Environmentalists, activists, journalists, scientists, legislators, entrepreneurs and investors. The idea is to bring together everyone who is interested in creating a better world. The Ethical Assembly takes place this week in Lisbon and Peggada spoke to its founder, Patricia Imbarus, to find out how this event makes a difference in the world of sustainability.
I’m very excited because this year’s Ethical Assembly will be the biggest ever, with 150 speakers and 70 sessions covering topics ranging from decarbonization and renewable energy to regenerative agriculture, ethical fashion, ocean health and much more.
We’ll have two parallel stages and spaces dedicated to workshops, laboratories, networking and art exhibitions. The whole program has been designed to encourage community building and there’s plenty to discover in all areas!
One of the most exciting highlights is the presence of Lily Cole, a world-renowned climate campaigner, actress and supermodel. Known for her roles in Star Wars and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, it’s her climate campaigns and impact entrepreneurship that make her stand out. I’ve been a fan of Lily’s work for a decade! Her book, “Who Cares Wins”, is essential reading for anyone committed to climate action and I highly recommend it. We are also thrilled to welcome Jeanne Zizi de Kroon, a force in ethical fashion and cultural preservation through her work with ZAZI, and Masami Sato, a pioneering social entrepreneur, TED speaker and best-selling author, and founder of the global giving and social enterprise initiative, B1G1 (Buy1GIVE1). We are very proud to have so many brilliant people joining us.
This year, we’re also going beyond the typical conference format, introducing a new approach aimed at promoting community and radical collaboration. In addition to the two-day event, we’ve organized a post-summit agenda between October 4 and 8, with immersive community experiences, field trips and excursions. These activities allow participants to get directly involved with local social and climate innovation projects, building deeper connections and taking action – collecting wildlife along the Atlantic coast with Kismet Farm, creating regenerative food forests with URBEM, cleaning up the oceans with Sea Shepherd and Planet Caretakers, and much more.
Ethical Assembly is an independent event at its core, free from greenwashing. We reject sponsorship from companies in polluting industries to keep our agenda authentic and focused on solutions. Nor do we accept anyone paying us to speak at our event. Our aim is to democratize the climate debate by giving a platform to under-represented voices – scientists, NGOs, activists or citizens.
The vast majority of events in the sustainability or climate sector are often promoting corporate and political agendas and one-sided narratives, encouraging false solutions that delay real progress.
Instead of flashy brands and merchandise, we prioritize meaningful content and real action. Based on ecological justice and social equity, our event brings together diverse agents of change to foster collaborations and generate lasting impact. It’s a transformative movement, driven by the community, for real change where your voice is heard.
Our event is based on transparency, authenticity and community, and that starts with every team member, every partner, every vendor and every supplier we choose. We have no sponsors and nothing on our agenda is paid for, which means there is no hidden marketing or advertising agenda driving the event. Our only goal is to create something valuable for the community, provide inspiring and educational content, foster powerful alliances and catalyze impactful solutions.
Concerning production, we are committed to reducing waste at source. This means sourcing everything by renting, borrowing, upcycling or recycling – eliminating unnecessary materials right from the start. Every item at the event has been carefully considered, from where it was made to who made it and what resources were used. Of course, we recognize that 100% sustainability isn’t always possible, but we do our best to find thoughtful solutions that stay true to our principles.
We work exclusively with small suppliers who align with our values and prioritize regenerative and locally sourced ingredients. We encourage participants to bring their own water bottles and cutlery, as you won’t find any single-use items, giveaways or unnecessary gifts that often end up in the trash. It’s time to change our thinking: that fun piece of merchandising may look harmless, but it has used precious resources, traveled long distances and is often thrown away after a single use.
Yes, absolutely! This has been key for us from the start, and we’ve designed the event so that we can engage all segments of society and spark meaningful conversations across the board. We believe that real change happens when diverse voices come together, so whether you’re a seasoned professional or someone who’s just starting to explore these issues, there’s something here for you. Our ticket types also reflect this: we have passes for industry professionals, change-makers passes for start-ups and NGOs, discounted passes for students and seniors, and evening passes.
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., you can enjoy more than 50 sessions designed for professionals in the sector and those who want to improve their skills or make the transition to an impact-oriented career. With the increasing demand for sustainability experts, we know that many leaders in this field didn’t start out with a degree in environmental sciences, but often come from marketing, communications and more. That’s why we’ve designed this event as an intensive two-day bootcamp, covering all the key areas in the fight against climate change. No more segmented conversations – this is a unique opportunity to explore beyond your field, while connecting with visionary partners. To give you an example, we’re even organizing different types of networking sessions, some focusing on climate technology and investment with Net Zero Insights, and another on community building with Nomads & Pirates.
From 5pm to 9pm, we shift gears to focus on citizen action and how each of us can be a catalyst for change. There will be inspiring panels, practical workshops, a Climate Cafe to network and find allies, an interactive Fishbowl Conversation in which everyone can participate, as well as film screenings, including the Portuguese premiere of the documentary Planet Soil. We also offer individual tickets for those who want to join us after work, for example.
Oh, that’s a difficult question. Actually, I have great FOMO because we have so many fantastic sessions. I’ve been a fan of some speakers for literally a decade; so to have them on stage with us is absolutely a dream come true. Here are some sessions that I would strongly encourage everyone to attend:
– Rewilding the Anthropocene: Biodiversity as Nature’s Lifeline
With Robin Moore from Re:wild and Deborah Vorhies from the FairWild Foundation. With species going extinct at a record pace, it’s time to bring this urgent issue to the forefront, which is why we’ve chosen to open the conference with this particular topic.
– Redefining progress: Charting new paths for climate action and energy transition.
In this session, we will critically examine the state of our current systems and what a truly just and equitable transition could look like. We need to question our obsession with growth, especially when it comes to ideas like “green capitalism” and “green growth”. Given the severity of the climate crisis, we need to recognize that endless production and consumption on a finite planet is not sustainable – even when framed as “sustainable products”. I am thrilled to have three exceptional speakers with expertise in climate science, climate policy, decarbonization and direct action join this discussion.
– The power of storytelling in climate solutions: Lily Cole on creativity, grassroots movements and environmental impact.
This conversation with the brilliant multimedia climate journalist Vera Moutinho and Lily Cole is certainly one of the highlights. Lily is a renowned author, filmmaker and environmental advocate; she is known for her activism and leading roles in films such as Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Together, they will explore the intersection of social entrepreneurship, creative storytelling and climate action, offering a compelling look at how we can reimagine our role in solving the climate crisis.
I moved here more than 10 years ago and Portugal continues to inspire me with its stunning natural beauty and the warmth of its people. Over the last decade, I’ve seen a huge transformation in the sustainability and social impact space, and it’s exciting to see how far we’ve come. From inspiring permaculture and agroforestry initiatives to successful rewilding and conservation projects, as well as innovations in climate technology, there is no shortage of incredible efforts. The country’s growing commitment to renewable energies, particularly wind and solar, is commendable, but it is crucial to ensure that the transition is fair and equitable for all. Portugal’s drive towards sustainable agriculture is a big step forward, with regenerative initiatives such as Terramay and Terra Sintrópica leading the way. That said, we still have a long way to go.
I would like to see greater investment in renewable energies and regenerative agriculture: two areas with immense potential to accelerate decarbonization. We also need to rethink our cities, putting nature, well-being and inclusion at the center. Expanding public transport, creating pedestrian zones and rewilding cities with accessible food forests must be priorities. Initiatives such as Urbem, FCULResta and Upfarming are already paving the way, but they need stronger municipal support and access to funding if they are to be truly scaled up. The potential here is enormous, but we need alignment between municipalities, financial institutions and the government to remove the barriers that prevent impact projects from reaching their full potential. Most of the progress I see is driven by the grassroots, and we need the same top-down effort with stronger regulations, funding and aligned incentives. We are running out of time and sustainability needs to be a key consideration from the outset in all ventures, not an afterthought or something we “have” to tick off on a checklist.
We hope so! We need as many people as possible to contribute their knowledge, skills and passion to the fight against the climate crisis. Raising awareness of these critical issues is essential and there is still a lot of education and awareness work ahead of us. Collaboration is the only way forward. However, we must also be wary of the rampant greenwashing and lobbying that often infiltrates so-called sustainability events. Next time you attend a conference, take a moment to check out the sponsors and the agenda; critically assess who is driving the initiative and what interests are at stake. There’s a reason why over 90% of sustainability events are supported by companies like BP, Shell, Galp and Repsol. Every effort counts, but it’s equally important to have honest conversations about these dynamics and encourage deeper reflection about all the actors involved.
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Português (Portuguese (Portugal))
