04.06.2022.
The best projects and individuals that successfully contributed to environmental protection and achieving climate goals were presented with the 2022 national environment awards – the Green Prix. The awards were presented at the Greencajt Festival, which is organised in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable development, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, and in cooperation with the Croatian Chamber of Economy. The Green Prix was awarded in six categories, five of which were evaluated by the expert commissions, while the audience took part in choosing the winner of the 2022 Greenlider award.By popular choice, the 2022 Greenlider award was presented to Mario Romulić, a Croatian wildlife photographer who, during the pandemic, started work on his biodynamic family holding Čudesna šuma (Fantastic forest) where he organises workshops, and creates and grows “Food forests” emulating young forest natural biosystems by merging the concept of an orchard and garden.
“We’re hopeful that the examples like this one will help raise the awareness about the environment and encourage the public to adopt green values in their businesses and daily life. All award winners and nominees for the Green Prix are the catalysts of green changes – they are examples of how, by implementing certain projects, great steps can be made in the direction of sustainable development and climate goals,” said Vinko Filipić, the director of the Greencajt Festival.
The 2022 green campaign Green Prix was won by Hanza media with the project “Reduce your bills, switch on the Sun”, while the best green innovation was Ecolant – the eco grave lantern made from fireproof paper. The award in the category for local and regional self-government units as the initiators of green changes was won by the town of Varaždin for the project “Solar potential map”, while the prize in the category education for a climate-safe future was awarded to High School “Ivo Padovan” Blato, for their project Practice makes perfect, renewable energy sources – the installation of the 10 kwh PV powerplant. The winner in the category decarbonising the community was Valmar Riviera + E.ON Hrvatska.
“Creating the conditions for sustainable development is vital for economic growth and development, and if the local communities get actively involved, we can make real and tangible changes – all winners are a living proof of that. By supporting and participating in this project, we want to create a motivating environment to improve the sustainable future, and to award those who contribute to sustainable goals that are important for our town, country and the world in general,” said Davor Filipović, the minister of economy and sustainable development.
One of the participants in the award ceremony was Alenka Košiša Čičin-Šain, the acting director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, who pointed out that the activities aimed at achieving climate goals at national and regional levels were more important than ever, because we could see and feel the changes that are threatening our welfare in the form of adverse weather conditions, electricity and gas consumption, pollution of our towns, or the vulnerabilities in the ecosystem.
All information about the awards, commendations and specific character of the Grencajt Festival that have been recognised are available at the LINK >
