More extensive information about the presentations:

Sustanimalism
If we look at the many sustainability indicators that have been developed over the years, it is striking to see that animal-wellbeing, also in the field of animal assisted interventions hardly plays a role. However, it is increasingly clear that our own well-being is closely connected with the welfare of the animals with whom we live. Animal welfare should therefore be central in the sustainability debate: sustanimalism. In this presentation, human-animal relationships will be linked to concepts and tools from sustainability science and some examples – biodiversity, zoos and pets – will be discussed.

City Labs and (sustainable) urban development 
European cities face economic, social and environmental challenges of growing complexity. In response, new forms of governance are called for, including urban labs (Living Labs and City Labs). Policymakers and urban development stakeholders struggle to implement urban labs and seek guidance for further development. Evidence-based guidelines and design principles are needed concerning types of challenges for which urban labs are most suited, how urban labs can best be organized in terms of structure, process, and participation, and how urban labs can best be integrated into local government structures. The URB@Exp project aims to develop such guidelines in order to enhance successful uptake of this innovative form of urban governance, thereby contributing to improved governance of urban complexity, for creating more sustainable, inclusive, attractive, and economically viable cities. The approach consists of three steps: (1) literature review and analysis of experiences of urban labs, (2) action research in urban lab experiments in five European cities based on concepts of transition experiments and participatory design, and (3) interurban exchange, learning, synthesis and dissemination of lessons.
The URB@Exp consortium has direct access to diverse urban lab experiments, bringing together policymakers and civil society actors committed to learning, and academics with relevant interdisciplinary and synergistic expertise.

The comeback of the electric vehicle?
In the late nineteenth century electric automobiles outsold every other type of vehicle. An electric prototype held the land speed record, battery-powered cabs traversed London, New York and Paris while emerging hybrid technology promised a solution to the problem of limited range. Electric vehicles (EVs) were the first choice of royalty and high-society drivers everywhere.
Yet within 10 years the electric automobile was no more and the internal combustion engine reigned supreme.
Could EVs have succeeded? Were they the victim of poor business management or was the technology - in particular the batteries - simply not good enough?
As EVs make a comeback in the 21st century some of the same problems persist. Only one manufacturer (Tesla) has built an electric automobile capable of matching the range of an internal combustion engined vehicle. Most modern EVs have a range of approximately 160 kilometers. This impairs their ease of use in longer trips.
This lecture compares the introduction of electric vehicles in the late 19th century with the early 21th century and discusses the chances for a successful revenge today.

Do Indonesian smallholders benefit from coffee certification? 
A joint research program between Maastricht University (The Netherlands) and the University of Lampung (Indonesia) analyzes social and economic effects of global certifying partnerships that aim to connect Southern agricultural production to Northern consumption. As consumers we are increasingly tempted to buy certified, sustainable products. The higher price for purchasing these certified products is justified by referring to advantages for smallholder farmers in developing countries. By paying a slightly higher price, the consumer is believed to contribute to better livelihoods (socially and economically), a cleaner environment and a more diverse nature in developing countries. Research among certified- and conventional actors in the Indonesian coffee chain however shows that not the smallholders, but the roasters financially profit most from certification. Financial benefits for smallholders do exist, but are very small and mainly result from a better coffee quality instead of the certificate itself. This raises the question whether it is still advisable to purchase certified coffee or not….. 

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Organised in cooperation with ICIS, International Centre for Integrated Assessment and Sustainable development, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Maastricht University.