TEAM Sustainability—The Contribution of Science …
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The accompanying projects, which are supported by the Ministry for Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of North RhineWestphalia
7 for the development and implementation of the sustainability strategy,
are carried out by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the State Working Group Agenda 21
NRW e. V. (LAG 21 NRW) and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and
Energy. Since this paper refers to the personal-institutional perspective of sustainability management and in particular to sustainability architecture and thus focuses
on the analysis of decision-making, advisory and participation bodies and especially
the participation of non-state actors, only the relevant sections of the accompanying
projects are examined in more detail below. For further information please refer to
the websites of the individual institutions.
The NRW state government has not convened its own direct Sustainability Advisory Board to develop and implement NRW’s sustainability strategy. Nevertheless,
the external projects accompanying the NRW sustainability strategy have many committees with the participation of non-governmental members which are summarised
below.
With the accompanying project “Network Sustainability NRW” LAG 21 NRW
makes an important contribution to supporting the sustainability processes in NRW
by expanding and consolidating the network formats with the involvement of state
and non-state actors. The central network formats include the “Sustainability Forum
NRW”, the “Chief Dialogue? Sustainability” and the “Municipal Sustainability Conference”.
8 The Sustainability Forum NRW, which is supported by more than 20 civil
society organisations and coordinated by LAG 21 NRW, focuses on professional
cooperation and joint civil society positioning vis-à-vis the state government of NRW
(LAG 21 NRW, n.d.).
With the start of the accompanying research project “Conceptual Analyses and
Considerations for the Design of a Sustainability Strategy NRW from a Scientific Perspective” of the Wuppertal Institute in November 2013, a “TEAM Sustainability” was
convened, which will also be continued in a second research project of the Wuppertal Institute “Implementation Experience with State Sustainability Strategies—Case
Study Sustainability Strategy NRW” (planned completion: December 2020).
The core tasks of the TEAM Sustainability consist on the one hand in the continuous reflection and constructive critical commentary of the project (interim) results
from a social point of view and on the other hand in the pro-active input of information and findings from the respective work contexts of the TEAM members into the
7 Respective the former Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia until May 2016.
8 The “Chief Dialog Sustainability” initiates a regular exchange between 15 mayors and district
administrators, as well as the local central associations and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The “Municipal Sustainability Conference” provides information on the many political processes
for promoting sustainable development and presents the already existing exemplary approaches of
the local community. Two further project formats of the Network Sustainability NRW under the
direction of LAG 21 NRW are the seminar series “Mandate Sustainability”, in which volunteer
mandate holders are informed about integrated municipal sustainability strategies and the “Model
Project Municipal Sustainability Budgets” (LAG 21 NRW, n.d.).
661
The accompanying projects, which are supported by the Ministry for Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of North RhineWestphalia
7 for the development and implementation of the sustainability strategy,
are carried out by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the State Working Group Agenda 21
NRW e. V. (LAG 21 NRW) and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and
Energy. Since this paper refers to the personal-institutional perspective of sustainability management and in particular to sustainability architecture and thus focuses
on the analysis of decision-making, advisory and participation bodies and especially
the participation of non-state actors, only the relevant sections of the accompanying
projects are examined in more detail below. For further information please refer to
the websites of the individual institutions.
The NRW state government has not convened its own direct Sustainability Advisory Board to develop and implement NRW’s sustainability strategy. Nevertheless,
the external projects accompanying the NRW sustainability strategy have many committees with the participation of non-governmental members which are summarised
below.
With the accompanying project “Network Sustainability NRW” LAG 21 NRW
makes an important contribution to supporting the sustainability processes in NRW
by expanding and consolidating the network formats with the involvement of state
and non-state actors. The central network formats include the “Sustainability Forum
NRW”, the “Chief Dialogue? Sustainability” and the “Municipal Sustainability Conference”.
8 The Sustainability Forum NRW, which is supported by more than 20 civil
society organisations and coordinated by LAG 21 NRW, focuses on professional
cooperation and joint civil society positioning vis-à-vis the state government of NRW
(LAG 21 NRW, n.d.).
With the start of the accompanying research project “Conceptual Analyses and
Considerations for the Design of a Sustainability Strategy NRW from a Scientific Perspective” of the Wuppertal Institute in November 2013, a “TEAM Sustainability” was
convened, which will also be continued in a second research project of the Wuppertal Institute “Implementation Experience with State Sustainability Strategies—Case
Study Sustainability Strategy NRW” (planned completion: December 2020).
The core tasks of the TEAM Sustainability consist on the one hand in the continuous reflection and constructive critical commentary of the project (interim) results
from a social point of view and on the other hand in the pro-active input of information and findings from the respective work contexts of the TEAM members into the
7 Respective the former Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia until May 2016.
8 The “Chief Dialog Sustainability” initiates a regular exchange between 15 mayors and district
administrators, as well as the local central associations and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The “Municipal Sustainability Conference” provides information on the many political processes
for promoting sustainable development and presents the already existing exemplary approaches of
the local community. Two further project formats of the Network Sustainability NRW under the
direction of LAG 21 NRW are the seminar series “Mandate Sustainability”, in which volunteer
mandate holders are informed about integrated municipal sustainability strategies and the “Model
Project Municipal Sustainability Budgets” (LAG 21 NRW, n.d.).