Therme One Health at COP26

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FROM BUILDING TO GROWING CITIES

During COP26 Therme Group announced its One Health initiative for human and environmental wellbeing, which established the One Health Research Centre together with founding partners IKEM and the University of Greifswald

As a first-time COP participant, One Health planted a forest of 1400 trees native to Scotland in Glasgow’s Broomfield Park. The forest was planted in partnership with SUGi with the participation of local schoolchildren, as a living and breathing legacy of COP26

On the starting day of COP26 November 1st, One Health announced the Wellbeing City São Paulo collaboration with Groupe Allard at a press conference with São Paulo State Governor João Doria, Jean Nouvel, Prof. Stefano Mancuso, Brando Crespi and Mikolaj Sekutowicz

A Wellbeing City research programme was announced with the presentation of the "From Building to Growing Cities" position paper and corresponding panel discussion. The paper and initiative were co-authored by Prof. Stefano Mancuso, Prof. Stefano Boeri and Hans Ulrich Obrist, with the participation of IKEM and the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research

Afforestation Workshop
BROOMFIELD FOREST

Therme One Health planted a high-density forest in Glasgow’s Broomfield Park during COP26 to signal the need for action and better integration of nature into our cities and lives

With SUGi

Watch Video

Marking its first COP participation, Therme One Health planted a new forest to grow in Glasgow as a legacy of COP26. The initiative represents the urgent need for action and the necessity of our cities to develop towards a stronger integration of nature in urban planning. Broomfield Forest was planted with children from the neighbouring Balornock Primary School, symbolising Therme One Health’s message of reconnecting human life with nature—a message which is further reflected by the immediate opening of the forest to the public, which will allow Glasgow citizens to instantly feel their city becoming closer to nature.

The planting was guided by SUGi following the Miyawaki Method: a Japanese technique based on the principle of using trees native to the area and replicating natural forest regeneration. The forest is made up of 22 native tree species and up to 1,400 saplings grown in Scotland from Scottish seeds, including Rowan, Hazel, Oak and Scots pine.

As a result, the forest will reach a biodiversity rate 100 times higher than the one of the current grass meadow. Starting from its third year, this emerging ecosystem is estimated to capture 720 kg of carbon dioxide per year and emit 530 kg of oxygen. After 10 years, the forest will reach a total of 3600 kg of carbon dioxide captured per year – a number expected to rise once the forest has fully formed and densified.

Photographs by Robert Ormerod for SUGi

Press Release

Press Conference
CIDADE MATARAZZO

Therme One Health partners with Groupe Allard to announce Wellbeing City collaboration, with the aim to turn São Paulo into a symbol of urban regeneration and sustainability

With Alexandre Allard (Groupe Allard), João Doria (São Paulo State Governor ), Jean Nouvel, Prof. Stefano Mancuso (University of Florence), Brando Crespi (Pro Natura) and Mikolaj Sekutowicz

On the opening day of COP26, visionary businessman Alexandre Allard announced plans to transform São Paulo into an eco-wonder: “We want to spearhead a regeneration movement where Brazil starts to shift from its multi-billion dollar extraction economy to that of a trillion-dollar green opportunity, re-establishing the country’s sustainability credentials and turning São Paulo into an eco-wonder of the world,” says Mr. Allard. “We are unveiling our bold project to the world here at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, where we want to inspire mayors across the world and show how private-sector business can work with local authorities to transform and rewild cities globally – giving back to nature and creating a preservation-focused culture,” he adds, referring to how his teams are working directly with the City of São Paulo and the State Government and Governor João Doria.

Groupe Allard’s strategic alliance with Therme Group will implement further key drivers of public and environmental health, developing eco-cultural experiences, botanical environments, leisure and health activities and ultimately developing a socially inclusive wellbeing infrastructure benefiting millions of citizens. From the One Health perspective, Stefano Mancuso highlighted the importance of plant-based solutions, which will be applied in São Paulo through the integration of his innovative Air Factory concept in Cidade Matarazzo for indoor botanical filtration to bring the multiplicity and biodiversity of Brazil's natural environment into its buildings.

