European Sustainable Development Indicators: Video Production

The objective of this project is to produce short, easy to understand, and attractive videos about green economy and poverty eradication. Selected EU sustainable development indicators are presented in the videos. The videos are designed for a general audience with no specific prior knowledge about sustainable development indicators but with a general interest in the topic. The goal of creating the videos is to raise public awareness about sustainable development and its statistical monitoring.

Results of the project

The four videos produced in this project were released on 15 June 2012. The videos tell stories, in which the fictional journalist Marta Wisdom investigates on the topics of green growth, green economy and poverty in the EU. The videos explain what green growth could mean for the EU's sustainable development, how Europeans consume and produce electricity, whether poverty is only a question of income, how Europeans feel about poverty in different cities and how evenly income is distributed in the EU.

• Electricity in the EU – Sparking a Green Economy [Video, English, 3:45 min]
• Making More From Less – Stepping Towards Green Growth in the EU [Video, English, 3:56 min]
• Poverty in Europe - Beyond Just Income [Video, English, 5:57 min]
• Poverty in the EU – a Question of Perspective [Video, English, 5:18 min]

Background of the project

In order to monitor achievements in sustainable development throughout the EU, a set of more than 200 sustainable development indicators has been developed by the European Commission. Eurostat publishes statistical monitoring reports every two years to inform decision makers and the general public about the EU’s progress in sustainable development.

Media consumption has fundamentally changed in the last decade. Print media are being replaced by digital and online formats. Additionally, all media adapt to more selective readership by providing information in small "bites." Communication is increasingly supported by visual materials and constantly trying to become more entertaining.

Project approach

This project combines interdisciplinary expertise on the economic, social, environmental, and institutional dimensions of sustainable development with creative input from other professionals with experience in knowledge communication and media production in order to ensure that the resulting videos are engaging, compelling, and informative.