The Capacity2Transform Central Europe Interreg workshop, held on June 28th, brought together 20 participants from various environmental NGOs, including Sunce, Permakultura Dalmacija, Mali Zeleni, and Čisteći Medvjedići. This workshop aimed to identify climate and related issues on which these organizations can collaborate.
During the workshop, Sunce had the opportunity to present DesirMED, highlighting that the project recognizes nature-based solutions as a way to adapt to climate change and sharing its main objectives for preserving and restoring ecosystems, increasing climate resilience, and ensuring broader long-term socio-economic benefits.
Split-Dalmatia County, one of five regions participating in the five-year DesirMED project, is already facing the pressures of climate change, such as rising sea levels, heatwaves, droughts, floods, and coastal storms. The DesirMED project will help test innovative solutions to manage these challenges by engaging key institutions at the regional level in a multi-level governance framework. These climate threats not only jeopardize the natural environment but also pose risks to the local economy, infrastructure, and public health.
Sunce's role was pivotal in sharing practical insights. Sunce shared its best bottom-up practices, such as the botanical school garden project at Osnovna škola Skalice. This initiative provides children with a cool place to relax in greenery that is native to the area, capable of withstanding droughts, and potentially aiding in rainwater drainage. Participants showed significant interest in Sunce's planned activity of creating a two new school gardens within DesirMED project, highlighting its potential as an educational tool and a community-driven initiative for climate adaptation.
One of the main challenges of creating school gardens and similar nature based solutions is that much of the progress relies on the motivation and initiative of individuals. While there are dedicated people driving positive change, this approach lacks consistency and sustainability. To effectively combat climate change and its impacts, it is essential to institutionalize these efforts and make them a standard practice, rather than relying solely on individual motivation. This shift would ensure that environmental initiatives are systematically supported and maintained, leading to more significant and lasting impacts.
By bringing together diverse NGOs the event is expected to inspire new projects. Innovative initiatives like DesirMED provided attendees with practical solutions, encouraging them to explore and implement more climate-resilient and sustainable projects.
The Capacity2Transform project promotes an innovative business support scheme that helps companies adapt and bring sustainable products to market. It connects businesses, training institutions, research organizations, and policymakers into a supportive digital, green, and creative innovation ecosystem, aiding CCIs in joining international digital and green transition value chains.
Organizer: IRI Centar for the Capacity2Transform Central Europe Interreg project
Relevant Link: Capacity2Transform
