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About Eco-Minds
Welcome to Eco-Minds
Eco-Minds is a new youth program of Bayer and UNEP which encourages the youth to think of creative and practical uses of science and technology in an interdisciplinary way in order to address the challenge of Sustainable Development. While the primary focus of Eco-Minds is on scientific and technical innovations, the initiative also includes consideration of socio-economic and cultural factors at all stages.
The international background of the participants introduces a multi-cultural dimension to the program. The Eco-Minds Youth Forum shall bring together 27 participants from nine Asia Pacific countries: the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China, and Korea.
Three selected participants from each of these countries will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New Zealand to attend the Eco-Minds Forum 2009.
Eco-Minds focuses on Sustainable Development in a unique way by bringing together young scientists, engineers, social scientists, economists, and management experts from different countries to participate in a solution-oriented group work. If you are a student of science or engineering, you will be able to work with social science and management students to solve real-world problems of Sustainable Development. If you are a social science student, you will be able to work with science/engineering and management students to predict the social impacts of the proposed solutions. And if you are a commerce or management student, you can work with science/engineering and social science students to test the viability of the proposed solutions.
Three selected participants from each of these countries will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New Zealand to attend the Eco-Minds Forum 2009.
Eco-Minds focuses on Sustainable Development in a unique way by bringing together young scientists, engineers, social scientists, economists, and management experts from different countries to participate in a solution-oriented group work. If you are a student of science or engineering, you will be able to work with social science and management students to solve real-world problems of Sustainable Development. If you are a social science student, you will be able to work with science/engineering and management students to predict the social impacts of the proposed solutions. And if you are a commerce or management student, you can work with science/engineering and social science students to test the viability of the proposed solutions.
Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director about Eco-Minds
 Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG, and responsible for Innovation, Technology and Environment |
As a research-based enterprise, Bayer places great emphasis on awakening enthusiasm for science among young people. What is even more relevant: Scientific solutions must be put into practice by dedicated people. That is why Bayer and UNEP established the Eco-Minds platform under their partnership in the field of youth and the environment.
The key topic of Eco-Minds 2009, the sustainable use of energy, is one of our biggest challenges in the field of sustainability and is of the highest relevance for tackling climate change successfully.
Science and technology are key factors in promoting sustainable development. However, it is equally clear that socio-economic and cultural factors also play an important role.
Eco-Minds therefore is bringing together young people from various countries in the Asia-Pacific region who represent a wide range of academic disciplines. It provides a fantastic opportunity to meet like-minded people, share knowledge and work together to develop solutions.
A global task such as a sustainable use of energy is not only a challenge to companies like Bayer, it is a challenge to us all. We can all make our own personal contribution.
We all have to make a difference!
Therefore I encourage all students committed to sustainability to take up the Eco-Minds challenge 2009!
 Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director |
We live in a time of exciting - and sometimes frightening - change. On the positive side, new technologies are opening worlds of opportunity for a growing number of people across the globe. On the other hand, global warming and other environmental changes threaten to derail decades of progress. This is a concern for everyone.
Finding solutions to these issues will need clear and courageous thinking, and the application of the best minds in search of the most innovative answers. UNEP is convinced that those minds belong to the young people of the world.
With the support of Bayer, UNEP is putting into practice its commitment to making sure that young people - who represent nearly half the planet’s population - are given a voice, and are listened to. Whether the solutions are technological or political, we will need strong and inspirational leadership to face the challenges of the coming decades. The Eco-Minds programme is an important initiative for identifying and nurturing tomorrow’s leaders today.
Prof. Stuart McCutcheon, Vice-Chancellor, The University of Auckland.
 Prof. Stuart McCutcheon, Vice-Chancellor, The University of Auckland. |
As New Zealand’s premier university, we have an important role to play and we are committed to contributing towards the transition to sustainability. We are pleased to be able to partner with Bayer, UNEP and the NZ Commission for UNESCO in hosting the Eco-Minds forum in 2009.
As the global community moves away from an era of relatively cheap energy sources, the question of how to secure sustainable energy supplies will become increasingly critical. The forum’s theme of ‘sustainable energy supplies’ is therefore timely.
We look forward to providing a valuable opportunity for young people from across the region to learn about and develop innovative solutions to what will be one of the more important issues of their time.
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