11.03.2026.
The director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund presented the "Pride of Croatia" award to the Women's Association Jana from Bedekovčina in the special category of Ecology, emphasizing their exceptional contribution to environmental protection and active participation in the local community.Attending the event, State Secretary Tanja Radić Lakoš extended congratulations on behalf of the minister of environment and green transition, Marija Vučković, who was absent due to official obligations in Brussels.
The Jana Association has been recognised as an example of a strong civic initiative that encourages positive changes in the society, especially in the field of environmental protection and raising awareness in the local community. Although it was founded with the aim of providing a meeting point for women in retirement, reviving traditional craftmanship and humanitarian work, this association has made the greatest contribution in a completely different field. When the locals noticed the negative effects of plastic waste treatment in their area, it was the members of the Association who proved to be the most persistent in looking for a solution. President Jasna Ocvirek recalled how members visited institutions, collected data and organised five protests. "The mayor and I attended the thematic session of the Parliamentary Committee for Nature Protection, we presented the problem we were facing, and something major started to unfold.”
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition and the Fund have been actively involved in trying to resolve this problem and are actively working on the remediation of illegally dumped waste in the area of Poznanovec, which the Association warned about. An important step forward towards a permanent solution and remediation of this area is the recently launched public tender for the selection of contractors for the remediation of locations in both Poznanovac and Gospić.
The award presented to the Jana Association once again underlined the importance of cooperation between the local community, associations, the Fund and the Ministry in ensuring a cleaner and safer environment, and successfully solving challenges related to waste management.
