driven research, with the ability to ensure very practical applied testing, adaptation and implementation. Participants therefore concluded that ecosites offer a potentially significant tool for transfer of research through to implementation, but that to achieve this, improved understanding and dialogue between ecosites and the research community is necessary. There is a need, however, for ecosites to develop more structured research programme management, in order to better communicate with conventional research institutions. Ecosites are particularly experienced in environmental

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Below is an overview summary of the thematic R&D capacities offered by a number of ecosites. This does not claim to be comprehensive or provide an acurate assessment but an indication of these ecosites different thematic areas.

Ecosite du Pays de Thau France

HDRA England

RMI Colorado

ICPPC Poland

covered by ecosites
energy savings and management wind energy thermal solar solar electricity (photovoltaic) wood burning biogas (methane production)

Po Delta Ecosite Italy

Artefact Germany

kozentrum Switzerland

Folkecenter Denmark

Terre Vivante France

Themes

Ekocentrum Gteborg Sweden

kopark Hartberg Austria

De Kleine Aarde Netherlands

hydro wave power hydrogen plant oil for motor vehicles sewage treatment water supply and savings solid waste/ composting solid waste/ recycling of plastics, paper, etc

environmental technologies/ clean production transport systems global footprint eco-buildings (new buildings) eco-rehabilitation of existing buildings urban community redevelopment organic gardening

sustainable and/or healthy food systems nature protection/ biodiversity nature/ landscape/ ecosytem interpretation brownfield site rehabilitation eco-tourism coastal zone management stakeholder processes and governance

strong R&D competence

organic farming

some R&D in this area

reuse of materials flows

limited activities in this area

other biomass

CAT Wales

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1st Ecolink Workshop

Ecosites and the implemention of environmental research and development Content: Barcelona Autonomous University Held at: De Kleine Aarde ecosite, The Netherlands 13th-16th March 2003 The Workshops objective was to explore the potentialities and constraints of ecocentres as centres for research, development and implementation of new technological and behavioural approaches for sustainable development. The workshop proceeded from general topics such as the state of environmental R&D in the EU, and the presentation of ecocentres, to more specific targets such as the interactions between ecocentres, researchers and funding organizations, and the implementation of R&D as seen by private companies, local and regional authorities and the EU. An important part of the workshop focused on specific case studies, both from the technological and behavioural fields. Presentations, panels and group discussions emphasised similarities and differences between conventional academic research and research performed in ecocentres. Environmental research was envisaged as a continuum with one extreme being represented by top scientific journals and the other extreme by very practical information leaflets on any subject matter related to the environment. There are a number of possibilities for collaboration along this continuum if the virtues of research performed at ecosites (problem-driven, flexible, on site, reactive and keen to obtain quick and useful results) find a way into the academic sphere. A final point worth comment was the interest in developing the links between ecocentres and social science research. For example, ecocentres may help in bridging the gap between scientific and popular conceptions of environmental issues and thus contribute to the solution of environmental conflicts.

2nd Ecolink Workshop

Interactions between ecocentres and nature conservation Content: BOKU - Universitt fr Bodenkultur, Vienna, Austria Held at: CAT Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales 28-29th April 2003 40 participants from 13 European countries, including Eastern European countries, discussed how ecosites can contribute to integrating nature conservation into local sustainable development and what kind of research is needed to achieve this. Unlike environmental technologies, nature conservation is unlikely to lead directly to commercially viable products or spin-offs. There are nonetheless important economic factors at stake in preserving natural resources (e.g. new opportunities for tourism) and the protection of our natural heritage is increasingly important in EU policies.

The workshop concluded that promoting integrative nature conservation is an important task for ecosites: a holistic approach which integrates and harmonises nature conservation with other uses of the landscape in a multifunctional way. The task is ecological, economic but also cultural: a well planned (and so sustainable) utilisation of biotic and abiotic resources, including landscapes, to meet human needs now and in future. Important tasks for ecosites are: - promote holistic research approaches that include human activities, attitudes and emotions - promote a system approach to ecosystem sustainability (not for instance just the preservation of Red Data Book species) - provide mediation platforms between the advocates of nature and those of human needs - demonstrate integrated human use and preservation of nature and biocultural diversity, combined on one site - demonstrate regional solutions for regional problems. In cooperation with Universities and research institutes, ecosites can: - develop practical approaches for sustainable development based on agreed basic principles - develop and evaluate practical methods and tools for sustainability assessment and conflict resolution - develop practical examples of their use in participatory decision processes involving many stakeholders.

Workshop: de Kleine Aarde

Workshop: CAT

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3rd Ecolink Workshop

Ecosites and sustainable local development Content: Lameta Montpellier I University, France Held at: Folkecenter for Renewable Energy, Denmark 23-24th June 2003

4th and final Ecolink Workshop

Ecosites and the implementation of European Union Environment and Sustainable Development policies Content: EC Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra Held at: Ecosite du Pays de Thau, Mze, (Montpellier, France) 18th & 19th September 2003 Over 100 participants from across the world covered ecosite involvement in topics including: renewable energies, the eco-renovation of industrial buildings, exposure to air pollution, water quality monitoring in coastal lagoons, local socio-economic policies, valorisation of natural and cultural heritage, barriers to the implementation of new technologies and public awareness raising and education. - The workshop showed that a network of contacts has been established between on one side ecosites and on the other side universities and research institutions. - Although a number of ecosites have participated on an ad-hoc basis in LIFE Environment or local structural fund projects, the insertion of the Ecosites/Ecocentres into programmes of EC DG Environment or EU regional funding programmes appeared as a weak point. - The future success of the newly created European Federation of Ecosites will depend upon its capacity to provide an additional and specific contribution with regard to existing well-established networks such as for example Local Agenda 21 country networks, the Copernicus Campus University Network for Sustainability and the Global Ecovillage Network. This seems feasible in that ecosites offer specific synergy of functions. - Energy is the starting point of many initiatives of local sustainable development and ecosites play a unique role in the field of renewable energies and energy savings in activities such as education, awareness raising, applied research, innovation, field testing of new systems, diffusion of new technologies to local communities. Ecosites are also active in wider areas of education, such as The Small Earth (De Kleine Aarde) in the Netherlands with local application of the Global Footprint (ecological footprint). - Ecosites/Ecocentres often have active links with SMEs. However, the approach of Rocky Mountain Institute USA (and its spin-off Natural Capitalism Group) should be explored for experience transfer potential. - Ecosites are active in experience transfer to developing countries, but there is need for further work to develop ecosites in European Union Enlargement countries and the Mediterranean Area.

Workshop: Folkecenter

60 actors of sustainable development addressed three different approaches to ecosites and local development (Economic Impacts, Other impacts and Questions for research) and a final panel discussion on innovation and ecosites. The workshop concluded that: - ecosites actually contribute to the local development where they are established, with economic, social, cultural, environmental and political impacts. - the economic stability of ecosites supposes a large diversity of resources. External financial support is generally necessary, with a balance between public and private, local and international. - the activity of ecosites should be based on several durable functions (outreach, demonstration, training, innovation). Ecosites based around the development of only one technology risk dying out at the end of this development. The key-function of all ecosites is doubtless permanent inno-vation, which is necessary for and contributes to the other functions. - ecosites are strategic places for the achievement of public policies for sustainable local development, as meeting points between bottom-up and top-down approaches of this development, and first places where all necessary direct contacts are possible between its actors such as project leaders, investors, politicians, bankers, administrations, insurers - the links between existing ecosites, developed through the Ecolink project, should be multiplied and valorised through a dynamic networking process. The EU might support this considering the network of Ecosites as an instrument for European policies for local sustainable development, based on research and innovation. - researchers should apply methods for the assessment of projects and of public policies to the evaluation of indirect and induced effects of ecosites on employment and environment, and for calculation of indicators of efficiency and sustain-ability. Work is also needed concerning the modelling and the characterisation of ecosites, as well as their networking.

Workshop: Ecosite du Pays de Thau

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The inventory of ecosites and environmental centres in Europe took as a starting point the working definition of an ecosite given page 3. Two inventory tools have been created and made available at www.ecosites.net : - spreadsheet version easily transmitted by e-mail and printable, currently listing nearly 200 centres and projects - database version that can be searched according to a wide range of keywords. It contains richer information than the spreadsheet version, arranged in sections to cluster features that different users might wish to find. Both these versions are provisional, based on the information obtainable to date. It is assumed all fields in the database will eventually be completed and verified, and it will be continually updated and extended, through the European Federation of Ecosites. The database will also include illustrations, and it is intended that it be available in the form of a CD-ROM along with the Ecolink case studies, a photo bank, and other relevant material. In the spreadsheet, analysis has been made in order to try to identify patterns and help prospective users find what they need. Entries are therefore classified into several classes: Core ecosites that fully satisfy all the criteria, and about which reliable information has been obtained. Potential ecosites for which we have insufficient information, or which stretch the definition slightly. Further research and discussion is needed to better define these sites. Question sites that appear not to satisfy all the criteria, but exhibit interesting features that might provoke redefinition in the future. Projected European ecosites, at the planning stage that self-identify with the ecosite concept, but as yet have no operational centre, or have not established physical activity on the site. Active ecosites outside Europe included for the sake of comparison. Their web sites give a good indication of their range of themes and activities.

