Sunce is organizing a festival, fairs, educational activities, and clean-up actions from April 22 to 27.
Do you ever think about what you can do for our planet? During the week when the whole world marks Earth day, Sunce brings a series of events that celebrate sustainability and responsible behavior toward nature. From April 22 to 27, Sunce is organizing the first sustainability festival in Split and two swap fairs in the city. In addition, to mark Earth Day, it is organizing two clean-up actions at Neretva river Pantan.
This week is full of activities focused on waste reduction and raising environmental awareness. Learn more about everything in the text below.
Festival Sustainability is my vibe
The central event of the week is the first sustainability festival in Split, Sustainability is my vibe. It will take place at the Split green market (Pazar) on April 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. At the festival, Sunce will bring together numerous partners from the hospitality, tourism, and production sectors, offering a rich program. Visitors will be able to enjoy zero-waste gastronomy prepared by well-known Split chefs from the restaurants Pandora Greenbox, Corto Maltese, and Makarun.
– You will be able to try delicious dishes for free and the chefs will generously share their knowledge and educate visitors about zero-waste cooking principles, – said Tihana Arapović, the festival organizer.
In collaboration with Garnier, visitors will be able to learn how to properly dispose of cosmetic packaging, and the workshop will be led by Tea Kuzmičić Rosandić from Sunce.
– One of Sunce’s goals is waste reduction. It is important to properly separate and dispose of waste so that as little as possible ends up at Karepovac, – says Kuzmičić Rosandić.
Students from the Split Technical School have also joined the festival, creating creative promotional materials. Maritimo Recycling will demonstrate how waste plastic can be transformed into jewelry, glasses, and even benches.
As part of the festival, Sunce is also organizing a swap fair where visitors can find useful items for the kitchen.
– We invite citizens to bring surplus well-preserved kitchen items, swap them for what they need, and thus extend the lifespan of these objects, – invites Martina Cekova, an ESS volunteer at Sunce.
The festival is held as part of the project Tourism 2030 – Sustainability Is My Vibe. The project promotes sustainability in tourism through the education of hospitality workers, rental hosts, students, and the wider public.
Announcement of the winners of the DesirMED school competition
As part of the DesirMED project and on the occasion of Earth day, Sunce launched a competition for elementary schools in the Split-Dalmatia county. The winners will be announced at the Sustainability festival.
Schools in the Split-Dalmatia County had the opportunity to submit ideas for improving their outdoor school spaces. The competition sought ideas that combine functionality, education, and environmental care using nature-based solutions. These solutions include planting greenery, collecting rainwater, or creating outdoor learning spaces.
The three best schools will receive valuable prizes. Two schools will win financial support to implement their ideas, while the third will have the opportunity to participate in an educational workshop for students and staff.
– The goal of the competition was to engage students and schools in real changes that contribute to sustainability. In this way, we are building a community that learns from nature, acts locally, and thinks sustainably, because change begins right in school classrooms and yards, – said Maja Jurić, project manager at Sunce.
Fashion revolution clothing and footwear swap fair
Ahead of Fashion revolution day, Sunce, ESS volunteers, Sunce’s volunteer club SoleSTerra and the group The Eco Students from Paris are organizing the well-known Sunce Swap fair.
– Everyone is welcome on April 23 at Klub Zona from 6 to 8 p.m. In addition to swapping clothes and shoes, visitors will be able to make their own beeswax wrap and receive advice on minor clothing repairs, – announces Marija Majić, volunteer coordinator at Sunce.
With this special fair, Sunce aims to raise awareness about the negative impact of the fashion industry on nature and the environment. The goal is to encourage citizens to consume thoughtfully and adopt a more sustainable approach to clothing. At the same time, we want to remind the public of the tragic event that occurred on April 24, 2013, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed, killing 1,133 workers and injuring another 2,500. It was the deadliest disaster in the history of the garment manufacturing industry.
Neretva river clean-up action
Sunce traditionally conducts an annual waste monitoring at the Neretva River estuary as part of the environmental campaign Rezolucija Zemlja by Večernji list. This year, in collaboration with the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas of the Dubrovnik-Neretva county and the Kiteboarding Club Komin-Neretva, Sunce will organize a clean-up action at the estuary on April 26.
Monitoring the collected waste is crucial for tracking pollution levels and identifying the main sources of waste in this sensitive ecological area.
– The clean-up action team (TAČ) brings together Sunce volunteers who contribute to a cleaner environment by collecting and analyzing waste, – said Filipa Šiljeg, a TAČ member who will contribute to the cleaning of Neretva estuary this year.
– This action is not only an opportunity to clean up the environment but also a call for all of us to take action. Caring for nature should not be something we think about only occasionally. It is important that waste reduction becomes part of our daily habits. If you happen to be passing by on Saturday, feel free to join us, – concluded Maja Jurić from Sunce.
Clean-up action at Pantan
During Sustainability week, Sunce will also carry out a cleanup action in the Pantan nature reserve with students from the Split elementary schools Skalice and Visoka as part of the AWASTER project.
– For the students, we will organize a waste hunt game. From the collected waste, we will later create artistic installations in collaboration with the artist Nives Čičin Šain, which the schools will present in an exhibition aimed at transferring knowledge from children to parents, – announced Dalka Zanki, the organizer of the cleanup action.
Representatives from Garnier, with whom Sunce has collaborated for years, will also participate in the Pantan cleanup. Last year, we removed 537 kilograms of waste from the Cetina canyon.
Join Sunce
Join Sunce in celebrating Earth day during Sustainability Week. Take part in cleanup actions, educational activities, swap fairs and a festival that promote sustainability and responsible behavior toward nature and environment. The wide range of activities may inspire you and encourage positive change.
Sunce also invites all citizens to become members and actively contribute to the protection of nature and the environment.
