Celebrating a legacy of events driving Islands sustainability
Our supporters
A look back at 10 years of our flagship event bringing island stakeholders together
2025 - 10th international conference – Gozo (Malta)
Expanding Holistic Island-led Solutions to Drive Global Sustainability and Climate Action
The event features several interactive sessions designed to deep dive the most pressing challenges and innovative solutions for energy security, climate resilience, and sustainable development through island-led applications, contributions by global leaders, and insights from MAESHA and other relevant international projects.
The 2025 Greening the Islands International Conference marks the 10th anniversary of our global, multi-stakeholder event dedicated to island sustainability, taking place in Gozo, Malta, from 29-31 October.
Under the theme “Expanding Holistic Island-led Solutions to Drive Global Sustainability and Climate Action,” this milestone edition will convene a diverse array of stakeholders from island communities, international development and finance institutions, industry leaders, innovative solution providers, project developers, academia, and civil society from around the world.
Through exchange of expert knowledge and best practices, these diverse voices will cooperate to consolidate, replicate and scale the transformative ‘Island Model’. This holistic approach leverages islands’ unique features and abundant natural resources to achieve energy security and resilience, making them powerful catalysts for integrated sustainable development.
The model prioritizes future-proof energy systems that encompass advanced energy storage solutions, smart grids, digitalization, and e-mobility. Production is localized, demand-driven, and maximizes energy efficiency and resource valorization. It thoughtfully integrates offshore and marine renewable energies, through comprehensive and inclusive maritime spatial planning safeguarding delicate ecosystems.
Expanding from the energy core, this transformation extends across the entire island economy, addressing powerful intersectoral nexus and fostering circularity. It builds on profound connections with a sustainable blue economy, emphasizing the protection of biodiversity and community health through the One Health approach.
This framework promotes vibrant local value chains, the creation of green, qualified jobs, and fosters economic diversification, thereby securing the “right to stay” for the island’s youth and enhancing overall climate resilience while enabling resilient economic growth.
Participants will contribute cutting-edge insights and case studies focusing on the most pressing island-specific challenges and reaffirming islands’ leadership as laboratories for innovative solutions. Through dynamic thematic sessions and diverse expertise, the event seeks to strengthen the GTI Foundation network, foster new partnerships and increase awareness of innovative solutions and financing opportunities to accelerate islands’ sustainability journey.
The Conference champions the convergence of all small islands, beyond geographical and political boundaries, uniting them with countries and stakeholders committed to sharing knowledge and cooperating for their sustainable development, and who believe in their leadership as laboratories for global change.
Discussions and outcomes will be strategically aligned with the global climate agenda, notably the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), the Nice Ocean Action Plan, and the lead-up to COP30. Recognizing the accelerating impacts of climate change on islands, the conference will drive concerted action for ambitious renewable energy, climate resilience, and comprehensive sustainable development strategies, inspired by island leadership.
2022 - 9th international conference – e-convention
Greening the Islands e_Convention
International Conference and Exhibition
The GTI eConvention promotes private-public partnerships and cover all the 17 SDGs of the 2030 United Nations Agenda with a specific focus on the needs of islands communities.
The GTI eConvention is the global event dedicated to the self-sufficiency and sustainability of islands worldwide. For 8 editions, it has confirmed as an opportunity for islands stakeholders such as governments, utilities, innovative solution providers, academia and others to connect and share their experiences through a digital platform, match island needs and sustainable solutions, and face common challenges building consortia for national, regional and international tenders.
Last year’s edition drew on the lessons learned by the GTI Observatory and, in particular, on how global policy and finance need to sit at the same table with sustainable technology and with joint efforts become drivers for islands’ sustainable growth and unlock their potential as laboratories for innovation. In the opening of the new edition of the GTI eConvention, the GTI Observatory will present its first Report, culmination of its work across the sectors of the island circular economy.
Most technological solutions are replicable in many islands worldwide, while policy frameworks and financing mechanisms are often specific to regions. Thus, as a new feature, the 9th edition will have a regional focus to analyze the main challenges in 4 macro areas with the involvement of local partners.
The 4 regional workshops will be: renewables and regulatory frameworks in the EU and Atlantic Ocean, water cycle in the Caribbean, sustainable tourism in the Indian Ocean, and decarbonization in the Asia-Pacific region.
The conclusions and the potential solutions identified during the event, will concur to inform the final position paper produced by GTI to bring a stronger islands’ voice at COP27 raising attention around the most relevant themes.
2021 - 8th international conference – e-convention
Greening the Islands e_Convention
International Conference and Exhibition
Technology, policy and finance connect at the 8th GTI e_Convention to boost islands’ sustainable growth.
EU, Caribbean, Pacific & Indian Ocean islands together to lead a change of pace with concrete cases for the GTI Awards.
The Greening the Islands e_Convention – International Conference and Exhibition, reaches its 8th edition. The well-known annual event entirely dedicated to islands’ self-sufficiency and sustainability took place on October 19-20-21 and was focused on how global policy and finance need to sit at the same table with sustainable technological innovation and with joint efforts become drivers for islands’ sustainable growth. The 2020 edition explored the role of islands as laboratories for innovation and leaders in a green recovery. One year later the context has evolved: as coronavirus vaccines and stimulus packages begun to phase in, the world prepares to build back better and what was an intention must now become a reality. The 8th GTI e_Convention, culmination of the GTI Observatory’s work, endeavors to make this come true starting from the islands and their best practices protagonists of the GTI Awards.
The three-days event is centered on the integration of technology, policy and finance with a unique global platform where innovators, islands administrations, institutions and investors of the vast GTI network come together to originate new projects to match islands’ needs. The GTI e_Convention also concentrated on national, regional and international tenders and calls for innovation to face common challenges building coalitions of high-expertise institutions, industry associations, corporates, academia and civil society.
Alongside the task forces workshops, training sessions also provided, with top global experts deepening the most advanced solutions for common islands challenges, like wave energy, sustainable maritime transport and ports electrification, and waste management.
As usual, the GTI e_Convention included the well-known International Conference and a virtual exhibition where islands promoted their territories, presenting the progress on their sustainable transition, and corporates showcased the latest innovative solutions and best practices. The global event ended with the 7th edition of the GTI Awards to reward and disseminate the best solutions applied worldwide on energy, water, mobility, waste, agriculture and sustainable tourism. The most qualified jury ever assembled for islands evaluated the projects based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria, like CO2 savings, the ecological and economic value added, replicability to other areas and degree of innovation.
Island stakeholders had the opportunity of deepening topics and continue networking also after the event through the GTI App.
As a unique feature, the exhibition area with virtual stands offers to the islands the opportunity to promote their territories and local products and show their needs, and to the corporates to show innovative solutions and best practices.
Working with islands worldwide on a daily basis since 2018, the Greening the Islands Observatory has understood what their main challenges are and how those reflects on the mainland. Islands need to create new models to substitute mass tourism with a more sustainable one, which benefits both the visitors and the residents. Islands need to shape new agricultural techniques capable of protecting their endemic production and at the same time ensuring food security.
Climate change has increased islands’ need for wiser and more efficient water management while the pandemic has drained their financial resources putting them in the need for reducing the costs relative to fossil fuels provision and waste shipping. Renewable energy sources are a great asset for islands to face all these problems, blending in also energy storage, smart grids and e-mobility. In fact, the 8th GTI e_Convention, also concentrated on national, regional and international tenders and calls for innovation to face common challenges building coalitions of high-expertise institutions, industry associations, corporates, academia and civil society.
2020 - 7th international conference – e-convention
Greening the Islands e_Convention
International Conference and Exhibition
The 7th edition of the International Conference and Exhibition went 100% digital for the first time and involved 90 international speakers and 700+ attendees in 15 technical workshops over 4 days.
The GTI e_Convention has been a global event dedicated to the innovative solutions for the self-sufficiency and sustainability of islands and has included also the International Conference, now in its 7th edition, and the exhibition. The event, entirely digital, represented an opportunity for islands around the world to connect with governments, corporates and academia with the intent to share their common experiences through a digital platform and match island needs and innovative solutions.
