GECO - Sustainability virtual italian fair
The second edition of GECO Expo will be held from March 1 to 4 and will host a large number of panels and events dedicated to sustainability in all its forms. Building on the success of last year's event, we are opening up our virtual space to international visitors, buyers and exhibitors, who will be discussing topics related to our five thematic areas. The content of the exhibition will focus on the main themes of sustainable mobility, circular economy, energy, sustainable tourism and eco-food.
Here are some of the highlights of our programme. Read the full programme here.
This panel, which will start at 9.30 a.m. on 1 March, will address the global warming emergency from a business perspective. CO2 emissions are a problem that affects us all, individuals and businesses alike, and the commitment required of enterprises to tackle rising global temperatures is particularly intense and complex. During this opening event we will discuss innovative solutions with experts in the field, including Prof. Stefano Caserini, Professor of Climate Change Mitigation at the Milan Polytechnic, researcher, and author of numerous publications on these topics.
On March 2nd, starting at 11am, we will talk about smart cities and the sustainability challenge of overpopulation in urban areas. The cities of the future and the way we inhabit them will require meticulous rethinking in order to adapt to the new environmentally conscious and people-centred society we need to build. Our experts will address the complex issues related to space and time management needs in our future 'smart cities'.
Right afterwards, at 12.30 p.m., we will be presenting one of the most revolutionary projects in the field of high-speed transport. We will be looking at Hyperloop, which appears to be the most credible alternative to air travel, combining the needs for mobility, speed and sustainability that constitute the key challenges of our time. This futuristic technology allows capsules carrying people or goods to travel through a tube. Inside the tube, a low-pressure environment is created, reducing aerodynamic resistance and therefore friction, allowing for speeds that are unmatched by conventional land transport methods. This technology will be presented by the co-founder of HyperloopTT and founder and CEO of Hyperloop Italia, Bibop G. Gresta.
This panel discussion, to be held on March 2nd from 3.40pm, will unveil the results of research by our partner Travel for Business, which launched a survey dedicated to new trends in business travel. Participants will delve into the research data to shed light on the needs of travellers and how these needs are undergoing profound changes to which the industry must adapt.
This international panel discussion, which will be conducted in English, will address the issue of sustainability in the travel industry and the priorities that the industry needs to set as it emerges from the pandemic crisis. European business travel experts taking part in the discussion will offer their perspective on different aspects of the industry.
The sustainability of the food industry is one of the most important challenges facing humanity, and combating waste is a cornerstone of any eco-conscious policy. How much food is wasted every year in Italy? At what cost? And how can we reduce waste for the benefit of the planet, but also for the benefit of the poorer segments of the population, who have access to fewer resources? We will talk about this in this round table on March 3rd, starting at 2.15 pm, with prominent panelists including Cristina Gabetti, journalist and author of books and TV programmes on sustainable lifestyles, and Guendalina Graffigna, Professor of Consumer and Health Psychology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Piacenza and Director of the EngageMinds HUB - Consumer, Food & Health Engagement Research Center.
How can we reduce CO2 emissions in the fashion industry? This is one of the most heavily polluting branches of our economy, but - thankfully - also one of the first in which an awareness of sustainability has developed, leading to a number of proposals for alternative solutions. Many of these focus on circular economy and the reuse of textiles to reduce the supply of raw materials. In this round table, which will be held on March 4th starting at 11.15 am, we will debate this issue with some leading professionals and circular economy experts, like Susanna Galli, who is Sustainability & Intangibles Director at Diadora S.p.A., and Valeria Battel, a journalist and lecturer in History of Costume and Fashion and Fashion Marketing at the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan.
With this round table on March 3rd, starting at 5.15 p.m., we will delve deeper into renewable energy issues. This is an enormously complex subject with incalculable economic, financial, logistical, practical, social, and political ramifications. In essence, the management, supply and distribution of energy is one of the vital components of our societies as we know them, and altering it will inevitably have a major impact on our lives. We will discuss the importance of this transition with experts such as Angelo Consoli, who, as president of CETRI-TIRES, (Third Industrial Revolution European Society) and Director of Jeremy Rifkin's European Office, regularly discusses all the possible applications of the New Green Deal with the highest echelons of European authority, NGOs, local authorities, and companies.
This section of the exhibition is dedicated to experts who will talk about specific topics, initiatives, and projects that address sustainability in terms of business ideas or educational and research projects. On March 1st at 3.15 pm, for instance, as part of the GECO Green Talk section, Elena Milazzo, ceo & co-founder of Sottosopra bike-friendly-communication, and Marco Boschini, national coordinator of the association of sustainable municipalities, will talk about the initiative "Sindaco pedala! The social challenge among Italian mayors to promote cycling". The idea is to "challenge" all Italian mayors to ride a bike through their own city, in order to understand the experience and the difficulties of those who move sustainably in the area they represent.
If you are interested in the Green Education section, do not miss the events of March 3rd at 10.50 am and March 4th at the same time. The first one, "Once upon a time there was home economics... today there is Evekeia", will be held by Rosaria Rogasi, CEO of Evekeia and educator, and Salvatore Insolia, President of Evekeia, and will deal with the theme of sustainability applied to what was once known as home economics. How do the many small tasks we perform every day affect our lives and the planet, and how can we change our habits towards more sustainable lifestyle choices? The second event, which will be hosted by Pier Luigi Belvisi, associate professor at the University of International Studies of Rome - UNINT, will be called "Linear vs. circular economy: from Adam Smith to Greta Thunberg" and will explore the relationship between market economy as we have known and studied it for years and the concepts of sustainability and circularity. This presentation will discuss the economic implications of environmental choices, as well as the environmental implications of economic choices, in order to frame the most important challenges of our time.
Last but not least, we recommend you don't miss the award ceremony of the video contest dedicated to Smart Talks, with a jury of experts chaired by Antonio Rancati, general coordinator of CETRI-TIRES. The jury includes representatives of some of the most important Italian startup accelerators, such as Eleonora Coppola, startup manager of Le Village by CA Triveneto, Lorenzo Boldrini, venture Builder & Startup Coach of PoliHub, the startup accelerator of the Milan Polytechnic, and top influencer Silvia Moroni, a content creator specialising in sustainable food and lecturer at the Lorenzo de' Medici University Institute on the subject of sustainable gastronomy.
If you are interested in sustainability in all its forms, attend GECO! The world's largest virtual sustainability exhibition!
Published on 11-02-2022