Centre Pro Natura Champ Pittet, Switzerland

Other types of centre or members of sister networks are sites that clearly do not satisfy all the criteria, but which nevertheless share important features with ecosites, and from which useful information can be derived. Sister networks form a concept introduced to indicate the conceptual and organisational territory in which ecosites are situated. Ecosites themselves have established a network with the European Federation, and there are many other such networks with similar aims, to which the inventory points.

Earth Centre, England

Within some of these classes, useful, if provisional, comparative data has been obtainable concerning income streams, staffing levels and turnover. There is also an attempt to indicate the principal client base for the ecosites. This reveals two important classes. Some sites are principally oriented to a professional clientelethe business, research and government communities. Others are oriented more to a lay or civil clientele the general public, the media and the educational community. This can have a strong bearing on their internal culture, and has given rise to an informal terminology of ecosites (sensu stricto) based on research and business activities, in contrast to ecocentres based on education and tourism. It is probably fair to say that this distinction is the one most noticed by both actors and external observers of the world of ecosites. Occasionally it seems sharp enough to suggest we might have been mistaken in trying to embrace both within the same conceptual and organisational framework, but it does seem, over time, that there is a tendency for sites to incorporate further activities that make them effective in both modes. Synergy, the mutual reinforcement of different activities and modes, thus appears as a key quality shared by all ecosites.

Heeley City Farm, England

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This convergence shows the pertinence and interest of the ecosite concept, as developed in the 10 ecosite functions (see page 3) and by the European Federation of Ecosites.
CAT, Wales

Ekocentrum Gteborg, Sweden

The case studies of ecosites and ecosite projects show the variety of different types of ecosites, with different origins, and operated by different types of organisations (local authority public bodies, NGOs, non profit companies). However, looking at those centres which have operated for a number of years, it is apparent that there is a strong tendency for centres to establish, over time, a range of different ecosite functions, in order to benefit from the possible synergies between these. Thus centres initially established as NGO activist eco-communities have developed R&D and training activities, and centres initially established by local authorities to provide environmental services have developed visitor centres. These different functions feed one another, proving operational synergies, and also providing a spread of different income streams.

All of the more longstanding ecosites studied (established in the 70s and 80s) prove to be, in fact, the work of one man, a visionary creator, capable of not only having an idea, but also of motivating the men and women necessary to enable it to happen. A number of these longstanding centres have survived and developed because of their flat wage structure, with all staff being paid similar or even identical wages, at a level exceptionally low for research and management work. Exceptions are RMI in the USA, and centres which were direct local authority initiatives or which received ongoing structural public core funding.

Local demand
This situation has, however, changed considerably over the last five years, with strong demand from local authorities for ecosite establishment as a focus for local sustainable development. This has led to a number of ecosites and ecocentres being established over recent years (some of which have survived and are developing healthily, others of which closed after only a couple of years or are currently going through restructuring processes). The case studies of successful ecosites show the validity of the ecosite concept and functions, indicating the need to extend this concept towards a practical methodology for assisting projects in the field, and to a structured ecosites label. The studies of a number of projects show that key challenges in implementing ecosite projects, once appropriate local competence, motivation and resources have been mobilised, is to integrate environmental R&D into the project, in particular applied environmental innovation which can lead to income sources and spin-off activities and jobs. This is particularly true for ecosite projects based around nature protection / biodiversity themes, because these are areas where R&D may not readily lead to economically self-funding activities. Public visitors and school education, except in specific circumstances, are unlikely to enable an ecosite to be economically viable. Eco-tourism and conference hosting are areas of increasingly fierce competition between actors across Europe. The European Federation of Ecosites network should provide a key tool in structuring links between ecosites and R&D, and thus facilitating the implementation of innovation and demonstration activities in ecosite projects. The case studies of existing ecosites carried out within the Ecolink project are summarised in the following pages. More detail, and also a number of studies of ecosite projects, are available at www.ecosites.net

ICPPC Ecocentre, Poland

Synergy
Ensuring a balance of several independent income streams (visitors, subsidies, trading, R&D, consulting or technology services, training, conferences) appears as essential for the centres survival. Public visitors, in particular, clearly appear as a generally inadequate and unreliable income source. The public is not willing to pay entrance fees for environment centres adequate to cover the high maintenance and staff costs they generate (the public maybe feels that like museums or nature, access should be subsidised or free). Schools are an important educational target, but often have little or no funds to pay entrance fees. Visitor numbers also fluctuate with tourism trends, or the weather. Income sources such as shops and restaurants are dependent on visitor numbers. For this reason, a number of centres initially established as visitors centres, have developed R&D and training activities, with the visitors providing an important potential for feedback or testing for R&D, but not the centres core income.

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Charities / donations

Membership/journal

Public funds

Tourism

Research

Ecosite partners of the ECOLINK project

Centre for Alternative Technology www.cat.org.uk De Kleine Aarde Ecosite du Pays de Thau Folkecenter www.dekleineaarde.nl www.ecosite.fr www.folkecenter.dk Wales Netherlands France Denmark 1974 1973 1981 1983

Other ecosites and similar environment centres

Artefact - International Centre for Sustainable Development De Twaalf Ambachten - centre for ecological technology Centrum Duurzaambouwen centre for sustainable building CERES Community Environment Park Cultivate Centre for Sustainable Living Den kologiske Have organic gardens

www.artefact.de www.de12ambachten.nl www.cedubo.be www.ceres.org.au www.sustainable.ie www.ecogarden.dk www.earthbalance.org www.earthcentre.org.uk www.ecotech.org.uk http://ecohuis.antwerpen.be www.ekocentrum.nu
www.stromstad.se/mn/ekoparken

Germany Netherlands Belgium Australia Ireland Denmark England, UK England England UK Belgium Sweden Sweden England UK Germany England UK Belgium England England, UK Poland
Canarias, Spain

1995/2001*

1978 1999 1980 1999 1994 2001

1990/1998**

Earth Balance Earth Centre Ecotech EHA Eco-House Ekocentrum Gothenburg Ekopark Stromstad Elm Farm Research Centre Energie und Umweltzentrum Gaia Energy Centre Gents Ecologisch Centrum HDRA Ryton Gardens
Hebden Bridge Alternative Tech. Centre

1999 2003 1993 2002 1984 1981 2001 2002

1954/1985**

www.efrc.com www.e-u-z.de www.gaiaenergy.co.uk www.gec.be www.hdra.org.uk

www.alternativetechnology.org.uk

1998
1999/2002*

ICPPC EcoCentre
ITER Instituto Technologico y de Energias Renovables KampC - centre for sustainable building and living

www.sfo.pl www.iter.es www.provant.be/kampC www.kerryat.com www.ibiza-ecologic.com www.naturgut-ophoven.de www.ohnsgard.se www.oekozentrum.ch www.oekopark.at breedveld@unive.it www.rmi.org www.solarliving.org www.sonairte.com www.sunseed.org.uk www.terrevivante.org

1998 2003 2003 1996 1986

Belgium Ireland Ibiza, Spain Germany Sweden Switzerland Austria Italy Colorado USA Eire Spain/UK France

Kerry Alternative Technology

La Casita Verde Ecology Centre

Naturgut Ophoven hns Grd kozentrum Langenbruck kopark Hartberg Po Delta Ecosite Rocky Mountain Institute The Solar Living Center
Sonairte National Ecology Centre Sunseed Trust/ Sunseed Desert Technologies

1979 1998
underway

1982 1995 1989 1986

1979/1993**

Terre Vivante

entily operating centre. * ==dates of opening of centre/change in legal centre. ** dates of establishment of NGO/opening of

Rents

This presentation is only indicative, on the basis of the information available. It should be noted that the income sectors are shown as a proportion of each centre's income, to illustrate whether centres are specialised or have a wider range of activities, and are not intended for comparison between centres.

Volunteer work/co-op

Education/training

Showing indicative breakdown of income sources.

