On April 12, 2024, the BOLSTER team from Croatia, led by prof. Sabina Hodžić and Tanja Fatur Šikić, attended the second conference of entrepreneurs and craftsmen in the municipality of Pićan, Croatia, on the topic of “Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Towards Green Transition,” as part of the BOLSTER activities “Re-Activate campaign – collaborative community projects.”
The conference’s theme this year was sustainability and energy efficiency towards a green transition, and it brought together all local actors and stakeholders, including the youth association, the women’s organisation “Mendula,” the farmers’ association “Agropićan,” the hunting society “Kamenjarka,” and others in the energy efficiency field to give practical examples that can be used in businesses.
The intention was to increase community members’ understanding and awareness of the green and just transition and how they can help make it successful. They reviewed the difficulties that might arise during the implementation phase and shared best practices for creating initiatives that promote green and just transitions.
During the event, Associate Professor Sabina Hodžić presented the results of the BOLSTER project, which examines the perspectives of local stakeholders on just transition. According to the research, a just transition offers both advantages and disadvantages for the local people. The positive aspects include the creation of a new labor market, improved and more sustainable local and regional development, the promotion of new forms of entrepreneurship (so-called green entrepreneurship), increased environmental awareness at all levels and additional financial resources for the cities and municipalities making the transition. However, disadvantages include poor communication between stakeholders at the highest levels of government, administrative barriers, a lack of local initiatives and workers, and the need to train workers to acquire new information, skills and competencies.
Following the gathering, youth from the municipality of Pićan took part in a panel discussion centred on sustainability as seen through the eyes of young people. Young people’s perspectives on the issues of energy efficiency, environmental protection, and sustainability towards a green transition were explored, along with the opportunities, problems, and responsibilities involved. It was determined that the region of Labinština will have the greatest adverse impacts from the green and just transition. All attendees were requested to help clean up the “Bolobonski puči” picnic spot, which is located inside the boundaries of our municipality, as part of an ecological campaign after the event. The projected date of the ecological campaign is end of May, 2024.
