Taking Green Care to the next level

On the 7th of December, join us for the final Green4C conference!

The first chapter of Green4C is now closing. After 3 years of work to innovate and promote Green Care across Europe, it is time to reflect on the lessons learned during the project’s implementation and its achievements. At the final conference “Taking Green Care to the next steps”, all the Green4C partners will come together to discuss the innovation brought by the project and propose new ways forward to enhance the adoption of Green Care solutions. While this event is mainly addressed to policy makers and professionals of Green Care, anyone interested in the promotion of nature-based solutions for health and wellbeing is welcomed.

We believe that promoting Green Care practices is essential to overcome many challenges faced by our societies. Today, there is growing evidence on the essential role of nature, not only to mitigate the effects of climate change, but also to improve our health and wellbeing. Forest bathing, wilderness therapy, urban horticulture: these practices, among others, have demonstrated that interacting with nature greatly benefits our physical and mental health, as well as our wellbeing. At the same time, working with nature, such as in the case of Social agriculture, can provide a tool for social inclusion and rehabilitation. In addition, these practices have positive impacts on the environment and they are cost–effective, representing an extremely efficient solution to health, social, and environmental challenges. During the event, we will have the opportunity to meet 5 European case studies and explore with them the innovation brought by their projects.

Finally, at the final conference we will present the “Green Care Manifesto”, produced by the Green4C partnership. Based on 3 years of research on Green Care innovation, the Manifesto contains recommendations and key actions to enhance the creation of new Green Care initiatives and remove the barriers for the diffusion of Green Care practices. While the Manifesto is mainly addressed to policy and decision makers, it also contains specific guidelines for Green Care services and professionals, as well as land managers, funders, supporters, researchers and scientists interested in Green Care.

10:00 | Welcoming – Rik De Vreese (European Forest Institute)
10:05 | Introduction to Green Care: What do we know from science? – Matilda van den Bosch (IS Global)
10:20 | Introduction to Social Agriculture: a viable solution for health and social inclusion – Deirdre O’Connor (University College Dublin) and Marjolein Elings (Wageningen University & Research)
10:35 | Introduction to the Green4C Project and its outcomes – Davide Pettenella (University of Padova)
10:50 | Pitches from Green Care projects:
– SamenBuitenBuurten – Katriina Kilpi (BOS+ NatureMinded)
– GoGreenRoutes – Tadghg MacIntyre (University of Maynooth)
– Blue Health – Lewis Elliott (University of Exeter)
– Uforest – Colm O’Driscoll (Etifor)
– Forest for health – tbc
11:15 | Break
11:25 | The Green Care Manifesto – Aynur Mammadova (University of Padova)
11:40 | Roundtable: feedback from policy actors & experts on the Green Care Manifesto
12:10 | Q&A with the audience
12:50 | Closing remarks – Davide Pettenella (University of Padova)

Details

Wednesday, 7^th of December 2022, from 10:00 to 01:00pm
Online
The event is free, but you need to register

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