JOIN, BOOST, SUSTAIN That is the way to talk about the ESG criteria (environmental, social, and good governance) in an example of public-private coopera-tion that’s in line with the Agenda for 2030, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the European pro-digitalization and urban sus-tainability program under the slogan ‘Join, boost, sustain’, and with the Smart City model to humanize the rapid urbanization of a planet in which cities make up barely 2% of the surface, but emit more than 70% of CO2, according to the United Nations. That planet is betting on smart cities. And that is just what Gijon has decided to become. Why is the capital of the Green Coast now the green light capital as well? “Because of its culture of innovation and sustainabil-ity. Since 2017 the City Hall has been developing the GIJON-IN interoper-ability project on its energy services, sowing the seeds of the current con- DEMOLAB Video mapping the City Hall. Demolab Entrepreneur launcher The project “looks to involve citizens in the transformation of their city, so that they feel motivated by the changes and take part in the new light, the new Gijon. The City Hall is also committed to making sure that the significant savings in energy consumption are used for new services and activities, focused on innovation and sustainability to improve quality of life in the city,” explains Elena González Sánchez, Head of ACCIONA’s Energy Services. DemoLab, one of the key initiatives, has been up and running since 2020. It’s a laboratory designed to kickstart tech start-ups with a social impact and develop integration programs in new technical professions to tackle a glaring inconsistency: the high levels of unemployment, especially youth unemployment, at the same time as the huge demand for tech specialists to boost the digital economy. That’s why it aims to encourage women onto STEM degree paths and professions (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). DemoLab can be found in various public areas, linked to the University of Oviedo’s Engineering Polytechnic School, with technological resources to test development in a real environment, and innovation that is open to businesses, tech centers, organizations, and individuals. One of these spaces, Gijon Connects, on the Paseo de Begoña, allows users to interact with devices from the Internet of Things installed in streetlights and fountains.