The visit included two working sessions on the challenges of sustainable transport in island territories and environmental management in volcanic areas, and culminated with a visit to the ITER Bioclimatic Houses, as an example of a full-scale bioclimatic laboratory where architecture and sustainability are combined.
Last Monday, July 24, the Institute of Technology and Renewable Energies (ITER), under the Cabildo of Tenerife, received the visit of 70 councilors who are part of the working group on Environment of the European Union.
This visit is part of a comprehensive program developed on the island of Tenerife, within the framework of the off-site meeting of the Environment Working Group, which is responsible for preparing the work of the European Union’s Environment Council.
The main objective of the visit to Tenerife, organized by the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union (REPER) in the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, is to allow the representatives of the other Member States to learn first-hand about the particularities and specific problems of Tenerife (and the Canary Islands in general) in terms of biodiversity, nature conservation, environmental management and sustainability. These issues are discussed both in the Working Group and in the Environment Council in Brussels.
The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, was in charge of receiving the group in the ITER’s Assembly Hall, where she gave some words of welcome, highlighting the main challenges that the island faces in terms of Environment and emphasizing the commitment of the Cabildo and ITER to continue working for a more sustainable development in the island. The event was also attended by the Councilor for Innovation, Research and Development, Juan José Martínez, the Councilor for Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, and the insular director of Natural Environment, Pedro Millán.
The day included two working sessions. The first one focused on the challenges of sustainable transport in island territories, with the participation of the general manager of Fred. Olsen, S.A., Andrés Marín Given the key role of this shipping company in the maritime sector for the cohesion and connectivity between the islands.
The second working session entitled “Challenges of environmental management in volcanic areas. The example of La Palma” was held by the scientific director of the Environment Area of ITER and scientific coordinator of the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan), Nemesio Perez, who made a presentation on the volcanic risk in the Canary Islands and the importance of its management, and resolved numerous doubts related to the recent volcanic crisis of La Palma and the probability of new eruptions in the Canary Islands.
After the working sessions, the group made a guided visit to the ITER Bioclimatic Houses, the full-scale bioclimatic laboratory. These 24 houses represent an innovative project that combines architecture and sustainability to create a livable environment in harmony with the natural surroundings. Designed with bioclimatic criteria, they take advantage of local climatic conditions to reduce the need for artificial energy and improve energy efficiency.
The event was attended by participants from Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia, Greece, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Cyprus, Slovenia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Croatia and Romania.
The Permanent Representation (REPER) has 27 Member States, including Spain with its own embassy in the European capital, Brussels. These entities represent the official diplomatic representation of each country to channel its relations with the EU institutions.
The program of meetings and activities hosted by the island of Tenerife is part of the off-site meeting of the Environment Group, which prepares the work of the Environment Council of the European Union.