“As mayor of São Paulo I had the opportunity to encourage several projects such as this, to make the city more functional, green and accessible to the population. The impact of initiatives in the size and quality of Cidade Matarazzo is in line with the commitments we brought to this COP as the State of São Paulo, in particular with the cause of our climate action plan to neutralize carbon emissions by 2050.” — Governor João Doria during the press conference

Launch
ONE HEALTH RESEARCH CENTRE

Therme One Health, IKEM and University of Greifswald found One Health Research Centre to bolster health and wellbeing of our society and planet

With IKEM and University of Greifswald

The One Health Research Centre (OHRC) was founded jointly by the University of Greifswald, IKEM and Therme One Health, to carry out targeted research projects with the goal of making cross-sectoral, evidence-based contributions to the health and wellbeing of our society and planet. Through the incorporation of the diverse resources of the partners, the One Health Research Centre will conduct research projects on the interactions and correlating elements in the health of humans, animals, and the environment. The aim of the One Health Research Centre is to implement its findings in the restoration and creation of health-promoting environments in cities worldwide, through Therme One Health’s infrastructure and urban development initiatives, as well as in Therme Group’s own thermal facilities.

The centre is situated within the academic framework of the University of Greifswald, and the newly founded Helmholtz Institute for One Health, which mark Greifswald as a central hub for One Health research in Europe. It will benefit from the wide-ranging expertise of the University of Greifswald’s longstanding academic excellence, alongside IKEM’s sustainability and policy expertise, and Therme One Health’s innovative solution providers, as well as its extended network of academic institutions, NGOs, healthcare providers, urban developers, designers, and architects. This spirit of collaboration reflects the principles of the One Health approach’s transdisciplinary and collaborative nature.

Press Release

Panel Discussion
WELLBEING CULTURE FORUM

From Building to Growing Cities
Panel Discussion

With Maria Rivera Espinosa (Therme One Health), Patience Naamara (Fairventures Worldwide), Prof. Michael Mehling (MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research) and Simon Schäfer Stradosky (IKEM). Moderated by Mikolaj Sekutowicz

To accompany the publication of its policy paper, on November 11. Therme One Health staged the Wellbeing Culture Forum panel discussion From Building to Growing Cities, with the participation of the paper's co-editors Prof. Michael Mehling (MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research) and Simon Schäfer Stradosky (IKEM), in addition to Patience Naamara (Fairventures Worldwide) as well as Therme One Health Head of Global Engagement Maria Rivera Espinosa and Therme One Health CEO Mikolaj Sekutowicz.

The panel discussion addressed and questioned the traditional values and moral systems that guide the way we construct policies. To reassess the way cities and our environment is built today we must turn to more inclusive decision making processes, ones that involve not just the bodies' actioning these policies but also those that are affected by these implementations first hand, by means of a more integrated urban planning and conscious engagement with the local fabric and indigenous communities’ wisdom. As such, policies guiding urban development must include the voices of front line activist, indigenious people, underrepresented communities, and those interacting closely with the ecosystem, so that cities can becomes platforms for more voices to be heard within a wider, enriched dialogue.

Watch Video

Publication
POLICY PAPER

From Building to Growing Cities: A Position Paper

Co-Authored by Prof. Stefano Mancuso (University of Florence), Prof. Stefano Boeri (Polytechnic University of Milan) and Curator Hans Ulrich Obrist

On the occasion of the COP26 World Climate Conference in Glasgow, the One Health Research Centre (OHRC), has produced its first policy paper “From Building to Growing Cities”. The paper provides a roadmap to lead the way towards the transformation of urban expansion from the biggest threat to our ecosphere into a driver of climate action.

Climate-positive and health-promoting growth can be achieved if nature-based solutions applied in systemic approaches become an integral and inextricable part of urban development. By reframing the building code to establish the norm of climate positive buildings and urban infrastructure – through the integration of nature-based solutions onsite and offsite compensation of constructions’ negative impacts accounting for their full lifecycle by a 100% + X approach – urban development can be turned into a catalyst of ecosystem restoration and climate mitigation.

