New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking

Email user
eva.samalea@asibambu.org

Basic information
Initiative title
AsIB: The Iberian Bamboo Association

Full initiative Title
AsIB connects people for the promotion of bamboo as a sustainable material in Spain and Portugal.

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
The Iberian Bamboo Association is a community of bamboo enthusiasts, students and professionals in the Iberian Peninsula. Our goal is to work collectively to promote bamboo as an alternative sustainable material to mitigate climate change.
By establishing this bamboo hub in Europe we are able to provide knowledge exchange, research support and training with bamboo. We also enable new industry applications and global partnerships towards a more sustainable future.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
Cross-border/international

Where was your intiative implemented?
Location 1
Spain

Location 2
Portugal

Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries
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If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
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Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): AsIB - Iberian Bamboo Association
  Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation
  First name of representative: Eva
  Last name of representative: Samalea
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Spain
  Function: President
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Avenida Irlanda 30
  Town: Roche
  Postal code: 11149
  Country: Spain
  Direct Tel: +34 651 94 81 94
  E-mail: eva.samalea@asibambu.org
  Website: https://asibambu.org/
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/as-ib-39143720b/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #bamboo #sustainability #sustainabledesign #sustainablearchitecture #education #networking #community #research #thinkbamboo #bebamboo #bambooeurope #gobamboo #growbamboo #sdgs
- URL: https://www.instagram.com/asibambu/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #bamboo #sustainability #sustainabledesign #sustainablearchitecture #education #networking #community #research #thinkbamboo #bebamboo #bambooeurope #gobamboo #growbamboo #sdgs
- URL: https://www.facebook.com/Asibambu
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #bamboo #sustainability #sustainabledesign #sustainablearchitecture #education #networking #community #research #thinkbamboo #bebamboo #bambooeurope #gobamboo #growbamboo #sdgs
In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Social Media

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
AsIB, the Iberian Bamboo Association, was founded in July 2020 by a group of 12 bamboo enthusiasts from Spain and Portugal, who discovered this excellent sustainable material in ibero-american, african and asian countries.
Bamboo is a renewable resource that grows faster, has higher carbon sequestration and oxygen production capacity than any other plant species, has extraordinary structural properties, is easy to harvest and can be used to create a variety of products. That is why, from AsIB, we strongly believe that bamboo is a key player to mitigate our environmental impact, and address our current climate emergency.
With this clear commitment, we started sharing experiences, knowledge and skills, and established a strong board team within AsIB. In 2021, when we started sharing content and participating in international events, we realised that our audience was global, including also people from countries with a strong relationship with bamboo, where actually our main references were.
Therefore, we are not just creating a community of experts on bamboo, so the region can create a sustainable industry on the Iberian Peninsula. We are also establishing a hub in Europe that enables international partnerships towards sustainable development.
In 2022, we joint both technical regularisation committees in Spain and Portugal for structural use of bamboo, started a research project with University of Lisbon for mapping bamboo species in the Iberian Peninsula, supported a research project from University of Granada for bamboo structural use, and hosted our first in-person event and construction workshop in Valencia.
At this point of our journey, we have realised that AsIB is becoming increasingly a key actor for the promotion of use of bamboo in Europe, working for the transformation of the technical regulation system, specialised training and support to scientific research.
We are celebrating this, and remain totally committed to improving life on our planet.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Bamboo

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Education

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Research

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Regularisation

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Community

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
AsIB main objective is to establish a strong community of bamboo enthusiasts that would contribute to 3 specific objectives:
SO1. Support scientific research about the potential of bamboo in the Iberian Peninsula as a sustainable material, to understand the best and more adequate strategy to introduce it within the local environment and culture.
SO2. Support bamboo technical regularisation in Spain and Portugal, understanding its excellent structural properties, and high carbon sequestration capacity, which can play a key role to reduce CO2 emissions from the construction industry (more than 40% of global emissions).
SO3. Provide specialised training about the use of bamboo as a construction material and its applications in Europe.
In 2022 we have started to work on all 3 objectives, and will continue working on them.
Our key milestones related to these objectives are:
R1. Joint project with the University of Lisbon that finishes by the end of June 2023, the final product is a map with all bamboo species within the Iberian Peninsula analysed. This research is going to be essential for any bamboo sustainable forestry management initiative, which would enable local access to this natural resource.
R2. Joint both technical regularisation committees in Spain and Portugal, for bamboo use standardisation.
R3. First in-person workshop hosted in Valencia, with theoretical and practical sessions focused on bamboo construction.
Achieving the three specific objectives in parallel is bringing a great added value to our initiative, as it helps us to have a balance within our audience, including public and private sectors.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Even if we have already built a bamboo structure during our in-person workshop held in Valencia, whose design already focuses on the connection with nature, our purpose is to offer people the tools, knowledge and skills required to create a more sustainable, respectful and beautiful built environment, using bamboo as a construction material.
We are currently experiencing a higher level of requests from people interested in bamboo from Spain and Portugal (and other countries across Europe), who reach out to AsIb searching for guidance and training, but also for a safe space to share and discuss about bamboo as a sustainable material. We feel honoured to know that AsIB is becoming the bamboo community that people are looking for, and that they feel welcomed.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
AsIB is an association open to all kinds of members regardless of their race, religion, genre, age or affiliation.
AsIB is also very present in all kinds of social media and provides free knowledge and services to anyone who wishes to know more about bamboo. The editorial section of the association frequently posts about notable bamboo books and people, organising “bamboo talks” that are also published freely online or a specialised monthly newsletter. With these posts and interviews, AsIB aims to support with visibility to a diverse range of bamboo passionates.
Another important initiative is the promotion of vegetable and sustainable materials among the youngest, carrying out free in-person workshops for kids, enabling them to become familiar with bamboo and to learn about its wonderful properties