2019 - 6th international conference – Palermo (Italy)
The future of energy, water and mobility in harmony with the biosphere
Making the circular economy and sustainable tourism a reality on islands: business models and financing opportunities
At the opening of the international event the first report of the Greening the Islands Observatory will be presented, which includes a general analysis on the European islands on circular economy and sustainable tourism and a deep dive on Crete, the Italian Egadi archipelago and the German island of Helgoland. A debate will follow on the results of the study and on opportunities for public and private financing with particular reference to the projects and initiatives that will have been identified on the mentioned islands.
The second part will involve the European institutions and industrial associations on the subject of National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and the role of the islands. The event in Palermo will be an important step in the roadmap of the multilateral islands dialogue table with the European institutions launched by the CPMR Islands Commission and Greening the Islands with an event held in Brussels on June 18th with the support of the Committee of the Regions, where a joint declaration has been presented containing some of the key points that the table asks to be included in the NECPs.
This year, Greening the Islands international conference is organized in the framework of the General Assembly of the CPMR that will see the participation of over one hundred regional and island governments and will be followed, on October 16th, by a CPMR seminar on the circular economy. To visit the event’s website click here. Greening the Islands will take part in the CPMR seminar to which all participants in the GTI conference on October 15th will be invited.
2018 - 5th international conference – Minorca (Spain)
The future of energy, water and mobility in harmony with the biosphere
Circular economy is key to promoting sustainable development on islands.
First annual plan of the Greening the Islands Observatory defined at launch event
The prospect of a circular economy was repeatedly invoked during the two-day Greening the Islands International Conference as the best path towards the sustainable development of islands, embracing sectors as varied as energy and transport, water and tourism in a single vision.
Islands deserve particular attention within the policy and legal frameworks that look to establishing a circular economy in Europe: it’s indispensable for islands as closed systems to exploit their natural resources effectively while at the same time they have limited local resources and little capacity for sustainable projects.
“It is essential for islands to manage their own scarce resources (both in terms of materials, waste and water) sustainably, to become even more resource and energy efficient, and to protect their environment and the surrounding marine environment,” said George Kremlis, Honorary Director – Directorate General for the Environment, European Commission – Active Senior responsible for circular economy in the islands.
The switch to a circular economy model would reduce islands’ need to “import” energy and natural resources because local resources would be used more efficiently, to the benefit of the local environment as well. This would have the advantage of creating jobs for all those living on islands today and provide growth with direct benefits for the local economy.
Water is a hot issue for islands, and beyond. It is a limited resource for all of us, with one third of Europe experiencing water stress. The growing needs of our economies and climate change will make the availability of water in sufficient quantity and quality even more of a challenge in Europe in the future. Water reuse, still far below its significant potential in the EU today, is included as a priority in the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan to ensure the uptake of secondary raw materials markets.
To achieve their ambitions for sustainable development, islands need to think and work together on setting up scalable projects that can have an impact and mark a radical shift, above all in terms of energy, transport and water.
“In the last years, a high number of interesting projects were submitted and financed by the European Commission, but now islands are advised to co-ordinate and collaborate on innovative solutions and organise common, standardised deployment to make the solutions roll out to the market. The European Commission will support you all the way. Let’s do this now, together!” said Helmut Morsi – Adviser to the Director and Coordinator for Innovation, European Commission, DG MOVE-B.
2017 - 4th international conference – Favignana (Italy)
Energy, water and mobility for circular island economies
Sicily’s Favignana puts itself forward as one of 10 projects for EU initiative
3 projects selected as winners of Greening the Islands Awards
Islands stand as proof of how the energy transition can be a driver of economic development, creating local jobs, offering new business opportunities and supporting the self-sufficiency of island communities. This was the message that the European Commission brought to Greening the Islands, the international conference on the sustainability of small islands, organised in collaboration with Italy’s association of island administrations (ANCIM) and held on the Sicilian island of Favignana on November 3 and 4.
“The European Union has an ambitious goal of decarbonising 1,000 EU islands by 2030,” said Wioletta Dunin-Majeuska from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy. “To achieve this, we are setting up a secretariat to help launch island decarbonisation plans, hosting an exchange platform for all interested parties and organising annual forums.” The first step will be identifying 10 “lighthouse” projects on which to carry out decarbonisation projects.
