Hearth Summit Athens 2024Hearth Summit Athens 2024

Regional Hearth Summits

ABOUT THE SUMMIT

Wellbeing Cities: The Future of Sustainable Urban Living

A hub for living well with yourself, others, and the Earth: the Hearth Summit Athens awaits!

In rapidly changing urban ecosystems, thriving communities are built on a foundation of wellbeing and sustainability. As a cornerstone of the Athenian ecosystem and a driving force of the innovation and startup communities across Greece, and directly connected with 126 Impact Hubs around the world,  Impact Hub Athens invites you to an immersive experience at the heart of wellbeing and sustainable urban living. Changemakers in Greece and from across Europe are invited to this Hearth to dive into sustainable urban living and address the unique opportunities, challenges and solutions for a good life in both major cities and peripheral areas.

Changemakers in the tech, development, education, agriculture, tourism, and creative industries; government; climate activists; and community groups: join us this fall in Athens! 

THE PROGRAMME THE PROGRAMME

Exploring the True Meaning of
Our Habitat

Learn, discover, and connect around the Hearth

habitat

/ˈhabɪtat/

noun  ·  the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

At the heart of Hearth Summit Athens is a vision: a vision of people living in cities and urban environments in harmony with our natural habitat, in comfort, safety, and happiness. Where all people feel secure in their basic comforts and can use their creative energies to support the flourishing of all life on this planet. Where we thrive in a restored, and vibrant natural environment by giving back as much as we receive. We seek a voice in our collective destiny, finding belonging, meaning, and purpose through genuine connection to the people and planet that sustain us.

You’re invited to this Hearth of innovation: we seek allies to imagine, design, and create an economy where the rules, norms, and incentives are inherently set up to deliver the quality of life and flourishing for all people, in harmony with our environment. This vision prioritizes the wellbeing of both people and the planet, embodied through Environmental Sustainability, Social Wellbeing, and Economic Equity, in three key habitats:

The natural habitat

What are the teachings from nature that offer to us as a compass for harmonious living with ourselves and our surroundings? How can nature grow inside an urban area? How can we integrate biophilic design principles in urban spaces to enhance human wellbeing and connection to nature?

The living habitat

What are the criteria for a wellbeing city? What does it offer to its residents? How do we move? How are the buildings constructed? How do we weave communities and cultivate the uniqueness of each place? How can we repopulate and regenerate urban areas in the periphery?

The economic habitat

What does growth mean? What are the criteria for a harmonic and inclusive form? How do we ensure equity in mega-cities? How do we fight energy poverty? How do we promote green and qualitative jobs for all?

Key Session Topics Key Session Topics

Hearth Summit Athens will explore key topics including:

Climate justice

Equity in cities

Decentralization and repopulation

Sustainable consumption

Wellbeing economy vs impact economy

Ecological Belonging and nature-based learning

Cultivating vibrant communities

Climate resilience and extreme weather

Climate and mental health

Sustainable tourism

By the end of the event, the community aims to have gathered important input to pass on to the Greek representatives, key stakeholders and politicians in COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Arts and Experiences

Hearth Summit Athens will also offer changemakers a space to experience wellbeing in all of its forms. Drawing on old practices that capture and spring from the power of nature, the participants will explore and experience traditions from civilizations from Greece. The content will be enriched with an artistic track that will help changemakers to decompress, reflect and re-connect. With the artistic environment, changemakers are invited to join difficult conversations with the guidance of contemporary artists, helping them to embrace topics from a sentimental perspective through performances and art installations.

Additionally, a series of satellite events outside and around Athens will offer different stimuli and deep diving into the context in Greece as an example for the cultivation of wellbeing cities.

Stay tuned for more details!

Building a Future for Sustainable Living in Greece and BeyondBuilding a Future for Sustainable Living in Greece and Beyond

STORIES FROM THE SUMMIT

At the Heart of a New Type of City

Fifty percent of Greece’s population is concentrated in just 4.3% of its territory, highlighting overpopulation and substandard living conditions in areas like Attica, while rural regions are becoming deserted. 

This pattern is not unique to Greece. UN-Habitat reports that about three-quarters of Europeans live in cities, making urban areas particularly vulnerable to climate change and environmental stresses. These challenges exacerbate social issues like segregation, social alienation, poverty, and inequality, especially affecting vulnerable populations.

Ensuring the wellbeing of all citizens in harmony with the environment is crucial. Cities, as centers of creativity and innovation, have the potential to drive significant systemic changes in climate change mitigation, ecosystem preservation and restoration, and promoting a circular economy.

Hearth Summit AthensHearth Summit Athens

In The News

Read and discover stories of this ground-breaking event in Greece.

HOSTED BY

Co-Created With

Act in Synch and Eteron Institute

With special thanks to these generous community, content, experience, and media partners:

24media, Aegean Film Foundation, Astylab, Bioagros, Bizrupt, Catalyst 2030, Danone, Electra Energy, ETAP – The Peloponnese and Ionian Islands Development Company, Greek Women of Wine, Innovation Unit – Technology transfer and Entrepreneurship Centre, University of Thessaly, Lighthub, Ministry of Culture, MIT Media Lab, Municipality of Egalo, Mythos, NATIVA, National Centre For Scientific Research Demokritos, The High Mountains, Southern Lights, The Sporos Platform, Stelios Foundation, Symbiosis, and The Wellbeing Project

MORE REGIONAL SUMMITSMORE REGIONAL SUMMITS

Discover the Wellbeing Movement in EuropeDiscover the Wellbeing Movement in Europe

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EuropeGreeceHearth Summit AthensImpact HubImpact Hub AthensRegional Wellbeing SummitRWS Post TagThe Wellbeing NetworkThe Wellbeing Summit for Social ChangeTWN Member
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