National Climate Expo: new concrete era for smart cities

On the 21st of April, Sobolt’s green team ventured to Houten for a visit to the Vakbeurs Klimaat Expo. After a 3 year hiatus, the long-awaited Dutch Climate conference is back. Through more than 70 booths and numerous lectures, governmental entities & innovators gathered to discover the hottest innovations for sustainable cities.

This event is critical for reflecting the government's focus for upcoming climate-adaptive policies and shaping the direction of innovation. For this year’s Vakbeurs Klimaat, the main pillars are water management, green roofs, and sustainable cement alternatives.

The towering concrete exhibitions among the roof canopies are undoubtedly eye-catching. Although, with a whopping 8% of the world’s CO2 emission accounted for by cement manufacturing, it is indeed an industry in dire need of innovation. Source: The Guardian

However, the extent of its direct eco-impact on our cities in times of pressing need for action is still grey. This sentiment is further reinforced when compared to the heat-mitigating, filtering, and absorbent benefits of investing in our city trees. With the number of booths in tree nursery at the Vakbeurs decreasing to a single one in 2022, is the Dutch vision of the green smart city greying? Sobolt believes otherwise and is here to bring you a (healthy) green explosion. Do you want to find out how? Book a demo and let’s get started!