Life Terra at Sustainable Places 2025: connecting energy transition and nature-based solutions
Sustainable Places is one of Europe’s leading conferences on energy efficiency, sustainability, and climate innovation. Every year it gathers researchers, businesses, policymakers, and EU-funded projects to exchange ideas and accelerate the clean energy transition across Europe. The 2025 edition took place in Milan, hosted by R2M Solution, a company born in Pavia with offices across Europe and a long-standing commitment to bridging research and market-ready innovation. Milan, a city symbol of regeneration and forward-looking urban planning, provided the perfect backdrop for this exchange of ideas on how Europe can move faster toward decarbonization and resilience.
The goal of Sustainable Places is to create a space where real collaboration happens, where projects, industries, and local governments can learn from each other and turn research into concrete impact. Through its thematic sessions, the conference explores how policy, technology, and finance can work together to accelerate the European Green Deal’s objectives.
We took part in the closing session on the third day, titled “Clean Energy Transition: Capacity Building & Innovative Finance.” Organized by R2M Solution and the European Mortgage Foundation – European Covered Bond Council (EMF-ECBC), the session brought together experts and projects from the LIFE Clean Energy Transition Programme, including Step-WISE, Scaling Super-Heero, DeliverEEM, Plan4CET and OwnYourSecap. With support from IES and Harley Dikkinson, the discussion focused on how innovative finance, capacity building, and collaboration across value chains can speed up Europe’s clean energy transformation. Topics ranged from the role of ESG in energy planning and municipal decarbonization pathways to new financial instruments for sustainable renovation.
We presented our work on connecting nature-based solutions with the energy transition. Within the newly created Scaling Super Heero project Life Terra helps communities restore ecosystems and make cities more resilient through practical, science-based greening actions. Together with local partners, schools, and citizens, we transform underused or degraded areas into vibrant green spaces that improve air quality, mitigate heat, and strengthen communities. Life Terra official partner of new LIFE SUPERHEERO project
Our ongoing collaboration with the Scaling Super-Heero project perfectly illustrates this approach. We want to reach the same great results we achieved In Mazzo di Rho, near Milan, were we worked alongside municipalities, local associations, and the private sector to bring life back to forgotten urban areas.
This time as part of this EU-funded project, we will be developing two new Miyawakis, urban forests, green lungs for the city that unite sustainable energy objectives with ecological restoration. The goal is simple: show how climate resilience and community engagement can transform neglected spaces.
We provide the trees, the technical expertise, the coordination and we will bring the citizen to plant together, all free of charge, to help municipalities take this step toward greener, more resilient cities.
We’re bringing back nature to your city! We are waiting for you to join the tree planting revolution!
At Sustainable Places 2025, this message resonated clearly: building Europe’s clean energy future is not just about technology or finance. It is also about regenerating the spaces where people live, work, and breathe.
