First German Online Climate Summit

In December 2007 the "First German Online Climate Summit" was held on the basis of the OpenSpace-Online® conference method. Patron of the event was the President of the German Federal Environment Agency, the organizer was the "Deutsche Städte- und Gemeindebund" (German Association of Towns and Municipalities), financial support and sponsorship for the project was provided by Cisco Systems and the concept and technology partner was OpenSpace-Online GmbH.

The aim of this event was to enable an improvement in the quality of interdisciplinary, open and - at the same time - result-oriented collaboration, with the involvement of the most important environmental and climate experts in Germany, while simultaneously starting a comprehensive information and communication campaign under the motto "local authorities protecting the climate". The "First German Online Climate Summit" was intended to be the kick-off event for fast, unbureaucratic and forward-looking collaboration over long distances and across borders for organizations, institutes and universities, as well as public and local authorities. In contrast to traditional conferences, this kick-off event was intended not to cause any climate damage as a result of the participants traveling to and from a specific location. Here too, the German Association of Towns and Municipalities consciously wanted to send important future signals.

Our part was to assist and support the German Association of Towns and Municipalities with tasks like "project development", "change process consulting", "creating an invitation and registration website" and "event-management around the OpenSpace-Online® conference".

On December 4, 2007 the preparations had been completed and the online climate summit took place with the involvement of 80 environmental and climate experts from all over Germany over a period of 4.5 hours. For the German Association of Towns and Municipalities the online climate summit and the use of the OpenSpace-Online® method was a resounding success.

Here are some of the organizers quotes relating to the summit:

"Our expectations were exceeded by a long way: 33 exciting topics put forward by the participants ensured that the agenda was right up to date. There was room for all of the topics. Nothing was lost and it was possible to work through everything. The well-structured real-time software provided excellent navigation and the "law of two feet" a sound democratic process. Thematic overlaps quickly ironed themselves out. What followed was a highly motivated solution and result-oriented exchange lasting more than four hours. 30 brief reports were drawn up. All participants were able to add new ideas. The hot topics of the day were identified, new contacts made and initial meetings arranged. The approximately 130-page conference documentation available at the "press of a button" speaks for itself. Even if we all still need some more time to take in the wealth of results and sustainable effects, one thing is already clear: together with all of those taking part it was possible to create a successful start for a new quality of open and interdisciplinary collaboration for forward-looking climate policy in German cities, towns and municipalities.

Our intention is to continue the online climate summit in the coming years, possibly at an international level. The results of the summit will be included in the face-to-face event "Climate Protection and Energy Efficiency – Local Authority Strategies for Action and Methods of Resolution", which will be held by the German Association of Towns and Municipalities on January 11, 2008 in Bonn in cooperation with the Federal Environment Ministry (with the participation of the Minister of the Environment)."

Within the first 5 days after the online climate summit 37% of the conference participants filled out an online feedback form. One result was, that 96% of these people want to participate in further OpenSpace-Online® conferences.

Two participants’ statements after the conference:

"This is the beginning of a new age. This medium will continue to be used in future for an intensive exchange by "local authority experts".

"The first German online climate summit has sent a signal concerning climate protection, which many people will take as a basis for their responsibilities concerning their own actions."

The press also played a significant role in the event. A reporter from the first German television channel (ARD newsroom) was present during the entire online climate summit, while the second German television channel (ZDF) placed a report on its Internet site www.heute.de as one of the major news items. WDR Live 1, the largest radio station for young people in one large German federal state, produced a radio report about the online climate summit. Four other Radio interviews (in German) were also held during and after the conference.