#LIFEis30

Hear from entrepreneurs and innovators from across Europe about how the LIFE Programme has supported the development of new products and processes in the circular economy.  We talk to entrepreneurs detoxifying paints and coatings with environmentally-friendly alternatives; developing new fungi-based food from cereal bio-processing waste; using farm by-products to cultivate alternative proteins, a circular desalination process on an isolated Greek island using solar power; and tackling the waste footprint of the ski boot industry through materials recycling.  European Commission official Paola Migliorini sets out the policy aspects of the circular economy, and former European Commissioner for the environment Janez Potočnik, now Co-Chair of the UN International Resource Panel, adds valuable perspectives on resource efficiency. 

‘Food for thought’ looks at how LIFE is helping farmers and producers to become more environmentally friendly, reduce the carbon output of their activities and contribute to a more sustainable food system.Agriculture is indispensable for our food for now and for the future, that’s why it’s important that our food production is developed in the most sustainable way, with regard to the use of natural resources, greenhouse gas emissions, and the use of chemicals. For the past three decades, the LIFE Programme has worked to bring stakeholders together, to foster innovation and enterprise that enables a more sustainable system of food production and consumption throughout the agri-food chain.In this podcast we hear from the coordinators of six pioneering LIFE projects. We also talk to two European Commission officials whose work interfaces with the LIFE Programme’s contribution to farming and food: Alexandra Nikolakopoulou, who oversees the Farm to Fork strategy in the Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and Gaëlle Marion, head of unit for the environmental sustainability of agriculture in Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development.

'How to save a species' shows that species on the edge of extinction can recover, thanks to the passion and commitment of the men and women working on the ground and supported by the LIFE Programme during the past thirty years. We talk with Miguel Ángel Simón who spearheaded the successful conservation of the Iberian lynx, visit a sanctuary for the roseate tern, hear from Spyros Kotomatas who is working to save the Mediterranean monk seal and Joëlle Huysecom from Natagora who describes LIFE Connexions’ work on the violet copper butterfly and the freshwater pearl mussel. Conservation is not only about saving iconic species, it’s also about restoring and protecting habitats, food chains and Earth’s web of life. Species recovery is an essential part of any ecosystem's long-term resiliency and health. The last word in #LIFEis30 ‘How to save a species’ goes to Florika Fink-Hooijer, director-general of the European Commission’s environment directorate, who explains how new proposals from Brussels could soon make nature restoration a legal obligation for national governments.