Making sustainability a part of everyday life
A combined effort is required to help Europe reach its goal of attaining consumption patterns that are less environmentally damaging, without adversely impacting citizens' quality of life. CSOs are uniquely placed to encourage the various actors to take action and move away from the current unsustainable patterns of consumption. How to enhance the effectiveness of such CSO activities was the core challenge for the CSOCONTRIBUTION2SCP project, funded by the EU. The researchers' overall objective was to make better use of CSOs to solve the problems of sustainable development. Specific project objectives included taking stock of the current situation on sustainability, identifying gaps in the knowledge of CSOs, and then filling these gaps. Ultimately, CSOCONTRIBUTION2SCP set out to increase the involvement of CSOs in research projects. During the project's final conference, several CSOs and researchers agreed to establish a smart CSO hub. This network will include CSO leaders, funders and researchers who are committed both to change and a systemic transformation towards sustainability. Through the initiative's activities, long-term opportunities have been created for further collaboration between the project partners themselves and with additional stakeholders, such as national research bodies. Now that the project has been successfully completed, the project partners will continue to address scientific institutions in order to integrate, wherever feasible, CSO perspectives in ongoing research projects.