Corporate sponsorship

Trading/services

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Charities / donations

Membership/journal

Education/training

significant source
Tourism

minor source

Examples of other types of centre with some ecosite functions

Allerton Trust Demonstration Farm

www.allertontrust.org.uk www.arktikum.fi www.cmpbs.org www.cealp.it

www.pronatura.ch/champ-pittet/

England, UK Finland USA Italy Switzerland Spain Scotland UK Denmark Portugal England UK Wales UK Italy England UK England Italy Germany

1993

Arktikum
Centre for Maximum Potential Building Systems

1978

Centre of Alpine Ecology

Centre Pro-Natura Champ-Pittet, Lake Neuchtel

1979 2003 1963

Fabrica del Sol Findhorn Foundation Kalundborg Eco-Industrial Park

LIPOR waste treatment and education centre London Remade Eco-Industrial Sites National Botanic Garden of Wales Natural History Museum of Ferrera

peppuig@eic.ictnet.es www.findhorn.org www.symbiosis.dk www.lipor.pt www.londonremade.com www.gardenofwales.org.uk

www.comune.fe.it/storianaturale/

2002 2000 1999

The Eden Project Heeley City Farm Turin Environment Park

Ufa-Fabrik international culture centre

www.edenproject.com www.heeleyfarm.org.uk www.envipark.com www.ufafabrik.de

2001 1981 2002 1999

Current ecosite projects

Algarve Ecosite projects Bang Khun Thien Borgo di Meana Bruxelles IBGE Curuma, Medoc CWMre Ekopark Ecoplis Public Ecological Fund Ecosite de Castres-Mazamet Ecosite Labruguiere Energy Centre Galati Ghajn Tuffieha Ecosite project Gozo Malta Ecosite project IFEED Maison Foncin (Cavalaire-Var) Mas Dieu Meilland NERI Cork Port Autonome de Marseille Progetto Montagna Energia, Project Carrot Sierra Nevada Val de Drome enerconsult@enerconsult.com www.projectcarrot.org juanquemada@yahoo.com lcarlini@val-de-drome.com
http://eri.ucc.ie/pages/ecosite.htm

Portugal Thailand M.Lauteri@ibaf.cnr.it www.ibge.be Italy Belgium France www.walesenvtrust.org.uk Wales, UK Russia France France zamfir@sisnet.ro
Terence.Calnan@psc-team.com

Romania Malta Malta

www.ifeed.de
mairie.cavalaire.environnement @wanadoo.fr

Germany France France France Ireland France Italy England, UK Spain France

Aroma project, kopark Hartberg, Austria

Volunteer work/co-op

principal source of income

Corporate sponsorship

Trading/services

Public funds

Research

Rents

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www.oekopark.at
koPark, Hartberg, Austria. Eco-business and research park, including local authority waste management and recycling activities, public exhibition hall Maxoom Cinema. Local city initiative 1998, approx. 50 jobs onsite to date. Onsite location of a branch of the Institute for Sustainable Techniques and Systems of JOANNEUM RESEARCH www.joanneum.at/nts providing applied R&D service to companies on site and regionally. The R&D focus is chemical and technical use of plants. Research areas are strongly linked with local development issues, in particular upland agriculture, forestry (biomass) and the local wellness (spa) centres, including production of aromatic plants, extraction and commercialisation of innovative health products based on essential oils from these; wood biomass for energy; grass fibre uses and applications; waste minimisation; renewable resins. AROMA is a locally integrated R&D project co-developed by the kopark and by Joanneum Research www.joanneum.at/nts It establishes a value chain from herb cultivation on regional farms, through extraction of essential oils, to their targeted commercialisation, in response to the local demand for essential oils in wellness tourism, and for the food industry. A priority is placed on developing appropriate harvesting, handling, transport, storage and processing (drying, shredding etc.) routines, since the quality of the oils extracted is highly dependent on pre-extraction treatment. This involves close work with farmers.

Facts and figures

Contact: Josef Hirt, Oekoplan Umweltdienst-leistungen GmbH, Gartengasse 6, A-8230 Hartberg, info@oekopark.at Location of site: On the edge of the small city of Hartberg, 110 km by motorway South of Vienna and 70 km motorway from Graz, South-East Styria, Austria (2 hours train from either city). Date of establishment: 1998. Number of visitors per year: 50,000 in 2003. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 50, in both public and private organisations. Environmental themes addressed: renewable energies, education-information, local authority waste management, valorisation of local agricultural/forestry products. Conference/on-site course facilities: for up to 100 people opening Feb. 2004. The project is developing distillation know-how, with the improvement and adaptation of steam distillation processes for specific individual herbs. This is closely linked with quality analysis of the extracted oils, in order to optimise the quality of the essential oils produced. A mobile pilot distillation plant is now operational, designed to be transportable to the field, in order to extract essential oils from freshly harvested plants, thus avoiding transport and storage of plants.

Spray-on cellulose insulation material for the House of the Future

Processes exist for using cellulose materials (from paper recycling or agricultural by-products), shredded and mixed with water, as spray-on insulation materials for buildings. However, current processes high water content require several weeks drying and do not offer sufficient mechanical properties to be left unexposed. With Graz Technical University and the company CPH (onsite production of cellulose insulation materials), Joanneum Research is developing a process to manufacture cellulose insulation materials from recycled paper to enable spray-on application without water addition, combined with a spray-on hard finishing surface, to give a material which can be used for nonenclosed surfaces and even house exteriors, in replacement of hard foam insulation panels. The project involves developing effective and ecological binders to mix with the cellulose materials, and includes development of a specific application process for the covering surface. Developing a user-friendly application system and reducing drying times are important for uptake by builders and architects. The objective of this project is to ensure a local market for recycled paper materials and to facilitate, through the ecosite demonstration activities and links with local companies, testing of the new process and uptake by users.

AROMA - innovative utilisation of local plants for new local products/markets for agriculture
The area of South East Styria has a moderate climate (sunny summers and mild winters), suitable for growing herbs and aromatic plants. Agriculture in this region is largely based on small farms, with a significant proportion of organic or bio-dynamic farms, compatible with labourintensive crops such as herbs. The region has also a number of thermal spring resorts (spas). Wellness tourism has become a prospering and growing sector, with over a million guests annually.

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www.rmi.org
Rocky Mountain Institute, Colorado, USA, is an entrepreneurial non-profit NGO dedicated to the research, demonstration, and promotion of practical energy and resource efficiency. The centre includes an energy efficient home and office building, a research and consultancy centre, a communications department, and the 957-acre Windstar Land Conservancy, protected for wildlife, and agriculture. The Institute carries out research and crafts policy prescriptions in energy, water, climate protection, buildings and land development, business innovations, community economic development. Dissemination of research and policy findings is via consultancy with public bodies and private companies, including many world governments, various international bodies (such as the UN), large and small corporations, and local authorities and governments. The Institutes approach is based on integrating environmental approaches into enterprise objectives and operations. The Institute launched Natural Capitalism www.natcap.org in 2000 to accelerate the dissemination of its philosophies. The spin-off firm was successful, and its sale by RMI to the Financial Times in 1999 provided the Institute with funds for its development. The spin-off also freed RMI staff from the time taken to guide the subsidiary, enabling the launch of new intellectual projects, in particular the Hypercarsm project.

R&D spin-off Hypercarsm Inc.

The idea of the Hypercarsm concept came from Amory Lovins participation at a National Academy of Sciences conference on efficient vehicles in 1991. Because current cars only use about 1% of their fuel to actually move the driver, the rest being wasted, RMI decided in 1991 to discard all current car design, and imagine what an efficient vehicle would be if designed from scratch. This led to the Hypercarsm concept, an ultra-aerodynamic and low drag autobody, powered by a highly-integrated and highly-intelligent electric hybrid engine. In 1993, the Hypercar won the Nissan Prize. In order to ensure that this concept was not copyrighted by big companies wishing to simply prevent its development in order to protect vested interests, RMI decided that the concept would be put into the public domain, and this was done in 1993. A feasibility study with Lotus Engineering UK led in 1999 to the spin-off of the development team into Hypercar Inc, which raised some US$ 5 million of private equity capital with RMI becoming a minority shareholder. The company developed an uncompromised, manufacturable vehicle prototype, and has gained respect and attention in the automobile industry, with plans to license proprietary designs (see www.hypercar.com). The Hypercar design won the namesake firm the 2003 World Technology Award for the Environment. The Hypercar concept has led to widespread adoption of the electric hybrid concept in the car industry, and the Hypercar work at RMI is now being followed by research on hydrogen as an automotive fuel, including an investigation of the technological, supply chain/logistics and economic aspects.

Facts and figures

Contact: Public Information, RMI - 1739 Snowmass Creek Road, Snowmass, CO 81654-9199, USA outreach@rmi.org Tel: +1 (970) 927-3851. Location of site: In the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, at just over 2,000 m altitude, approx 20 km from Aspen, 250 km West of Denver. Date of establishment: 1982. Number of visitors per year: Physical visitors: several hundred; virtual (Internet) visitors 800,000 - 950,000. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 4550 employees in Colorado, Washington DC, and Hawaii. Environmental themes addressed: green building, energy management (including energy policy, energy savings, power utility planning), hydrogen economy, local development and local economic renewal, water efficiency and management, nature conservation and countryside management, sustainable business management, greening public authority management, environmental economics, waste minimisation, distance learning, whole systems thinking, and engineering design. Conference/on-site course facilities: limited conference space, onsite teleconference capability.