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
AsIB carries out several initiatives regarding bamboo information and dissemination, in person but also online. Enthusiasts but also professionals find in AsIB a safe place to share their doubts and needs. We noted great interest from a varied group of people and more recently from the ibero-american people living in the European territory. For these citizens, bamboo is not only synonymous with sustainability, but with identity, and some of them find in AsIB an adoptive family far from their country of origin.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
AsIB was founded by 12 Portuguese and Spanish participants in the 1st Iberian Bamboo Symposium held in Madrid and organised by the recent partner of NEB, INBAR - International Bamboo and Rattan Organization. At a national level, AsIB has been developing work with several entities naming the Institute of Agronomy of the University of Lisbon and the Valencia University and Botanical Garden. AsIB is also part of the technical standardisation committees for the structural use of bamboo in both Spain and Portugal. We’ve also been organising lectures and workshops within local communities in cities like Cadiz and Valencia in Spain and Curia and Aveiro in Portugal.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
AsIB is promoting bamboo across all sectors, but specially in the areas of architecture, engineering and design. However, considering how relevant it is to address all stages of the supply chain to ensure the sustainability of materials, the participation of biologists and agroecologists has been playing a key role. This is why AsIB considers the collaboration with the Institute of Agronomy of the University of Lisbon as one of the biggest achievements from 2022.
All content created at AsIB, and presented during the events, capture this relationship between the different fields, which supports the integration of a holistic perspective while promoting bamboo as a sustainable material.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
If we compare the level of success and visibility that AsIB is gaining compared with other similar initiatives, promoting bamboo as a sustainable material, we could highlight our collaborative approach, which focuses on bringing people together to support each other towards our common goal: improve life on the planet. We offer technical expertise to our audience, but also express our willingness to listen and learn from others, so the exchange of experiences, knowledge and skills is in both directions. This supports people's emotional connection and feeling of belonging, which is essential for the sustainability of any initiative that involves community.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
In October 2022, AsIB organised the Bamboo Journeys in Valencia, promoting technical lectures and face-to-face training with bamboo structures, which had participants from 7 different nationalities. This event can be easily replicated elsewhere with the most advanced information on bamboo.
One of our main goals is to fight climate change and help improve life on our planet. We are aware that we live in a network environment and that it is not possible to reach it without considering all the actors involved. Which means that our strategy also involves creating real bridges for development and cooperation with other countries and organisations.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
Building a strong team spirit has been essential to our methodology since our foundation, which has allowed all members of the team to feel empowered and use their skills and strengths to reach our common goal. This spirit is being transferred to our audience, and we are proud to feel how this is contributing to people's empowerment to take action against climate change.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
We strongly believe in the potential of bamboo to fight against climate change, as part of a circular economy, to achieve SDGs. In particular, bamboo's carbon sequestration capacity being the highest compared to all plant species, positions this material as a key player to reduce CO2 emissions from the construction industry at global level.
The most important challenge that we are facing is the fact that dealing with a subject with little research and repercussions in Europe obliges it to contact other entities around the world, where the use of bamboo is frequent and widely studied, in order to learn and transfer this knowledge. However, this transfer is not immediate as it has to be adapted to the European and local reality of each country. Not only in terms of standards but also in terms of types of use and levels of acceptance.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
All the details about the scope of progress in 2022 and the analysis of the achieved indicators can be found in the attachment called “Análisis Objetivos 2022”.

In summary, this is the status of our 4 main objectives:
Improvement of AsIB internal management - Achieved 59%
Promote AsIB - Achieved 71%
Organise and/or participate in workshops and educative initiatives - 50%
Support with the technical regularisation of bamboo - 56%

Our direct beneficiaries in 2022 reached a total of 828 individuals, mainly from different communities in Spain and Portugal, but surprisingly also from Brazil, Colombia, India and Indonesia.

Based on the deep analysis of our achievements and lessons learned, we have decided to adapt our 2023 indicators to optimise our resources and increase our impact by establishing new strategic partnerships for reaching more people.

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
Both
PDF
Web link
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
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Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes