Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Cultures of Sustainability- bridging policy and practice in the

Nordic and Baltic Sea regions

February 2015

International Symposium on Northern Development, Québec City

Oleg Koefoed, Ph.D, Action-philosopher; Cultura21

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Who are we?

Oleg Koefoed, PhD, Action-Philosopher

Founder and director of Cultura21 (DK/Int)

Nordic Council of Ministers

Anna Enemark, Senior advisor, Culture

Michael Matz, Senior advisor, Culture

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Culture and post-2015 SDG

UN Seceretary General, 2014 - SDG

”Culture is an essential component of sustainable

development, represents a source of identity,

innovation and creativity for the individual and

community, and is an important factor in building social

inclusion and eradicating poverty, providing for

economic growth and ownership of development

processes.”

#culture2015goal campaign, 2014-15

Education, sustainable cities, human settlements, peaceful societies,

equality, ecosystems, biodiversity, economic growth

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

3 ways to see culture for SD1. Culture as promotor or communicator

Example: documentary ”People of a Feather” tells the

story of Québec Hydroelectric projects and the First

Nation people in the region

2. Greening of the Culture/arts sector

Example: Aarhus Festuge uses wind energy from Vestas to

cover all of its electricity needs in 2012

3. Culture as transversal agent creating sustainability

Example: Veden Taika – Halikonlahti (J. Brookner) –

sewage becomes birds pools and public art

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Culture and Sustainable Development – status

Culture is increasingly recognized as 4th pillar of sustainable development

Culture has potential to be ”transversal force” between fields

Need for institutional support and focus

Need for transdiciplinary collaboration with culture as acting force for SD

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Nordic Council of Ministers – Strategy

A Good Life in a Sustainable Nordic Region - strategy 2013

Holding on to the Nordic Welfare Model

Decreasing footprint on global climateWorking for viable ecosystems

Sustainable economic growth

”The significance and role of culture will be identified and strengthened in the work on

sustainable development in the Nordic countries.”

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Strategy for Nordic Cultural Co-operation

“A vibrant art and cultural life is ...

“Important for social development, identity and inclusion, trust, respect, social

bonding”. “Art and culture challenge and develop us

as individuals and as a society”“Accessibility to a wide variety of art and

cultural experiences is important”“A holistic approach is needed”

“Investment in culture is very important for other social objectives”

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Implications in practice

Mapping, supporting, knowledge sharing, everyday working tools

Cultures of Sustainability in the Baltic Sea Region (Culturability, see below)

Konnect: collaboration between art academies and climate scientists

GRO: portal making way for integrated sustainability considerations in the work of the council staff – ex: Culture

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Culturability – a BSR flagship

Initiated and supported by Nordic Council of Ministers

Flagship project under the European Baltic Sea Region Strategy, Priority Area Culture

Focus on 3 fields: Social Innovation, Sustainable Urban Change, and Cultural & Creative Industries

Workshops in 4 countries, more than 50 groups, institutions, SME's, researchers, policy makers

Leading to project development and further collaboration – draft report

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Questions for the future

How do we maintain and strengthen culture as central focus of SDG?

How do we improve education of cultural agents?

How do we strengthen impact, innovation and knowledge?

How do we best develop learning practices?

How do we reach out of the region?

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Questions and comments

How does this connect to your practices and strategies?

Common points?

Fruitful differences?

Possibilites of future collaboration between Quebec and Norden?

Feb 2015, QuebecInternational Symposium

Oleg Koefoed: Culture & Sustainability – Bridging

Policy and Practice

Thank you!”sector-based politics may very well be one of the greatest obstacles to sustainable development, as the understandings of sustainability varies across

sectors.”

(Katrina Soini, coordinator of COST IS1017 on Cultural sustainability)