Favignana, the host island of the event, announced that it was putting itself forward as an island laboratory for innovative decarbonisation projects and an example that can be replicated on all Mediterranean islands. “I hope that these two days have invited participants to return not only as tourists but also as experts,” said Giuseppe Pagoto, mayor of Favignana, closing the conference. “Favignana is putting itself forward to become one of the European Commission’s 10 lighthouse islands, transforming itself into a laboratory and location for environmentally sustainable projects.
Italy is on the front line in facing the issue of island sustainability, as was made clear in the addresses made to the Greening the Islands conference by the Ministry for the Environment and the Foreign Ministry.
Gianni Chianetta, director and scientific co-ordinator of Greening the Islands, said: “Once again, the conference has shown the importance of creating a network among institutions, business and other stakeholders, all of whom need to share experiences and strategic planning. Greening the Islands has started a collaboration with the European Commission to help guide islands towards decarbonisation.”
The 3rd edition of the Greening the Islands Awards saw recognition for three projects from around the world. They were selected by an international jury and voting by an online community of participants who joined the conference through our website.
2016 - 3rd international conference – Canary Islands (Spain)
Integrated sustainability
Energy, mobility & water for islands and remote locations
Awards given to Ta’u project with Tesla in the American Samoa islands, a centre for awareness about water resources on Malta and the adoption of Zero Motorcycles’ electric bikes by a local police force.
Small islands provide a natural laboratory for the circular economy, according to the third edition of Greening The Islands, which expanded its vision this year beyond its traditional topics of energy, water and mobility to embrace issues of waste management, agriculture and sustainable tourism, all seen as part of an integrated drive to enhance livelihoods on small islands.
The two-day summit, bringing together some of the islands most committed to sustainability, began its deliberations with discussion about the policies that are needed to promote investment in environmentally friendly projects in the hundreds of thousands of islands dotted around the world. The opening debate found agreement on the need for joint action towards governments and institutions in order to convince them of the need for coherent development policies that respect the different needs of individual islands, allowing for a certain degree of autonomy in managing their resources.
Focusing in particular on the topics of energy and water, the event heard about concrete projects that could be replicated across a wide number of localities: the Danish island of Samsø which will be fossil free by 2030; a hybridization project by Terna Plus combining traditional and renewable energy on the island of Giannutri; the island of Ta’u Samoa that will go 100% renewable thanks to Tesla storage systems; best practice in energy efficiency by Gewiss; innovative applications in water desalination of Protecno; and the “zero-emissions” plan presented by the local council of Favignana and the island’s power utility SEA.
With electric mobility a key issue on the international scene, Joeri De Ridder, president of the World Electric Vehicle Association, underlined the opportunity that exists to reinforce the nexus with renewables, including by developing so-called vehicle-to-grid solutions, in which vehicle batteries not only draw power from the grid but can also feed into the electric system, helping to ensure greater stability. Equally interesting for islands is the project presented by Peter Paul Barbaraof the Maltese government’s Elettromobility Platform to reduce fuel consumption by ships and in the port area.
Islands often find themselves facing drought with dramatic impacts on agriculture, as pointed out by Sara Mariani Zadeh of the Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). This makes it important to spread best practices on water management, drawing on examples such as the project on Cape Verde to recycle water for use in agricultural activities, thus saving drinking water for more needy purposes.
The conference closed on the theme of waste. Mario Jorizzo of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (Enea) explained the Ge.Ri.N project for correctly managing Posidonia oceanica seagrass from the beaches of the island of Favignana and ways it can be re-used; José Manuel Rosa Nunes from the Azores spoke of the need to roll back years of real-estate speculation by the hospitality industry and the role sustainable tourism could play in the circular economy. The proceedings ended with a visit to the Canary Islands’ Institute of Technology (ITC) with an explanation of applications put into practice by the institute around the themes addressed during the Greening The Islands conference.
A gala dinner saw the announcement of the second edition of the Greening The Islands Awards, which recognized innovative projects that can be easily replicated on other islands and have a greater impact on emissions reductions.
The awards were given in categories including: renewable energy and energy efficiency; water, sustainable mobility.
2015 - 2nd international conference – Malta
Integrated sustainability
Mobility, energy & water for islands
Islands call for investments to test solutions against climate change
Islands are calling on national governments and international organisations to support their plans to ‘go green’, because their remote location makes them ideal testing grounds for innovative, climate-friendly solutions. The ‘Greening the Islands’ conference, focused on sustainability challenges concerning mobility, energy and water, saw the active participation of delegations from Malta, the Sicilian islands, the Canary and Balearic Islands, Greek islands, the Azores, Cyprus and the Caribbean islands.
The islands – meeting in Malta for the three-day Greening the Islands conference last week – shared recommendations for the Paris Climate Conference, to be held in December.
‘Greening the Islands’ recommends the 2015 Paris Climate Conference COP21 to acknowledge the role of islands as natural laboratories for confronting climate change. It also calls upon COP21 for action to support and ease investments in sustainability on islands.
More specifically, islands call for support in encouraging:
Action to preserve islands’ fragile environments and increase their resilience to climate change;
Best practices and investment in research, development and deployment of sustainability solutions on islands, by reduction of red tape and tax incentives.
A ‘Greening the Islands’ Scientific Committee is already working on the next event to identify priorities and best practices.
Gianni Chianetta, Scientific Co-ordinator of Greening the Islands and Director of The Green Consulting Group, commented: “It is crucial that islands speak with a single voice, because they are on the frontline in tackling the challenges of Climate Change, security of supply and migrations. Islands are natural laboratories for innovative and integrated solutions. We invite more islands to join the Greening the Islands platform.”
2014 - 1st international conference – Pantelleria (Italy)
Integrated sustainability
Energy & water for islands and remote locations
Island water supply: from problem to opportunity thanks to new technologies.
Economic analysis of new desalination technologies presented at the “Greening The Islands” conference: cost reductions of 65% compared to current practice of supplying water by barge.
A switch from supplying water by barge to use of desalination systems based on reverse osmosis with a hybrid power supply (diesel and photovoltaic) would reduce water costs by 65%: that would translate into a 16.4-million-euro saving out of the 25 million euros spent each year to supply water to Sicily’s minor islands. That’s the finding of an analysis by Energy & Strategy of new desalination technologies for Sicily’s islands presented during the “Greening The Islands: Energy & Water” conference in Pantelleria introduced by Michela Miletto, WWAP Deputy Coordinator dell’UNESCO last Thursday and Friday.
The study revealed that further benefits could be achieved by improving the island’s water distribution network, which currently loses on average 40% of the water supplied. On top of these purely economic advantages, environmental benefits should be added thanks to the reduction in CO2 emissions from the transport of drinking water by sea and the use of a hybrid system to run the desalination plant. Download the presentation of the study at the following link: Final report desalination System Pantelleria.
Islands tend to have all the right characteristics to be used as test-beds for sustainable energy and water projects and could bring significant benefits in economic, environmental and social terms. However, in order to ensure real results, strategic planning of projects on the part of local government is essential, as explained by Kostantina Toli of the Global Water Partnership: “Any action needs to be well planned ahead of time and integrated into a wider project that considers the broader environmental, energy and economic make-up of the island so as to avoid wasting precious resources.”
The conference served as an opportunity to present examples of best practice from different parts of the world. These included a project from El Hierro, part of the Canaries archipelago, which will switch to 100% renewable energy sources in coming years thanks to the installation of a wind farm and a reversible hydroelectric plant: together, aside from supplying electricity for the whole island, they will provide the energy to run a reverse osmosis desalination plant.
Sharing best practices was a key aspect that contributed to the success of the first edition of “Greening The Islands: Energy & Water”, which is due to become a regular event.
“Given the keen interest and satisfaction expressed by our participants, we are already planning a second edition,” explained Gianni Chianetta of The Green Consulting Group and organiser the event. “We’ve received various requests to host the second edition. For the next edition, we will inaugurate a Greening The Islands Award with an international to pick out the best island projects,” Chianetta concluded.
All of our suppoters throughout these years
9th edition of the GTI Awards
As part of the 10th GTI Conference, the Greening the Islands Awards recognize and disseminate the most innovative projects that demonstrate an integrated sustainability approach.
All island projects worldwide are allowed to participate including programmes, initiatives and policies that engage the community at large as well as the different island stakeholders in a multisectoral approach.
The Conference will follow the 3rd edition the GTI Observatory Summit, the annual strategic meeting of the GTI Observatory leading Committees including island authorities, international institutions, industry leaders and solution providers from around the world.
