Our approach
Our interdisciplinary approach is complemented by 3 transversal axes focusing on methods and tools for analysing sustainability, mobilising people, and transformative learning.
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Analysing Sustainability with tools such as life cycle assessment, external cost calculations, labelling,... with a sytemic lense
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic and comprehensive method for evaluating the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service throughout its entire life cycle.
The External Cost Calculator (ECC) takes the influencing parameters of each cost category into account and allows for straightforward comparability across a range of projects.
Labels for sustainable products serve as informative tools to help consumers to make choices that align with their values and contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle.
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Mobilising People: To achieve this, we employ a dynamic array of techniques, including data driven behavioural change, co-creation and participatory foresight.
Data driven behavioral change involves the collection and analysis of data related to individuals' actions and choices, with the goal of encouraging more environmentally friendly behaviors.
We offer extensive support for the iniation and execution of participatory planning activities. Our co-creation toolkit, complemented by evaluation tools like MAMCA and SIS, plays a central role in this collaborative approach.
We have designed and refined a participatory scenario planning tool that merges system dynamics and forecasting techniques. Our strategic foresight endeavors have involved engaging key stakeholders
Thematic expertise
The expertise in HOST is clustered in 5 interdisciplinary topics (energy, mobility, economy, food and building) and 3 main drivers (climate, biodiversity and well-being).
With an inter- and transdisciplinary approach for a systemic view, a wide range of expertise is combined in HOST. In the energy sector, expertise spans multi-energy systems, positive energy districts, biomass, hydrogen and energy communities, covering feasibility and design studies, governance aspects and participatory approaches. In the field of mobility, HOST brings together expertise in urban mobility challenges, sustainable logistics and active mobility. In the building sector circular building practices, eco-design, and sustainable structural design and construction are combined. For the food sector, expertise from agriwilding and agroecology, the intersections of sustainable and healthy food consumption to marketing and communication around food is brought together. In the domain of economy, the expertise ranges from the circular economy, labour economics, just transitions to marketing and consumer behaviour. Next to domain specific expertise, HOST brings together expertise transversally on climate, biodiversity and well-being.