Idea Box for Energy Transitions
Tired of hearing about lifestyle and behavioural changes for sustainable energy transitions? Can you think of a better structural solution? What is your idea to transition to a low-carbon energy system while enhancing social equity?
Hovedinnhold
Citizens have many things to say, but more of their voices are needed in the public debate. The Idea Box for Energy Transitions (IBET) is an attempt to make this possible.
It is an elaborate outreach initiative led by Siddharth Sareen, postdoc at the Department of Geography and the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation. IBET was installed in the Bergen public library in January 2019 for three months with the aim of collecting ideas for energy transitions from the public.
As a physical invitation to contribute solutions for energy transitions, it allows people to just drop their ideas in the slot within a box the same yellow colour as the Sustainable Development Goal 7: Clean Energy for All.
IBET is integrated into several public workshops around Bergen during the spring 2019 semester. It is presented to workshop participants, who are invited to contribute energy transition solutions using a variety of engagement techniques. The initiative was launched in Oslo during the opening weekend of Klimafestivalen 112, an annual national climate festival.
It accompanied the kickoff of the European Green Capital 2019, and was integrated into a theme where visitors wrote postcards to famous people. The first contributions were thus ideas posted from Oslo to Bergen!
IBET was discussed during Klimafestivalen 112 in Bergen, at a workshop during the disciplinary pedagogy day attended by school teachers, and during the National Sustainable Development Goals Conference. Here, participants played a virtuous design game to collaborate and come up with solutions for energy transitions.
In late March 2019, the ideas contributed by the public will be discussed during workshops at several major annual events, such as the Klimathon (https://www.hordaland.no/nn-NO/kalender/klimathon-2019/) and the Bergen International Student Conference (https://www.uib.no/collaboratory/122345/bisc2019-towards-sustainable-futures-facing-global-challenges-today).
IBET may even travel over to Oslo for the Bridge to the Future conference. These forums will generate further ideas, which will be analysed by researchers at the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation.
These researchers will curate an exhibition to be held during 10-20 May 2019 at the Bergen public library. This will accompany a workshop on the accountable governance of energy transitions during 15-16 May 2019 (see https://www.uib.no/en/cet/121725/accountability-and-legitimacy-energy-transitions-governance).
The ideas will furthermore be discussed during an artistic collaboration between Siddharth Sareen and Margrethe Brekke in conversation with Prof. Benjamin Sovacool at Hordaland Kunstsenter at 18:00 on 14 May (sign up here: https://www.uib.no/en/energy/123092/guided-tour-potential-exceeds-demand-art-exhibition).
You can drop by the public library to contribute your own idea to IBET, or submit one online right here: https://tinyurl.com/klimafestivalen