R&D spin-off E-SOURCE

In 1992, COMPETITEK was RMIs first formal spin off, and one of the USAs first for-profit spin-offs from a non-profit organisation. Since 1985, RMI had been briefing Business Week and financial analysts concerning the economic future of power utilities, many of which were in grave financial straits because they could no longer afford to pay for and run big centralised power stations that RMI had been advising against building. E-SOURCE was developed as an information service to help both power utilities and public authorities find ways out of their difficulties by promoting efficiency and sensible economics, rather than expensive generation and transmission investments.

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www.folkecenter.dk
Folkecenter for Renewable Energy: non-profit NGO providing research, development of technology, training and information for the feasibility, manufacture and implementation of significant renewable resource technologies, in Denmark and throughout the world. 3,800m2 of buildings on 8 ha of land. Renewable energies including solar photovoltaic and thermal, wave, wind, methane production from agricultural wastes, fuel crops, conversion of engines to renewable energies, and wind-hydrogen. Active in international renewable energy networks. Coordinator of the European Solar Prize. International experience transfer (eg. establishment of Mali Folkecenter). Varied applied R&D and test facilities for renewable energies technologies, technology transfer to SMEs and stakeholder take-up and integration. Folkecenter has close working and research relationships with dynamic small and medium size industries, institutes and organisations both in Denmark and abroad. This provides a primary avenue for direct implementation of renewable resource technologies. dissemination, transfer of appropriate technologies to developing countries. Conference/on-site course facilities: fully equipped conference rooms for 150 and for 40 people in innovative grass-roof eco-building, equipped with kitchen to facilitate catering onsite. 9 bedroom accommodation onsite, plus rooms in straw-bale house and in nearby inns and an old farm hotel by the fjord.

Best practice examples on site

Folkecenter has initiated locally the Village for Green Research, grouping demonstration installations with practical examples of integration of several energy solutions, solar housing, water recycling systems etc. as an experimental and functional example of a future ecological society. This involves active consultancy to local authorities and local consumer groups, working on renewable energy, together with development, implementation, political framework and demonstration. This leads to active participation in the local Agenda 21 process.

Facts and figures

Contact name: Jane Kruse, Folkecenter for Renewable Energy, Kammersgaardsvej 16, DK-7760 Hurup Thy, Denmark. jk@folkecenter.dk Location of site: In West Jutland, in the commune of Sydthy, overlooking the Limfjord, near Hurup Thy. Approx 45 km North of Holstebro and 35 km South of Thisted. Billund airport 2 hours by car, Copenhagen 5 hours by train. Date of establishment: 1983. Number of visitors per year: 8,000. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 8 Environmental themes addressed: renewable energies (wind, solar, biomass, methane, hydrogen, plant oils, wave energy, integrated systems), in particular technology development, testing and implementation, transfer to SMEs, consulting to companies and authorities, demonstration, promotion and

The farm biogas (methane) technology developed by Folkecenter is now commercialised by a Danish manufacturer, has been transferred to Lithuania, and is manufactured in Japan on license by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Wind technology developments and derivatives are now commercialised by several Danish wind turbine manufacturers. Wind energy is now used extensively in West Jutland, largely with locally owned turbines (130% of local electricity needs are produced by wind energy). Wind energy pilot projects have been conducted in Poland, Russia, Brazil, Cuba, etc. Decentralised cogeneration technologies have been developed developed since 1988 and are now deployed both nationally with the Association of Decentralised Cogeneration, and locally (30% of electricity production in Jutland/Funen now comes from decentralised combined heat and power - cogeneration).

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www.hdra.org.uk

The Heritage Seed Library

The Heritage Seed Library (HSL) aims to conserve and make available vegetable varieties that are not widely available and maintains a collection of mainly European varieties. Over the decades many vegetable varieties have been dropped from popular seed catalogues and risk disappearing altogether. HDRAs collection contains many of these but also some landraces and a large number of family heirloom varieties that have never been in a catalogue. The Library however is not a gene bank. Once enough seed is available, the objective is to make the varieties available to gardeners through the Associations seed catalogue, available only to members of HSL. The Heritage Seed Library ensures conservation of varieties, by growing a selection of the plants annually in rotation, and collecting and conserving their seeds, cataloguing of these varieties, research into lost varieties and into the cultivation conditions for varieties in the Library. Currently HSL has around 700 accessions of open-pollinated varieties, of which about 200 are in the current HDRA Seed Catalogue. There is also an informal Seed Swap section run between members themselves. An extremely important and highly valued contribution to the work is made by volunteer Seed Guardians: HDRA members who have decided to take on the extra responsibility of growing seed for HSL each year. Of the 45,000 or more packets of seed sent out each year, 40-50% is supplied by Guardians. These people are thus essential to maintaining a sufficient amount of stock as well as safeguarding rare varieties. These participants also provide feedback concerning the growing conditions for each variety. As well as the HSL Catalogue, produced in December, a newsletter (Seed News) is produced three times per year, covering a wide range of topics including a Lost & Found section to try to trace lost vegetable varieties. Members are thus active not only in maintaining the varieties currently in the Seed Library, but also in identifying and finding other varieties which are on the verge of being lost. The organisation is always actively seeking to increase the amount of accessions held and, between 1997 and 2000, a project called the Seed Search was carried out. This was funded by the UK Government and aimed to seek out and save regional, family, and historic varieties which had been saved over many generations. As a result, over 80 new varieties were added to the collection.

Ryton Organic Gardens is a 9 ha national demonstration for organic gardening methods. It is also the headquarters of Europes largest organic membership organisation HDRA (The Henry Doubleday Research Association) which was founded in 1958. Also at the site is a commercial organic vegetable production unit which supplies fresh vegetables to the visitor centre and also acts as a research ground. In 2003 a major 3 million development, The Vegetable Kingdom, opened to the public, largely funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. It has a dual purpose, providing new facilities for HDRAs Heritage Seed Library of over 800 historic vegetable varieties, and telling the public all about vegetables their history, importance in health and nutrition, social history, etc. The visitor centre and exhibition make use of green technologies including a living sedum roof. Also at Ryton is a fully organic restaurant, and one of the best stocked shops of organic food and other products in the region. Current research topics include the development of organic standards for amenity horticulture and landscaping. HDRA is heavily involved with composting projects and advises a number of UK local authorities.

Facts and figures

Contact : Susan Kay-Williams, HDRA Ryton Organic Gardens, Coventry Warwickshire, CV8 3LG England skaywilliams@hdra.org.uk Location of site: 10km south east of Coventry, The Midlands, England. 30 minutes from Birmingham International Airport by train and car. Date of establishment: 1985. Number of visitors per year: 35,000 to gardens, 100,000 total to centre facilities. Number of full time job equivalents on site: over 100 Around 75 jobs working for the Centre itself, 25 in on-site commercial subsidiaries, 2 in independent organisations on-site. Environmental themes addressed: central themes are organic gardening and farming and sustainable and healthy food; but also water, composting, recycling, biodiversity and green buildings. Conference/on-site course facilities: 120 seat conference room plus 3 seminar rooms (30 seats). On-site flagship organic restaurant. Large on-site shop selling seeds, plants, publications, organic food (including 2,500 fresh, frozen and dried foods, from fresh baked bread to baby food) and other garden products. Also operates Yalding Organic Gardens, Kent, England.

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www.ecosite.fr
Ecosite du Pays de Thau, Mze, is a local authority initiative operating as a company majority owned by Mze city council. The Ecosite was established at the initiative of Yves Pietrasanta, then Mayor of Mze town (now a European MP) who was also a Professor at Montpellier University (chemistry). It has developed around services provided to local councils, and related R&D activities, in four areas: lagoon treatment of waste waters, plastics recycling, shellfish waste treatment and recycling, local development consulting. Spin-offs include valorisation of biomass from the sewage treatment lagoons, extraction of essential oils from marine algae, development of innovative low-energy water treatment systems, valorisation of recycled oyster shells (for agricultural and pharmaceutical applications). Development of models and criteria for characterising Ecosite functions and transfer of Ecosite know-how. Technical and scientific training centre for environment. Public visitor centre and exhibitions and activities for schools. Companies developed around the Ecosite include: AQUASEM, producing decorative fish for aquaria, fed on the lagoon plankton; AQUAMER, producing marine and soft-water micro-algae and extracts for fish farming, cosmetics, health foods and the wellness industry; ENTECH, consulting engineers specialised in waste water and waste treatment; CEREMAP (Centre for Research into Plastic Materials); GEFOSAT, company specialised in renewable energies; BIOTOPE, consultants specialised in environmental impact assessments.

