Dialogue Forum
9 September 2008, BrusselsThe concluding Dialogue Forum will be targeted at senior excecutives within the industry sector.
The ETTAR Project
Transportation is one of the backbones of today's economy. At the same time it is a service that significantly impacts the environment. The volume of transport, transport modes and technology used by transport vehicles determine the level of emissions into air and consumption of resources. Since the 1950s, transport volumes (world wide and within the EU) have continually grown faster than GDP.How to reconcile customers' wishes to buy exotic and cheap products with the basic targets of sustainability?
The ETTAR (Environmental Technologies, Training and Awareness-Raising) project has been set up to identify and assess training needs, methods and activities for the wider use of environmental technologies in the EU freight transport sector.
ETTAR is more than another research project: it constitutes an interactive dialogue process intended to come up with applicable solutions and ideas to make freight transport greener in a co-operative way. Three workshops have been organised bringing together the stakeholders of transport industry and economic sectors buying transport.
The first workshop in Gothenburg in October 2007 focused on the practical pros and cons of using best available and environmentally sound vehicle and fuel technology for freight transport of all transport modes. Clear policy demands have been formulated and policy options devised.
The second workshop in Prague, 24-25 in January 2008 focused on logistics optimisation, planning processes and training methods. The workshop developed one pilot project involving the cooperation of transport seller and transport buyer outlining "low hanging fruits" of transport improvement.
The third workshop in Berlin in April 2008 looked at the freight industry's need for training and awareness-raising regarding social, environmental and economic issues. An exemplary e-learning specification was introduced and debated and parameters discussed that are important in designing e-learning tools that meet their objectives.
Dialogue Forum
The Dialogue Forum in Brussels on 9 September 2008 will conclude the ETTAR project discussing all the important aspects of "greening freight transport" with relevant stakeholders of the business. Two high-level key note speakers (Prof. Dr. Anders Levermann, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Prof. Dr. Alan Mc Kinnon, Logistics Research Centre, Herriot Watt University) will introduce the conference giving their respective views.
Four Working groups will discuss the concrete drivers and barriers of the uptake of environmentally sound transport solutions. Reality sketches will reflect frequent situations of companies' structure or communication patterns that hinder any progress in greening freight transport. A final panel discussion will give answers to the question: A CO2 reduced freight transport. What does it take? The dialogue forum is an interactive event that depends heavily on the contributions of the participants. High-level representatives from industry, NGOs and political authorities will be present at the dialogue forum giving all participants the opportunity to discuss solutions with them.
