Polish and Croatian energy events target stakeholders

Author: Maryke VAN STADEN, Communications Officer, Energy for Mayors, Germany - Email

Energy Days in Dzierżoniów

Dzierżoniów, a picturesque town in the south-west of Poland, hosted the 1^st Polish Energy Days organised within the framework of the Energy for Mayors project, together with the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités” (PNEC).

Held on 24 and 25 September 2011, the event was part of the XVII^th Dzierżoniów Business Presentations (XVII Dzierżoniowskie Prezentacje Gospodarcze), which aims at supporting local enterprises. Involving around 1500 participants, including representatives of local companies, NGOs, craftsmen and citizens, it helped to draw attention to the topic of sustainable energy, as well as through the excellent media coverage obtained.

Image: Exhibition stand for contact and presenting achievements of Polish Covenant signatories.

This provided a valuable opportunity to reach wide audience with a clear message – the necessity to save energy, thereby protecting the environment. Beautiful weather helped make it attractive, with families spending the whole day learning about energy savings and enjoying music from local bands in the evening. Organizers of Dzierżoniów Energy Days prepared numerous attractions for the participants, including:

• An exhibition stand where representatives of municipality and PNEC offered practical advice on energy savings (e.g. how to change daily behavior and advantages this could bring, how much electricity photovoltaic cells produce and how best to insulate a house), with a banner exhibition “Good energy” presenting achievements and good practices of Polish signatories of the Covenant of Mayors.
• Numerous publications concerning energy saving and use of sustainable energy projects.
• Examples of technologies, e.g. energy efficient lamps that could be compared with traditional bulbs, energy meters, and solar collectors.
• The collection of waste (electrical and electronic equipment), with contributors given a tree sapling as reward.
• An eco-driving simulator, where anyone could check how ecologically they drive and learn how to do it in more energy efficiently.

Fun while learning – using the eco-driving simulator	Representative of the Municipality of Dzierżoniów presents energy efficient lamps

Sustainable Energy Finance and Investment Summit 2011
Covenant of Mayors Workshop

Under the auspices of the Croatian President, Dr Ivo Josipovic, the Sustainable Energy Finance and Investment Summit 2011 was held in Cavtat from 19 to 22 October 2011 – with about 300 participants from 14 countries making it truly international.

Image: Expert line-up from left to right: Mr Julije Domac, Director of REGEA; Mr Roman Doubrava, European Commission - Directorate General for Energy; Mr Carsten Rothballer, ICLEI Europe; Mr Vojko Obersnel, Mayor of City of Rijeka; Mr Marijan Maras, City of Zagreb, City Office of Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development

Highlights included a workshop on "The role of Regional and Local authorities in the process of sustainable energy development - creation of Covenant of Mayors network in Croatia". The speaker line-up included Roman Doubrava of the European Commission - Directorate General for Energy; Marijan Maras (City of Zagreb, City Office of Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development) addressing the strengthening of the Network of Energy Efficient Croatian Cities and project activities from Energy for Mayors project, as well as Julije Domac from REGEA exploring cooperation opportuntiies between cities and energy agencies, followed by Carsten Rothballer from ICLEI Europe, showing how a Covenant Supporter engages with local governments – also through a brand-new training platform for municipalities called Covenant capaCITY.

This summit was organized by the North-West Croatia Regional Energy Agency, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund and European Federation of Agencies and Regions for Energy and Environment (FEDARENE) – with many co-sponsors including the City of Zagreb, Zagreb County, Karlovac County and Krapina-Zagorje County.

The City of Zagreb is very active in supporting other Croatian cities in the Covenant of Mayors, helping them to successfully achieve their commitments to the Covenant of Mayors and jointly realizing climate protection at the local level.

Further information and presentations »