R&D spin-off AQUAMER valorisation of algae

Research into the biological processes of algae in the ecosites lagooning sewage treatment species, led to the launch of AQUAMER 1988 to culture micro-algae in highly controlled conditions, and produce from them extracts for uses in cosmetics, food, aquaculture and medical applications.

AQUAMER extracts fluorescent pigments, used to replace radioactive tracers in medical applications; a range of dietary supplement products, providing natural mineral supplements, including calcium, iron and selenium; the anti-oxidant and anti-seborrheic Porphyzinc; and the anti-oxidant Porphyrol with applications in cosmetics, food additives and medicine.

R&D process development related to local authority needs

The Ecosite du Pays de Thau approach to plastics recycling is based around the central objective of keeping the plastic recovered from both domestic wastes and from industry, and the plastic recycling process, within the regional economy, and to produce appropriate manufactured products for local markets. This is supported by technologies developed by the onsite ecosite subsidiary CEREMAP, in conjunction with other industrial partners and with the polymer chemistry department of Montpellier University. Fixed or mobile units allow transformation of recovered plastics into granules and pressing of (mixed recycled) plastic granules to manufacture selected finished plastic products (which can be made using such a raw material and are adapted for regional markets, eg. palettes, boxes, outdoor furniture, building materials, outdoor floor and fencing boards). The finished products manufactured from the recovered plastic sorted from domestic refuse (never entirely pure or unsoiled) offer, in theory, a relatively low added value compared to re-use of plastics in the plastic industry for specific applications, according to each polymer. In practice, however, this reduced but real added value (for a finished product with a real regional application and market), is likely to offer a net economic return (after transport costs) higher and much less volatile than that from export to distant re-processors of specialist plastics, whose purchase prices depend strongly and unpredictably on (world) plastic recovery rates and conditions.

Facts and figures

Contact: Philippe Brire, Ecosite du Pays de Thau, route des Salins, BP118, 34140 Mze, France phbriere@ecosite.fr Location of site: On the Thau coastal lagoon, just behind the Mediterranean coast, 35km West of Montpellier High Speed Train (TGV) and airport at Montpellier Date of establishment: 1981. Number of visitors per year: 20,000. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 160 80 jobs in the Ecosite organisation, 30 in on-site subsidiaries, 50 in independent companies on-site. Plus around 150 jobs in related companies situated nearby (not on-site because of lack of space). Environmental themes addressed: waste water treatment, shellfish waste management, plastics recycling, local sustainable development policies. Conference/on-site course facilities: fully equipped conference room (conference theatres 120 and 50 seats, 2 large and 3 small meeting rooms). Hotels and holiday village accommodation in Mze town and on the Thau lake shore 2-3 km away.

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www.terrevivante.org
Environmental themes addressed: organic gardening, ecological building and building materials, water management, domestic energy savings, public education, local sustainable development. Conference/on-site course facilities: meeting rooms for up to 50 people, restaurant. Hotel and cottage rental accommodation nearby.

Developing and communicating organic gardening techniques

Terre Vivante, NGO, was established in 1979 to promote organic gardening and publishes the bimonthly organic gardening review " Les Quatre Saisons du Jardinage " (21,000 Subscribers). In 1993, the association decided to move its headquarters from Paris to the French Alps, and to establish a demonstration and visitor centre, the Terre Vivante Ecology Centre. The site is situated at 750m altitude, in the beautiful, wooded Trives upland rural area of the French Alps. The Centre has become the national reference in France for practices in organic gardening, ecological building and home energy saving. The Centre demonstrates ecology in action: organic vegetables, fruit and decorative gardens, restaurant for healthy gastronomic food, recipe and cookery books, buildings using original architecture of wood and clay, permanent exhibition of ecological building materials and methods for both new buildings and insulation/renovation of existing buildings, animated water cycle education exhibitions, energy saving information with the Nega-Watt House exhibition, landscape management illustrated by nature walks and a wild rose meadow. Terre Vivante develops and tests onsite new techniques, including testing of new organic plant and pest treatment products, for aspects of organic gardening including: domestic composting (which can make a major contribution to domestic refuse volume reduction), pest control and plant disease prevention, weed prevention, production of organic fruit and vegetables. The techniques developed are tested full-scale and demonstrated to visitors at the Centre, including supplying the Centres own restaurant, but are also disseminated through the Quatre Saisons du Jardinage magazine, and through Terre Vivantes publications.

Facts and figures

Contact name: Claude Fournier, Terre Vivante, Domaine de Raud, 38710 Mens, France terrevivante@wanadoo.fr Location of site: Near the village of Mens (Isre), 50 km South of Grenoble, France. Clelles-Mens train station 10 km. Two hours from Lyon or Grenoble airports. Date of establishment of Centre: 1993. Number of visitors per year: 20,000. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 24.

Structuring a market for ecological building materials

The Terre Vivante Centre uses innovative straw and earth, passive solar buildings for the main centre, offices and restaurants, with attractive vaulted architecture. The centre also uses ecological building techniques (wood in particular) for simpler constructions onsite, such as sheds and hangars (for outside exhibitions), demonstrating that industrial buildings do not have to be built of steel and concrete, but can use materials which are both more aesthetic and have a much lower intrinsic energy content. The centre also has a permanent exhibition of different insulation materials which can be used for upgrading existing houses and other buildings, including cavity wall injection, internal and external coverings. The materials demonstrated include natural products such as hemp fibres, straw materials, wood, clay pellets, which offer advantages such as local farm production, use of farm by-products, and avoidance of chemical releases into indoor air from artificial materials. In 1999, Terre Vivante and a number of professionals initiated a joint network of ecological builders. In 2003 Terre Vivante published the only Directory of ecological building professionals currently available in French.

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www.artefact.de
The Artefact Centre for Sustainable Development, Glcksburg, is run by the non-profit company Artefact gGmbH for Global Learning and Local Action. Six hectare-site with guesthouse (32 beds, conference rooms, training facilities) built in international adobe architecture, own renewable energy supply (wind, solar, biomass) and wastewater treatment plant, energy infotainment site Powerpark and nature infotainment site. Main activities are training courses for international organisations, technicians and decision makers on (renewable) energies and management (e.g. solar school), global learning activities for youth and pupils, guided tours and soft tourism for 10-15.000 visitors per year. Spin-offs include ecological housing sites as well as private companies on earth construction and energy management.

Professional training
Artefacts innovative solar building and the PowerPark Infotainment area provide a unique setting and material for hands-on professional training courses. These involve experts from local companies and universities, as well as Artefacts own staff. Courses are developed for schools and youth classes, training for organisations (companies, authorities, NGOs), professional training for energy technicians, practical experience courses for researchers and students.

Facts and figures

Contact: Werner Kiwitt, Artefact, Bremsbergallee 35 D- 24960 Glcksburg, Germany info@artefact.de Location of site: 10 km northeast of Flensburg, on the Baltic Sea, near the Germany/Denmark border. Flensburg railway station (10 km) with connections to Hamburg 2 hrs, Copenhagen (5 hrs) and Fredericshavn; Billund airport (Denmark) 1.5 hrs by car. Date of establishment: 1988. Number of visitors per year: 10,000. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 6. Environmental themes addressed: sustainable energy (solar, wind, biomass/wood, appropriate technologies), sustainable housing, ecological tourism, education and training, water treatment. Conference/on-site course facilities: meeting rooms for 20, 40, 70 people,180m2 exhibition area. Onsite restaurant in season/by reservation. 32 beds onsite accommodation (8 rooms as singles). Hotels and other accommodation nearby.

Themes include renewable energies, appropriate housing, water management, local development. Artefact hosts Solar School professional training courses for builders and heating craftsmen and installers, organised by the German Union of Energy Consumers to improve uptake of renewable energies by these professions. Past participants have proven their ability to then develop renewable energies in their day-to-day business activities. Training technicians and managers centres on defining needs and identifying technologies appropriate to local circumstances (issues of reliability, maintenance, availability of spare parts, competence of maintenance and management staff and users) rather than on the latest high-tech. Specific training courses target small businesses, water supply and sanitation for rural areas, appropriate renewable energies for developing countries. The Centre is also active in curriculum and teaching tool development for teacher training and in identifying needs for technical training to support energy systems. These training courses thus provide an important tool for adapting new technologies developed by R&D to effective uptake in the field, as a function of user and installer competence.

