What happens when people come together to talk about energy? Ideas turn into conversations, conversations create connections, and those connections lead to action.
The EUSEW Sustainable Energy Days (SEDs) create space for exactly this kind of exchange. These local events, hosted under the EUSEW umbrella, bring people together to learn and take part in activities around clean energy, sustainability, and the energy transition. Over the years, SEDs have empowered communities, schools, businesses, research institutes and organisations to shape conversations about the future of clean energy.
If you are organising an event or activity between March and June 2026 that brings clean and renewable energy conversations to your community, registering it as a Sustainable Energy Day will help it reach a wider audience and connect it to a broader European movement for a clean energy future.
Ready to take on the challenge? Here are some tips and examples of successful SEDs to help you host an event that people will remember long after it ends.
What is your focus?
Clean energy offers a vast array of topics. A clear objective speaks to potential attendees and explains why this event is meant for them. It might be about helping a neighbourhood understand how energy choices affect their daily lives, giving young people an artistic space to imagine their role in the energy transition, or creating an inclusive environment for citizens and experts to listen to each other and exchange experiences and knowledge. When participants understand why they are there, they engage more openly, and leave feeling that their time mattered.
Practical demonstrations give a strong sense of purpose and make solutions feel real and achievable. During the BIOSOLFarm Conference in Poland that took place in June 2025, participants toured biogas plants using food waste and agricultural residues to generate energy. Seeing real installations and speaking directly with operators helped translate circular economy principles into concrete action.
The SU SET Plan IWG-Industry 2025 Annual Event, held on 2 June 2025 in Kraków, Poland, brought together policymakers, industry, and researchers around a clear goal: advancing highly efficient and sustainable energy use in European industries. This clear purpose shaped the discussions on electrification, flexibility, circularity, and carbon capture, ensuring participants could connect and exchange in a meaningful way.
People in the front row
The success of your event depends on understanding who will attend. Local residents, students, policymakers, engineers, entrepreneurs, or community leaders - all have different expectations and bring different perspectives to the conversation. Aligning the content and activities with your audience will also help create active and productive engagement.
The Green Energetic Neighbourhood workshop in Przywidz, Poland, on 31 May 2025 is a great example. Organisers designed the event specifically for local residents and stakeholders, combining expert input with accessible discussions on local energy communities. By focusing on the needs and realities of a municipality, the workshop opened the floor and helped participants feel involved and actively shape a shared vision for their energy future.
Where can a creative spark come in?
Short answer – everywhere. From interactive workshops to exhibitions, panel discussions to performative experiments, the format of your event is an opportunity to innovate and actively involve participants. Creative approaches help people connect with complex topics and remember the experience.
Creativity and learning were at the heart of the Together for Action! climate quest for schoolchildren, held on 30 April 2025 in Ukraine. Teams of sixth-graders moved through ten themed stations in a public park, exploring how climate change links to transport, forests, biodiversity, waste, energy, and daily habits. Learning through play turned abstract, and sometimes complicated, concepts into practical, fun, engaging and memorable actions.
Choose spaces that enhance learning
The venue of your Sustainable Energy Day can be as impactful as its content. Historic buildings, parks, schools, libraries, theatres, universities, and other public spaces can add more meaning to your message and programme than the content itself. Accessibility and comfort remain essential to ensure everyone feels welcome.
On 19 June 2025, young people from Belgium, Ireland and Poland visited the Bassa Romagna region in Italy as part of the Futuro Green 20.30: Twinning for Youth project. The day combined learning and practical experiences focused on sustainability, innovation and energy transition. Participants explored sustainable 3D printing at WASP in Massa Lombarda, circular fashion practices at the A.N.G.E.L.O. Vintage Palace in Lugo, and traditional craftsmanship and natural materials at the Ecomuseo delle Erbe Palustri in Villanova di Bagnacavallo.
Alongside the visits, participants started working on a sustainability manifesto, sharing their vision as young Europeans for the 2030 Agenda. The beauty of Bassa Romagna and its stunning venues made the experience of exchange even more memorable, proving that inspiring surroundings can deepen learning and leave a lasting impression.
