Future Living Festival is a one-day event where citizens, companies, academia and public officials come together to discuss how we will create more environmentally and socially responsible cities.
Future Living is a free event and everyone is encouraged to join in, participate in the talks and workshops, make new connections, voice their aspirations, wishes and concerns, and support the co-creation of the future of our cities.
Future Living takes place at BaneGaarden and during the festival you will find all the food stalls, bars and activities that BaneGaarden usually and wonderfully offers.
Additionally, we will host a Community Lunch, where you can connect with like-minded individuals, united by a drive for shaping the sustainable future of our cities.
Tickets sold separately.
After selling Flying Tiger, Lennart Lajboschitz set himself on a mission to created social communities for everyone. He since established iconic social gathering spaces such as Community House Absalon in Vesterbro. Lennart aims to foster social relationships through action. He shares his experiences and lessons from these projects, offering insights on how project creators, municipalities, businesses, and citizens can help build more meaningful communities.
In an era marked by digital connectivity and social fragmentation, the simple act of sharing a meal holds profound potential in alleviating loneliness and fostering meaningful connections. This panel presents various initiatives dedicated to building meaningful communities through communal dining and examines the resulting impact.
Learn new ways to preserve delicious food, think of new ways to spice up your cooking, and reduce waste in your everyday life.
(the workshop will be limited to 25 people)
Bringing biodiversity into urban areas is crucial for creating healthier, more resilient, and sustainable cities. As urban populations grow, the need to integrate nature into our cities has never been more urgent. Urban rewilding addresses this by transforming cityscapes to support diverse ecosystems, benefiting both the environment and the people. This talk will explore why urban rewilding is important, the pressures driving this movement, and what we can expect in the future.
In times of stress and “disconnection” it is very beneficial to tune back into the feeling of nature in us. Join us for a group session in which we will revisit our roots. Together we will bring our consciousness back into our bodies and our minds into the present moment.
Ditte gives a keynote on the finding of her book: Danish Design Heritage and Global Sustainability.
With a bias for action, the book offers valuable insights into the origins of the much-celebrated Danish design tradition and how it can be employed to create design solutions to address today’s environmental crisis using the planetary boundaries as positive creative constraints. Exploring the lessons to be learnt from Scandinavian design ideals, introducing the philosophy and principles of circular economy and showcasing the potential power of combining circular economy and design in helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. Bridging theory and real-world insights and experiences, the book is built on the framework of the 4Rs – The Circular Way: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Replace to encourage innovation through the replacement of environmentally damaging materials and business models.
The European Green Deal aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050 while continuing to boost the economy. This implies the ambition to grow our real economy while reducing its environmental impact. It implies doing more with less — reducing while increasing. The path towards this 'Green Growth' includes clean energy, efficient technology, circularity, carbon capture and more. But with every missed target coming our way, one question becomes increasingly obvious: Can we really enable infinite growth on a finite planet? And more importantly still, why should we in the first place?
Facilitated by:
After some deep knowledge sharing about the status of circular approaches in Denmark and around the world, we’ll take the time to discuss and reflect on what ignites us about this complex topic.
Learn new ways to preserve delicious food, think of new ways to spice up your cooking, and reduce waste in your everyday life.
(the workshop will be limited to 25 people)
Decarbonisation of the transport industry is one of the toughest challenges in the fight against climate change. Despite numerous efforts, the share of transport's contribution to global carbon emissions continues to rise as other sectors successfully decarbonise amidst a political inability to combat the growth in car use. While many hope that transitioning to electric-powered cars will solve the problem, studies show that this alone will not suffice. This approach also ignores the negative impacts that car-dominated transport systems have on our health, economy, and cities. How we innovate the transport industry is crucial, so let’s have a look at what the future of mobility could look like.
Mobility is not just about moving people and goods from A to B; it is a sector that influences every aspect of our lives, shaping our cities and affecting our wellbeing. Therefore, rethinking a decarbonised mobility system requires a comprehensive re-think of how we live and move. It is not simply about being anti-car, but about considering what it would take to offer a service that is more desirable, convenient, and flexible than private car ownership. A lot of new solutions and innovations are already in the making or ready for market, but why aren’t things moving faster, and what role could citizens play?
Building diversity in urban spaces is essential for creating inclusive, socially sustainable communities. As cities face increasing polarization, it is crucial to foster environments where diverse groups can connect and thrive. This talk will focus on what it takes to support diversity in our cities, highlighting the roles of talent incubation, community building, urbanism, and coexistence.
The sound of GUZO is a blend between Bon Iver, 070 Shake and 90s grunge. The universe is as contrasting as it is distinctive. Debut single "RADICAL", is a good example of this raw universe. The song is a rousing and hard-hitting midnight anthem to the wild and the unfiltered. In addition, the first taste of GUZO's upcoming debut album.