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www.dekleineaarde.nl
De Kleine Aarde / The Small Earth, The Netherlands is a non-profit NGO which aims to create a wide interest in a sustainable way of life, based on agricultural methods, nutritional habits, and use of energy and resources that, taken together, spare the environment and support sustainable development in other countries as well as in our own. The visitor centre, mainly built out of natural materials, is based on passive and active solar energy. Eco-park including Global footprint exhibition in the Greenhouse, Natural ornamental garden, Herb garden, Cut flower garden, Vegetable garden, Edible ornamentals garden, Helophytic filter, Bee shed & Insect corner, The globe house, The Bike Experience where visitors can try and buy new types of cycle. De Kleine Aarde has facilities for business (conferences), education (excursions and courses) and leisure (room reservations, meals). De Kleine Aarde is a leading expert in renewable building and urban development, with a 300 house exemplary development (The Good Earth) and 9 new innovative demonstration houses (The Greenland) both now planned in Boxtel alongside the centres site. This work is done with a network of sustainable architects and the municipality as coordinator. Environmental themes addressed: the centre is active in the full range of sustainable development issues, but offers particular expertise in: global footprint concept and communication, renewable energies (especially wind, photovoltaic, solar thermal), organic gardening, water supply and savings, solid waste/composting, eco buildings (new and rehabilitation), sustainable menu, nature protection and countryside management. Conference/on-site course facilities: fully equipped conference rooms (solar hall 80 people, plus rooms for 35, 10), onsite restaurant, onsite accommodation for 20 (or 14 as singles), plus nearby hotel and bed and breakfast capacity in Boxtel.

Interactive Global Footprint:

De Kleine Aarde is very active in pilot projects about the Global Footprint. a Canadian communications tool and simplified sustainability indicator, developed on the basis of research that relates resource, energy consumption and environmental impact, to consumer choices or institutional decisions. The Footprint estimates the number of hectares needed to support the consumption of an individual, organisation, company or municipality, using land surface area as a common proxy for energy consumption, land and resource use, greenhouse gas emissions, etc, with peer-agreed standard conversion factors. The Footprint does not claim to be an accurate monitoring tool, but rather an indicative education and communication tool which can show overall environmental impact, flag up key issues in lifestyles or choices, and so indicate priority areas for action. In The Netherlands, developed with De Kleine Aardes support, the NGO www.voetenbank.nl enables internet users to calculate their own individual footprint online. This takes 5-10 minutes, and enables the user to identify key lifestyle issues. The system was launched in collaboration with eight Dutch municipalities. In six of them the first Footprint campaigns were held, to find out the possibilities of the model. A large set of campaign materials is now available for other municipalities. To date, data from some 20,000 individual footprints have been entered. The system already enables data to be sorted by post code and to be visualised on a map . The objective is to provide convincing feedback to consumers and decision makers, based on real data and behaviours, to promote change in lifestyles towards sustainable development. Recently pilot projects were also carried out for church communities and the first Global Footprint of a Dutch company.

Facts and figures

Contact : Marijke Kuipers, De Kleine Aarde, Het Klaverblad 1, Postbus 151, 5280 AD Boxtel, The Netherlands info@dekleineaarde.nl Location of site: De Kleine Aarde is situated in the town of Boxtel (30.000 inhabitants), around 20km North of Eindhoven. Boxtel station is around 2 hours from Amsterdam international airport (Schipol) by train, or 20 minutes from Eindhoven airport, or around 2 hours from Brussels international airport by car, or 3 hours by train. Date of establishment: 1973. Number of visitors per year: 19,000. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 23.

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www.icppc.pl
ICPPC Ecocentre (International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside) was started as Sunflower Farm Centre of Alternative Technology in 1999, on the initiative of the owner of Sunflower Farm Company Krzysztof Wietrzny, a R&D company in the areas of renewable energies and alternative technologies. In 2002, the centre was taken over by the NGO ICPPC. Further development is underway, including finishing the rebuilding of a country barn as an educational building with conference facilities. The Centres main objectives are demonstrating how, on a small scale, one can harness solar energy as a source of electricity for heating water or spaces, as well as save energy and protect the environment by constructing ecological buildings. Demonstration of the use biomass as a source of energy for heating and of environmentally friendly water treatment and water savings. Promotion of small traditional and organic farms as both producers of healthy and tasty food and as guardians of local biodiversity and important centres for ecotourism. Main activities are: guided visits of the Ecocentre for groups of schoolchildren and students, workshops on alternative technologies, classes on the organic farms cooperating with ICPPC, courses addressing in detail the issues connected with organic agriculture and ecological life, conferences and seminars. Prince Charles visited the ICPPC Ecocentre in June 2002 and was shown some of the Centres ecological solutions. He met with local, small family farmers and tasted delicious foods made by them. In 2002 ICPPC received the Goldman Environmental Prize Europe which was mainly used to build the clay and straw eco building, where electricity and heat are supplied by solar energy, roof water is collected in a pond, and energy saving windows and doors are installed.

Facts and figures

Contact: Jadwiga Lopata, ICPPC Ecocentre, 34-146 Stryszow 156, Poland jadwiga@icppc.pl, biuro@icppc.pl Location of site: 50 km South of Cracow, Cracow Balice Airport 1 hour by car. Date of establishment: 1999. Number of visitors per year: 1,000 on opening in 2003. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 4. Main environmental themes addressed: renewable energy, ecological building. Conference/on-site course facilities: meeting rooms for up to 35 people, accommodation and food possibilities nearby on eco-farms.

Sunflower Farm
Sunflower Farm www.sfo.pl was created in 1999 as a private enterprise promoting, selling and designing installations for renewable energy technology and ecological building. In 2002, Sunflower Farm evolved into, on the one hand, a private limited company, carrying out R&D, installation and marketing of environmental technologies, and on the other hand but on the same site - an education and demonstration Ecocentre, taken over, developed and operated by the environmental NGO ICPPC (International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside). It has since turned into a Limited company (Ltd). Sunflower Farm Ltd services mainly small and medium size energy installation enterprises, building corporations and design studios, which pass on our products to the final consumers. The company provides a wide range of products and services, including technological know-how and installation design, marketing and technical support adapted for specific installations as well as standard applications, and for integration into the products and systems of other companies / manufacturers. A key element in environmental technology uptake is education of the consumers at each stage, which is why Sunflower Farm established an eco-technology education centre, built around the companys head quarters. In the centre, practical examples of solutions and technologies are demonstrated. Also, the centre serves as an experimental ground for new products. The centre is situated in a rural area, which makes possible the implementation of variety projects for demonstration and experimentation. The Centre includes training facilities and courses which target a wide range of participants.

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www.oekozentrum.ch
A first full scale pilot system has been installed in flats in Basel City (photo left) and will be used for monitoring energy savings and operating parameters. Other projects are already being developed.

Mobilo sustainable transport

kozentrum Centre of Appropriate Technology and Social Ecology, Langenbruck is a non-profit NGO whose objective is to carry out applied research into sustainable development and its implementation in society, including sustainable products and technologies, advice to local and regional authorities (including Agenda 21 processes), and education and vocational training. The centres main areas of activity are: renewable energies (in particular clean wood burning technologies, other biomass, solar, hydro), energy efficiency (Stirling engine, co-generation) and energy savings, environment, local transport systems, local sustainable development, waste management, nature and countryside, sustainable economic systems. The Centre is active in vocational education and information for local Agenda 21, climate change and other sustainable development issues, develops practical training and schools education/experience tools, and is actively involved through both field projects and publications in the international know how transfer of appropriate technologies. The Mobilo project puts research into practice in the field of sustainable urban transport, with the development and implementation of an integrated local transport offer for the Gundeli district of Basel. The objective is to limit environmental impacts of transport for district residents, by reducing both demand for movements and by shifting to environmentally friendly transport modes, and to ensure a high quality service and reduced transport costs for the users. The system puts into application research into sustainable transport and includes investigation of sociological factors affecting uptake. Mobilo includes: tickets for free transport in Switzerland, rent bicycles, E-bikes, bicycle trailers, fun-bikes, bicycle courier services, bicycle repair, bicycle taxi, taxi benefits, voucher for ferries, mobility car sharing membership. The project started in November 2002 and was conceived as a pilot and demonstration project, with wide publication. Similar projects in other cities or districts are planned.

Facts and figures

Contact: Ren Duveen, Director, kozentrum Langenbruck, Schwengistrasse 12 - CH-4438 Langenbruck,, Switzerland. duveen@oekozentrum.ch Location of site: In Langenbruck village, in the Northern Swiss Jura, some 40 km South-West of Basel Nearest train station: Oensingen, approx 20 minutes by regular bus which meets trains. Approx one and a half hours from Zurich airport, with direct trains to Oensingen. Date of establishment: 1979. Number of visitors per year: 2-300. Number of permanent staff on site: 20, plus around 10 placements and long-term student projects. Main environmental themes addressed: clean biomass energies, in particular wood burning technologies, solar, in particular solar water heating, Stirling engine, hydro power, energy savings, nature and countryside, local transport systems, appropriate technology for developing countries, Agenda 21, school education, vocational training, social ecology, new sustainable economic systems, waste.

