Cities and young people will both play a vital role in the future of our Planet and it is therefore essential that the latter come up with ideas for improving the former. It was with this in mind that the Enel Group sponsored Campus Party Spotlight, an innovative digital event on January 27 and 28 that attracted 7,300 bright young minds from all over the world, for the final challenge and to realize its commitment to circular cities because of the event’s extraordinary ability to engage youth through its innovative activities. Campus Party plays a leading role in developing talent, contributing to initiatives that have a positive impact on society. Specifically, Italy and Greece measured their abilities to develop and identify new ideas for the theme of Circular Cities.
Ideas at play: innovative projects and some advice for building a path towards circular cities
Enel President Michele Crisostomo also underlined the importance of circular cities in the energy transition. Cities are accounting for an increasing amount of the world’s population and it is therefore vital that they are redesigned in a more sustainable and inclusive way. That entails not just recycling products and eliminating waste, but also producing more sustainable forms of transport. The Campus Party Spotlight and Play Energy initiatives therefore concentrated on ideas for these areas.
Enel X commitment to make circular cities a reality
Enel X is the market leader in the transition towards the Circular Economy: it is committed to realizing models that do not turn into waste after use; to embracing a circular model based on sustainable inputs, recovery and recycle, sharing platforms, life extension and products as a service. The goal is to cut emissions while promoting sustainable growth. This objective is reached thanks to Enel X’s circular products and services for people, cities and businesses which are designed to meet the needs of their clients and consumers, thereby maximizing profits while respecting the environment.
Enel X shares his idea of Sustainability
For us, circularity means both sustainability and social inclusion. On this occasion, Enel X’s Head of Sustainability, Nicola Tagliaferro, also shared his vision of the future. He said that people tend to think that sustainability is a question of the environment, but there is another important aspect and that is social inclusion. If we are to be sustainable, we need to include absolutely everybody on the Planet. It’s not just a question of diversity and the equality of the sexes, but there are many other groups that face exclusion: senior citizens, the disabled and people living in countries where poverty is widespread. And the circular economy is a perfect fit for both types of sustainability. It isn’t only about recycling and reuse, but also sharing (cars, for example). He also argued that youngsters will play a vital role in building a circular future. He concluded: “I think that young consumers are beginning to think in circular terms, and this bodes well for the future.”