Adrian Fey co-founded Culture Works back in 2010. 15 years of passionate cultural creation has thought him the importance of applying culture & diversity in order to create projects and space for people to thrive, interact and connect. As one of the founders of Impact The Future his aim has been set on activating a broader representation of strong voices and innovators beyond the usual suspects and bridging innovative local heroes with major global challenges.
Strategist. DJ. Creative thinker. From curating beats in Copenhagen’s nightlife (and beyond) to developing integrated creative campaigns for global brands - you can say I’ve worn many hats. But they all have one thing in common – an aspiration to shape the cultural moment and build better futures. I founded Back to Future back in 2014 – originally a record label challenging the music industry status quo. Over time and with a dedicated team of like-minded creatives, I’ve evolved it into a creative lab where I specialize in using strategic creativity to foster positive change. I’m focused on story-led creativity that connects brands with the audiences they want to reach, offering expertise in campaign strategy, brand messaging, content creation and multi-channel programming from the BTF’s creative lab.
Aram Ostadian-Binai is the Founder & CEO of The Soulfuls, a Copenhagen-based Social Entrepreneur, Creative DEI Advocate and Consultant. She founded The Soulfuls in 2018, an award winning global network and platform that is on a mission to pave the way for a free, fair and inclusive future for young women of all backgrounds. Aram was awarded Voice Of The Year 2022 by ELLE, and she is a jury member in Danish Diversity Awards as well as in Copenhagen Fashion Week’s show committee.
Charles Landry is an international authority on using imagination and creativity in urban change, coining the term "Creative City" in the late 1980s. Charles helps cities identify their potential to become more resilient and self-sustaining.
Chiara has over 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship, particularly in impact investing and ecosystem building. She has worked with TechBBQ, Seedcamp, and Katapult Foundation, lately focusing on climate adaptation, biodiversity, and regenerative thinking. Chiara is also educated in entrepreneurial management, with a master's thesis on gender-blindness in entrepreneurship.
With over 20 years of experience in finance, construction, and the interface between them, Christina Haupt Toft has spent the last four years dedicated to sustainable construction. She co-founded ConTech Lab, an innovation platform collaborating with industry leaders to enhance sustainability in construction through technology. With extensive expertise in biodiversity within the construction sector, Christina initiated and facilitated the development of the 'National Method for Mapping Urban Nature' in collaboration with leading companies and research institutions. She is also working on a national action plan for biodiversity and an Urban Biodiversity Lab in collaboration with the construction industry. As a key figure in sustainability, she provided strategic guidance for the biodiversity track in the Construction Action Tank for Sustainability. Additionally, she co-authored an inspirational catalog on integrating biodiversity into urban development projects for Realdania.
Ditte Lysgaard Vind is a renowned circular economy and design expert and practitioner, based in Denmark. Ditte is known for pioneering new materials as well as business models while sharing the knowledge gained from practice through teaching and thought leadership. The focus of her working being to help scale the good pilot projects become the new norm and move toward creating value for people while staying within the planetary boundaries. She is the author of Danish Design Heritage & Global Sustainability (Routledge 24)
Gunilla is the leader of Karens Minde Culture House, one of the few cultural centres in Copenhagen that a cultural centre association manages. The association aims to run the cultural centre Karens Minde and ensure that it becomes the framework for a more versatile cultural and leisure offer in the neighbourhood.
As a Strategic and Business Designer, Jonas supports brands and organisations in making strategic decisions in the face of complexity and wicked problems. By leveraging structured creativity and systems thinking, Jonas focusses on co-creating organisational paradigm shifts by provoking new questions and ways of thinking.
Kaave Pour, a creative entrepreneur from Copenhagen with Danish and Iranian roots, co-founded and led SPACE10, an acclaimed R&D lab, to global recognition before its closure. His expertise spans design, culture, and technology, with collaborations including IKEA, Apple, MIT, and the UN. A frequent speaker and lecturer, he shares insights to inspire emerging designers and brands. Currently, he's involved in ventures such as a Copenhagen-based restaurant, a Swedish farmhouse and retreat, and a new European design company launching in Fall 2024.
As an environmental planner, climate change mitigation is a cause close to my heart. Throughout my career at IDA, Niras, and CLEAN, I have consistently encountered the incredible waste of capacity and resources associated with solo driving in private cars. In 2010, I conducted the first pilot for a carpooling concept at NIRAS. Finally, in 2018, I co-founded Nabogo with my friend Anders. Nabogo carpooling is designed for everyday trips and seamlessly integrates with public transportation. Our concept includes implementation in local communities and companies to ensure a critical mass within local ecosystems. We place a special focus on connecting rural areas with cities and the core public transportation network.