Online and hybrid formats for wider access
Sustainable Energy Days do not always need to take place only in physical spaces. We also encourage online and hybrid events such as webinars, virtual workshops, film screenings and live-streamed panel discussions. They are particularly valuable for people who cannot travel due to distance, time constraints, financial limitations, or accessibility needs.
A strong example of the potential of online formats was the AI can talk – but can it listen to citizens? webinar held online on 17 June 2025. The webinar brought together several EU Horizon-funded projects to discuss how digital tools and social innovation can help engage citizens in energy communities.
With a structured agenda, and an open Q&A session, the event proved that online Sustainable Energy Days also enjoy inclusive participation, ensuring that the energy transition conversation remains accessible to all.
Every event is co-created with its participants
Encouraging participants to contribute ideas, ask questions, and take part in discussions is a great idea and builds trust. Icebreakers, group exercises, breakout rooms, and Q&A sessions help move from passive listening to active participation.
The INVECE transnational meeting on Renewable Energy Communities, held on 26 June 2025 in Nice, France, brought together partners from France and Italy, SMEs, local authorities, and project stakeholders to exchange best practices. Through various engagement formats, participants explored how energy communities are created, managed, and supported, and how they benefit citizens and local stakeholders.
Interactivity was central to the WENDY Brokerage Event held in Thessaloniki, Greece, on 13 March 2025. The hybrid event focused on advancing wind energy acceptance through collaboration, showcasing tools, social engagement strategies, and lessons from lighthouse wind farms. Participants discussed best practices, skills development, and the role of local actors in building community support.
From 12 to 16 May 2025, the Region of Crete hosted the CRETE VALLEY Renewable Energy Days 25 in Heraklion. The week featured public exhibitions, expert sessions, and interactive workshops to explore renewable energy solutions for the island. Discussions and interactions showed how technological and social innovation go hand in hand, driving a fair energy transition.
Push for inclusion and diversity
The EUSEW Sustainable Energy Days are for everyone. Bringing together different groups, generations and backgrounds enriches learning and supports a just and inclusive clean energy transition.
In Turkey, the Sustainable Energy Solutions – Regional Approaches for the Future of Adana event, organised by Çukurova University on 15 and 16 May 2025, placed young people at the centre. Students from engineering, architecture, fine arts, and science faculties showcased projects ranging from hydrogen vehicles to sustainable fashion, demonstrating how youth engagement can drive innovation.
Inclusivity is a powerful tool for change, as shown by the XII Meeting AEMENER, held on 7 March 2025 to mark International Women’s Day. The event brought together women from across the energy sector to discuss employability, talent development, and diversity. The meeting created an open space to address barriers for women in the sector and highlight the value of diverse perspectives in the energy transition. The transition to clean energy should leave no one behind.
Communicate and promote strategically
Although gaining the title of a Sustainable Energy Day comes with a boost, a clear communication strategy helps your event reach the right audience. Once registered, your Sustainable Energy Day will be featured on the EUSEW interactive map and visible to everyone, and it will also be promoted through the EUSEW newsletter. We encourage you to use the organiser toolkit, tag @European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) on Linkedin and make the most of the resources and community EUSEW offers.
The NTNU Energy Transition Conference 2025 on 2 April in Trondheim, Norway, is a good example of how strategic promotion helps position and promote the event. Highlighting elements such as the networking moments and the ‘Meet a Scientist’ sessions helped spark interest. We have seen how collaborating with all event partners, organisations, or local personalities helps reach a wide and relevant audience.
After your event, it is important to gather feedback, highlight lessons learned, and share outcomes with your community. Documenting success helps inspire others and ensures your Sustainable Energy Day contributes to a lasting legacy. The #EUSEW2026 community on social media is vibrant and active – as a SED, share photos and videos from your event on your social media to further tap into this network. We always look for impactful examples to be featured in EUSEW editorial blogs, newsletters and social media products. Applications are now open.
These takeaways from the previous Sustainable Energy Days are just a starting point. Your creativity is what will truly bring your Sustainable Energy Day event to life. Take time to brainstorm with your team and think about how your community can be involved. You may submit your application as close as three weeks ahead of your event. However, SEDs are reviewed on a rolling basis, so the sooner you apply, the more visibility your event will receive. It is time to host your Sustainable Energy Day and join the movement for a cleaner and sustainable future.
Details
- Publication date
- 17 February 2026
- Author
- European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency