Keynote Speakers' Contribution
First, Peter Volz addressed the role of regional agriculture in shaping more sustainable supply chain arrangements. He stressed the need of reconceptualize profit into a more integral perspective of benefits. This perspective goes beyond income generation to reach a healthy environment, healthy food, good labor conditions and humanized relations between consumer and producer.
Sylvia Lorek’s speech approached the concept of Sustainable Consumption, claiming that it must go beyond buying the right projects, it must reach sufficiency. She emphasizes the role of Civil Society Organizations on pressuring and lobbying for effective structural reforms. Ms. Lorek advocates for a policy mix of state regulation and market incentives to set the proper structures that promote Sustainable Consumption a usual behavior.
Last but not least, Dr. Reiner Griesshammer challenged the audience to reflect how different values shape our consumption choices. He advocates that efficiency and sufficiency are part of the same phenomena of choosing a sustainable lifestyle and do not need to be taken as antagonistic perspectives.