Clean energy from wood and biomass

kozentrum and the University for Applied Technology Basel have together established a regional centre for environmentally-friendly biomass energy, including the set-up of a Swiss accredited laboratory for testing, inspection and certification of wood heat installations. An onsite full-scale test rig allows energy efficiency, total heat release and emissions to be tested to draft CEN/prEN and ISO/DIS norms. The work on test norms is being developed in collaboration with the Swiss association of manufacturers and importers of wood heat installations. Jointly with Schmidt AG Eschlikon, kozentrum is developing more efficient wood burning technologies with lower nanoparticle emissions, for commercialisation in the companys wood boiler systems. kozentrum has also worked with the Swiss stove manufacturers association (VHP) and the Horw School of Architecture to develop models for dimensioning woodburning installations as a function of house dimensions. kozentrum is now widening the application of this experience through the Green Line project which is looking into the production and efficient and clean combustion of other biomass products, from energy crops to agricultural byproducts.

Insertion of solar water heating into existing flats

Solar heat collectors on roofs can save up to 2/3 of the energy used to produce hot water in residential buildings, but one of the main obstacles is the cost of add-on installation in existing buildings. kozentrum has developed a new concept to enable economic installation in buildings with several stories: existing hot water piping systems use vertical return circuits to which taps are connected. The new installation system adds the roof solar water heater into this tap circuit, thus requiring new piping only from the nearest tap or pipe, instead of all the way up the building from the boiler and back. Even in new buildings, the system can offer a 17% installation cost reduction, because of reduced piping distances.

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www.ekocentrum.se
The non-profit, independent NGO foundation, Ekocentrum was established in 1993 by four environmental organisations. Swedens most comprehensive permanent environmental exhibition centre: ten thematic halls with more than 100 exhibitors, all presenting leading examples and solutions for all areas of sustainable development, including company greening, climate change, environmental technologies, renewable energy systems, and consumer products. The exhibition emphasises physical hands-on examples. Ekocentrum has developed a unique concept of short courses using the exhibition as a hands-on classroom, for groups from companies (including hundreds of SMEs annually), students and schools. Seminars, conferences, technical visits and study tours are often arranged in cooperation with other public or private organisations. The centre provides staff training for companies and organisations wishing to obtain the official Gteborg Environmental Diploma, which Ekocentrum itself has held since soon after its establishment. In 2003 Ekocentrum relocated to a refurbished 19th century hospital in the centre of Gteborg (1,500m2), close to Chalmers University of Technology. The building refurbishment, which will also house the University Environment Research Centre (GMV) and the independent research institute (IVL), is now one of Swedens top environmental showcases. Ekocentrum publishes the Green Map for Gteborg and the Vstra Gtaland Region at west coast of Sweden, now in its third updated edition, and is the local contact for the international Green Map initiative. www.ekocentrum.se/intro10e.htm#greenmap

Best practice examples on site

A meeting place for people and eco-products: As an independent centre Ekocentrum fulfils the need for a neutral meeting point where everyone feels welcome and where issues can be discussed and objective information exchanged. The proximity to the University and the long tradition of independent research at Ekocentrum ensures the centre is at the forefront of innovation and information, and is a recognised and reliable information source. Numerous examples of dayto-day eco-products available for consumers and corporate purchasers are on display. The visitor discovers numerous solutions and products available today which can contribute to a sustainable society. The hands-on exhibition supports the learning process products that you have held in your hand are not quickly forgotten. Education for children: Ekocentrum actively addresses young people with relevant environmental education. With a number of years experience, Ekocentrum offers specially designed training for visiting groups and school classes (11 years upwards). The PlanetPilot program gives the children knowledge through physical experience whatever the children decide, the Spaceship Earth reacts. Eco-renovated building: Together with the Technical University of Chalmers, Ekocentrum defined an environmental program for the renovation of the 115 years old building,originally a hospital. This strong environmental profile has resulted in a 40% reduction of energy consumption, and has led to several innovative technical solutions for eg. water system, material selection and quality control during the construction period. Green Map: Ekocentrum makes the link between innovative sustainable development projects, applications in the field, demonstration sites, and public information, by publishing the Green Maps of Gteborg city and of the Vstra Gtaland Region. The latest Green Map produced by Ekocentrum is a 60-page booklet in Swedish providing maps and www.greenmap.org information localising environmental initiatives, services and demonstration sites. This enables Ekocentrum to play a valuable role as a focal point, identifying sustainable development initiatives and innovation, and disseminating this information through the Green Map. The English short-form folding paper map has a text summary and indicates 200 sites.

Facts and figures

Contact: Christer Owe, Ekocentrum, Aschebergsgatan 44, SE - 411 33 Gteborg, Sweden christer.owe@ekocentrum.nu Location of site: Central Gteborg, near the Chalmers Technical University. Date of establishment of Centre: 1993. Number of visitors per year: 10-15,000. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 10 staff plus approx 10 placements and similar. Environmental themes addressed: environmental management and sustainable development, renewable energies and energy savings, water and waste management, transport systems, urban ecology and community redevelopment, Green Maps, sustainable food systems. Conference/on-site course facilities: several meeting rooms for up to 80 people onsite, training rooms, plus conference rooms up to 600 people at Chalmers Technical University a few minutes walk away, onsite caf.

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www.cat.org.uk
Environmental themes addressed: sustainable development and societal change, energy, water and waste management, local development, organic and sustainable gardening, information and publications. Conference/on-site course facilities: 7 conference/meeting rooms with capacities from 10 to 100 people. Onsite residential course accommodation 50 beds/20 singles. Onsite restaurant. Accommodation up to 120 people available near centre.

Best practice examples on site

Instruments: in 1980 an electronics engineer and a biochemist working at CAT designed a device to accurately measure the volume of live cells in a solution, in real time. It was originally intended for monitoring anaerobic digestion processes, but quickly found applications in brewing and pharmaceuticals. In order to commercialise the product, known as The Biomass Monitor, a new company, Aber Instruments, was set up. The Monitor is now in wide use throughout the world, and Aber Instruments has a range of other products destined for international markets (www.aber-instruments.co.uk ) Insulation: a new building at CAT (started in 1999) called for a novel form of processing for local wool to generate a material suitable for building insulation. This was successfully carried through, and resulted in the setting up of a local company to manufacture and market the new material. Composting: classical methods of home composting are difficult, unreliable, and do not match the pattern of household waste arisings. A new method was developed at CAT that has been widely adopted by visitors and by several Local Authorities. The system has also generated improved designs for compost containers. Composting research also threw up an antiproduct made from scrap truck tyres that outperformed any commercial product. This has been widely imitated, and research continues on small improvements, perhaps with a small customised component that could become a commercial product. Fridges: demand for reliable refrigeration for hospitals and clinics in remote parts of Eritrea led to the design of a DC refrigerator unit with very low electricity demand, suitable for running off solar and wind-powered electricity. 50 of these units were constructed and shipped (developed by Dulas Engineering - see below). Toilets: continual trials of non-flushing toilet systems have resulted in a wide variety of designs for different situations, and incremental improvements. The most recent design, built in collaboration with the local spin-off company Natural Solutions, involving novel methods of urine separation and vermin control, has been installed in a number of private and public toilets in the UK and abroad. Other spin-offs include: Dulas Engineering, www.renewable-resources.com Machynlleth, making renewable energy systems, largely for developing countries; Ecogen, a locally established renewable energy development company; Green Teacher, an environmental magazine for schoolteachers; Carpenter Oak, an architectural company specialising in oak-frame construction; Elemental Earth, a locally established company promoting educational and community arts; Natural Solutions, a building company specialising in low energy design and innovative wastewater systems; The Very Efficient Heating Company, installing solar water heating systems.