Lennart is an entrepreneur and social entrepreneur. He founded the Tiger stores chain, which he sold to focus on creating social communities for everyone. He has established several social gathering places, including Folkehuset Absalon in Vesterbro, the hotels Hornbækhus and Villa Strand in Hornbæk, and Kanalhuset in Christianshavn. Lennart is on a mission where everything he does has to do with social relationships, personality and presence.
Maebh Reynolds is deeply rooted in the electric vehicle infrastructure landscape. With an Integrated Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Queen's University Belfast, she began her career at Danfoss Power Solutions in Denmark, contributing to innovative hardware solutions for vehicles. Her passion for design and sustainability led her to the electric vehicle sector, where she's now steering GoPlugable towards becoming a leading peer-to-peer EV charging network. The GoPlugable app launched across the island of Ireland in January 2024 and supports over 80 EV home charger owners who are actively renting out their chargers to other EV drivers in their communities.
United against Loneliness (Folkebevægelsen mod Ensomhed) was founded in 2014 by actors working within the field of loneliness, who needed a platform to meet, network and learn. One of the organisation's activities is the initiative Denmark Eats Together (Danmark Spiser Sammen) taking place every year since 2016 in the weeks of 17 (late April) and 45 (early November). Everyone can arrange a communal dining experience, emphasizing togetherness and making room for everyone. Amongst other municipalities, youth organisations, churches, social cafes for marginalized groups, local branches of large organisations and even some private companies arrange communal dinners and make Denmark Eats Together a national initiative.
With a background in strategic design and leadership, Martin Bloomstine has helped many different types of organisations create better and more humane workplaces, through transformation working from a people-positive and system-thinking approach. In the last couple of years, Martin has grown a big interest in system change and complexity and is at the moment learning and studying the degrowth movement and framework.
Michael is the CEO of PropTech Denmark, a non-profit association that brings together leaders across the real estate ecosystem with a common purpose to drive sustainable innovation and digitalisation within the industry. The 200+ members include significant real estate players and a large number of proptech startups and technology suppliers. Michael is a Chartered Director and has advised startups, impact organisations and change-makers across five continents. He serves on a range of advisory boards including the Science, Innovation and Technology Expert Advisory Group at the Institute of Directors - and is a Co-Author of the timely guide AI in the Boardroom - as well as a range of other publications, including The Power of Facilitation. He also frequently speaks - and moderates debates - on these topics.
Michaela helps individuals release mental barriers to rediscover their true selves and reach their full potential. She founded LONO, a mental health and land support organisation focused on preventing and treating negative stress by facilitating one-day silent retreats at a regenerative farm. This experience allows urban citizens to reconnect with nature and themselves and learn what regenerative leadership is really about. The farm benefits from financial support and highlights the importance of traditional agriculture practices, while the participants gain a deep understanding of restoration, sustainability, and growth in both ecological and personal contexts.
Mikkel Stelvig is an adept project manager with extensive expertise in nature and outdoor recreation globally. Educated as a biologist, he boasts over 20 years at Copenhagen Zoo, progressing from zoologist to Head of Education and ultimately Head of Conservation. Currently, Mikkel is a key member of the sustainability team at Copenhagen Properties, part of the Copenhagen Municipality. His role focuses on elevating the biodiversity agenda within the city, actively contributing to the implementation of the biodiversity strategy in Copenhagen’s green and urban spaces. Renowned for his ability to analyze and synthesize complex information, Mikkel excels in transforming intricate data into actionable insights for diverse audiences, ensuring effective communication on environmental sustainability both in professional circles and public domains.
Robert Joseph Martin is an Australian architect, and mobility expert based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Robert is a partner at Beta Mobility, a Nordic mobility consultancy where he leads their Copenhagen office. At Beta Mobility, he designs mobility strategies for cities, consults public and private mobility operators, and advises urban developers on integrating mobility in new urban neighbourhoods. His mission is to leverage mobility technologies and innovative urban planning concepts to reduce the impact of private car use to enhance cities' quality of life.
Sissel Hansen is the CEO and Founder of Startup Guide, a publishing and media company that produces books and online content to help guide entrepreneurs, and Co-founder of Impact the Future (Impact2030), a non-profit organisation with the sole purpose of achieving the 17 SDG's through connecting communities sharing learnings, and showcasing the solutions and their implementation of them. The NGO is a joint project between Startup Guide and Culture Works.
Thea Høeg is an architect and co-founder of the non-profit organisation Building Diversity, working to promote diversity and inclusion in the built environment. In her professional work she specialises in educational architecture and inclusive design. Her work focuses on creating enabling spaces for children and youth, supporting diverse learning preferences and needs. Building Diversity has over 35 members from different disciplines and more than 25 nationalities. The organisation is currently developing its second publication '...but, who are we building for?'.
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