The paper outlines five steps towards the transforming buildings and cities into drivers of the regeneration of our ecosphere:

Measure and standardise the assessment of construction of buildings and urban infrastructure's full lifecycle environmental impact.
Continuous research and development of integrated measurement tools to calculate and standardize nature-based solutions’ full spectrum compensatory impact.
Adapting the building code and other policies accordingly, to implement the necessity of compensation by the 100% + X approach, while creating a plain market field for a new environmental urban development.
Identify and integrate the existing financial mechanisms to ensure climate and health-positive investments become the most cost-efficient solutions.
Finance and create pilot projects that test state-of-the-art technology and showcase cutting-edge innovation.

Publication
POLICY PAPER

Utilising the potential of private sector engagement
through the Paris Rulebook

By IKEM, with the support of Therme One Health and the One Health Research Centre

In this policy paper published by IKEM for COP26, with support from Therme One Health and the One Health Research Center, analysis shows that the private sector could help unlock ambition and achieve cost-effective emission reductions on the way to reaching the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. In order to best achieve private sector engagement through Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, market mechanisms must be designed to increase private-sector trust in their functionalities. The rulebook of the Paris Agreement must be robust while allowing for a strong degree of flexibility, striking a balance between market incentives and environmental integrity.

Download Full Paper

OTHER COP26 HIGHLIGHTS

Roundtable Discussion
Sustainable urban planning: regulatory frameworks for and investment in rapid decarbonization of cities
November 5, University of Glasgow – Organised by IKEM

City governments play a key role in planning and regulation, along with creating the appropriate conditions for investment in carbon neutral sustainable urban planning. As part of this year’s Climate Law & Governance Day, IKEM invites mayors, legal experts and stakeholders to discuss best-practice examples for the decarbonization of cities.

Joint Venture Launch
Launch of Therme IGE (Intelligent Growth Ecosystems), a partnership between IGS Limited and Therme RPC, Therme Group’s food and nutrition division
November 10, COP26 Greenzone – Organised by Therme Group and IGS Limited

The newly launched Therme IGE will be responsible for bringing next-generation urban farms to Therme resorts across the globe. These farms will grow organic, sustainable and nutritious food for our guests on-site and will provide the focus for public education on food systems and nutrition.

Global Climate Action Talk
Sustainability and Resilience of Cities in the Climate Crisis and during the COVID Pandemic
November 11, COP26 Bluezone – Organised by the UNFCCC with Ashok Sridharan

The discussion hosted by the UNFCCC focused on strategies that integrate environmental responses to climate change with social and economic dimensions, highlighting the importance of multidisciplinary approaches to urban sustainability. During the talk Ashok Sridharan, former Major of Bonn and President of ICLEI, highlighted Therme Group’s Afforestation Workshop as an example of how we can better integrated nature and tackle the effects of climate change.

Panel Discussion
Climate Innovation Showcase: Climate Justice, Risk and Wellbeing
November 11, Ramshorn Theatre – Organised By Therme Group, COGITO

This event was organised in partnership between Therme Group and COGITO to showcase in an accessible and engaging way the results of an interdisciplinary collaboration between four research projects in five UK & EU universities. The panelists discussed questions in an interactive manner with the audience, thus making some of the most abstract and theoretical issues in the debate over climate justice come alive.

Nina Gualinga joins Therme Art Advisory Board

Nina Gualinga is an indigenous activist for the protection of indigenous territories, women’s rights and climate justice. Nina has been involved in local, national and international efforts to raise awareness and address the injustices occurring in the Amazon, particularly related to extractive industries and climate change.

Maria Rivera Espinosa joins Therme One Health as Head of Global Engagement

Maria Rivera Espinosa is a climate activist and has worked as an advisor to promote and rise awareness of changes required to move forward towards a resilient and sustainable society. She aims to engage in work that fosters a coming together of governments and the private sector towards a greener and resilient future. She is currently head of the Art Engagement Program in the Sustainable AI Lab of the University of Bonn.

Press Coverage

Therme on Harper's Bazaar Latin America

Harper's Bazaar Latin America published a full feature on Therme's wellbeing concept and mission, starting from its historical roots with the founding by the late Joseph Wund, to the cultural and scientific innovation spearheaded by Therme Art and Therme One Health today.

Read the Article

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