CAT (Centre for Alternative Technology) was established in 1974, on a 15 ha derelict slate mine in rural Wales, aiming to develop sustainable technologies, and prove their feasibility in real-life application. Over 25 years, the centre has developed an active policy of communication and dissemination, covering the full range of sustainable development issues. CAT today combines a registered charity (NGO) and a self-managed social enterprise. Areas of specific competence include energy management, renewable energies, green building materials and methods, organic horticulture, alternative sanitation systems. Activities include visitor centre (65.000 visitors/year); residential courses at several levels (several hundred courses per year for a range of publics: schools, general public, vocational, postgraduate, major new sustainable development education centre recently approved including residential accommodation, teaching and IT facilities, course development); publications (>100 titles); research (low energy building, dry toilets, domestic compost systems, low-impact lifestyles); information service (>40,000 enquiries per year); consultancy (e.g. how to start an EcoCentre); facilities for conferences of up to 120; trading (mail order catalogue, two shops in nearby town); economic regeneration (spin-off companies and active involvement in local sustainable development). The Centre is explicitly dedicated to promoting sustainability and environmental improvement and the mission statement uses the words INSPIRE, INFORM, ENABLE, and these reflect the principal activities of: operating an inspirational demonstration site; publishing and disseminating practical and educational materials; and running a wide variety of courses and training programmes

Facts and figures

Contact: Peter Harper, CAT, Machynlleth, Powys SY20 9AZ, Wales Great Britain peter.harper@cat.org.uk Location of site: 2 km from the small town of Machynlleth, 20km from the West Coast of mid-Wales, in the Dyfi Valley biosphere conservation area. 30km east of Aberystwyth and 2-3 hours by train from Manchester or Birmingham international airports. Date of establishment: 1974. Number of visitors per year: 65,000. Number of full time job equivalents on site: 120 115 jobs in the centre itself, and 5 in onsite branches and subsidiaries. Plus approx 50 jobs in spin-off companies located in the Machynlleth Aberystwyth area.

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Sustainable innovation
1. The ECOLINK project enabled a definition of an ecosite to be agreed, as presented on page 3, confirming that the ecosite corresponds to a specific and identified concept. The interest of ecosites is to combine, on one site, demonstration of sustainable development innovation (R&D) with public visitors, outreach, training or other dissemination activities. The synergies between these approaches enable ecosites to create jobs and self-funding activities, provide a focus for sustainable development, and be self-funding. 2. Innovation is central to ecosites

a) creation of self-funding jobs and activities in environmental protection/ sustainable development, b) provide a focus point for local/regional sustainable development, offering political, communications and demonstration potential beyond that possible through a diffuse sustainable development policy (eg. Agenda 21). Such a focus site can serve an important role in rendering sustainable development credible and in accelerating local initiatives in this area, c) a tool for developing eco-tourism.
7. The key challenge in responding to local/regional authorities desire to establish an ecosite (assuming that other necessary factors are present, in particular motivation of key stakeholders and relevant competence), is that of structurally integrated R&D/innovation into the ecosite project. For an ecosite to become economically stable, the development of specific R&D competence, based onsite, and liable to lead to spin off activities and jobs, is essential. 8. A number of ecosite projects have met economic difficulties, in some cases leading to failure. In particular, reliance on income from visitors is often problematic. 9. One of the key interests of the ecosite concept is to provide a structured model for local/regional authorities wishing to develop/establish a centre for sustainable development activities, in as much as ecosites benefit from an established methodology, defined functions, enabling the fixing of objectives and evaluation of progress for local projects.

activities, in particular innovation in applied research, in development and adaptation for implementation of environmental technologies and systems.
3. Ecosites provide

inspirational showcases of innovative, exemplary, positive and successful sustainable development practices, for targets ranging from the general public to enterprises, researchers and decision makers.
4.The independence of ecosites is important for their credibility in testing and promoting environmental innovation or products, and in facilitating the emergence of new environmental industries and the development of new markets by SMEs. 5. A diversity of different types of

Understanding
10. An essential aspect of the ecosite concept is

ecocentres exists (NGO or local/regional authority initiative, range of themes, varying emphasis on visitors, research, technology, economic development, training ) but with a tendency for convergence of the different types as centres try to widen their functions to achieve better stability of income and of recognition. The ecosite concept, and in particular the importance of synergy between different ecosite functions is thus effectively validated in practice by the development of centres in the field.

the site, whereby R&D, testing, demonstration, training etc. are located at one given physical site (centre), or conceivably several very closely linked sites in a given area. It is this localisation (site) aspect of the ecosite which enables the effective synergy between the different functions and allows the site to act as a showcase and focus for sustainable development initiatives.
11. Contacts between existing ecosites and ecosite projects in the past have been limited, whereas the effect of existing ecosites could be largely increased by improved communications presenting the network and the diversity of ecosites (web sites, video, brochures etc.) and by sharing of experience, communications tools and exhibitions. 12. Ecosites have an important role in the transfer of environmental innovation from R&D into society, including testing sociological aspects, and demonstration dissemination. Researchers and companies in contact with ecosites confirm the interest of these functions in extending and providing feedback to research.

Interest
6. Ecosites are attractive to local/regional

authorities and NGOs as offering the following potential for local development, resulting in a significant number of ecosite projects:

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Recognition
1. Ecosites play specific roles at each of the local, regional, national and international levels (from local development to knowledge transfer and innovation) and the ecosite concept needs to achieve better recognition within each level within. Recognition at the European level, through the development of the newly formed European Federation of Ecosites, around a clearly stated ecosite definition, should contribute to achieving this. 2. Development of the ecosite concept, from the

8. Develop links between ecosites and nature protection/interpretation associations, through for example, introduction of interpretation activities into ecosites, integration of nature and natural science centres, city farms and other comparable organisations into the ecosite network, sharing of exhibitions and education tools. 9. Use the thematic strong-points of ecosites

across major European/peri-European regions to develop specific competence and experience transfer.

abstract evaluation system defined in studies, towards a practical methodology for assisting ecosite projects and ecosite development.
3. Establish clear criteria for defining and

Research and development

10. Identify and make known the R&D capacities offered by the ecosite network (themes, facilities, approaches, experience), in order to enable research institutes to find the partners they need for R&D. 11. Bring together the information available in ecosites concerning obstacles to and pathways for sustainable development innovation and technology uptake, and make available this experience for R&D dissemination. 12. Develop a structured scientific research programme to accompany ecosite development including the following actions:

evaluating ecosites and ecosite projects a structured ecosite label. This needs to take into account both the objective of a structured concept and methodology, but also the wide diversity of existing centres.

Tools and networking

4. Develop specific support tools for local/regional authorities and NGOs which have ecosite projects, to ensure realism and enable projects to be appropriately targeted, avoiding the risk of confusion, wasted local energies or even economic failure. 5. Several ecosites are innovative models of implication of local/regional authorities in R&D, with the establishment of joint research institute/public authority initiatives and direct involvement of local/regional authorities and other stakeholders in research policy definition, joint funding, R&D testing and dissemination. Further study is recommended of this specific aspect. 6. Facilitate sharing of experience and of communications tools (eg exhibitions) between ecosites. 7. Develop applications of the considerable data base on practical sustainable development implementation held formally or informally by ecosites. Develop data base sharing between ecosites and with researchers.

a) a dynamic catalogue of R&D possibilities offered by the ecosite network: themes covered, type of R&D, stakeholders and make this available to the research community, b) independent scientific evaluation of the ecosite concept, c) define a scientific methodology for supporting ecosite projects, supporting the development of ecocentres, and evaluating ecosites, including a science-based labelling system, and objective criteria for evaluating ecosite success.

The Ecolink partners

Ecosite du Pays de Thau Parc Scientifique et Environnemental - BP118 34140 Mze - France Philippe Brire phbriere@ecosite.fr www.ecosite.fr Montpellier 1 University LAMETA (Laboratoire Montpellirain d'Economie Thorique et Applique) Facult des Sciences Economiques - Espace Richter BP 9606 - 34054 Montpellier Cedex1 France Jean-Marie Boisson boisson@sceco.univ-montp1.fr www.lameta.univ-montp1.fr EC Joint Research Centre(JRC) Ispra Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) Land Management Unit I-21020 Ispra (Varese) Italy Jean-Franois Dallemand, Lucy Mottram jf.dallemand@jrc.it http://ies.jrc.cec.eu.int and EcoDev web pages http://ecodev.jrc.it/ecocentres Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) Machynlleth, Powys, Wales SY20 9AZ, UK Peter Harper peter.harper@cat.org.uk www.cat.org.uk

Universitt fr Bodenkultur Wien, Zentrum fr Umwelt- und Naturschutz (ZUN) Gregor-Mendel-Str. 33, A-1180 Wien, Austria Wolfgang Holzner wolfgang.holzner@boku.ac.at www.boku.ac.at/zun

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona ICTA (Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologia Ambientals) Campus UAB Edifici C - 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola des Valles) David Saur-Pujol davidsauri@netscape.net www.uab.es/cea/

De Kleine Aarde (The Small Earth) P.O. Box 151, 5280 AD Boxtel, Klaverblad 1, The Netherlands Marijke Kuipers m.kuipers@dekleineaarde.nl www.dekleineaarde.nl

Folkecenter for Renewable Energy Kammersgaardsvej 16, Sdr. Ydby, 7760 Hurup Thy, Denmark Preben Maegaard energy@folkecenter.dk www.folkecenter.dk

www.ecosites.net

Project supported by the European Commission