Zagreb, June 14, 2023 – Today, a solemn award ceremony was held for the winners of INA’s 10th anniversary Green Belt, which announced the start of the greening of Croatia with the support of INA.
The Green Belt is an INA program intended for all civil society organizations, public and educational institutions, nature parks and voluntary firefighting societies in Croatia with the aim of encouraging environmental protection and promoting sustainable development.
“We are proud that for 10 years we have been able to help the community in the realization of their projects. Our Green Belt program has been recognized by many and we have realized more than 130 ecological projects in partnership. This year we are also looking forward to new collaborations that will contribute to a greener environment, especially those that will bring us more healthy forests as key habitats for numerous plant and animal species with a positive impact on the climate,” said Tamara Karagity, Director of INA Corporate Communications and Marketing.
170 applications were received for this year’s competition, and a total of 15 projects were selected. The winning projects are focused on waste management, protection of natural values and biodiversity and will be important in preserving the environment and creating a sustainable future for all citizens of Croatia. The commission, composed of independent experts for sustainable development and representatives of INA, had the extremely difficult task of selecting the best projects from among many extremely high-quality applications, which is a clear indication of the passion and commitment that associations and institutions across Croatia show towards environmental protection. The winning projects were selected based on clearly defined criteria, the most important of which were sustainability, revitalization of land and water surfaces with the aim of preserving biodiversity, the fight against climate change and education.
Member of the commission, Mirjana Matešić, Director of HRPSOR, said: “The Green Belt is not only an excellent incentive for local communities to connect and invest efforts in greening their surroundings, it is also a way to connect people with nature, and for us members of the commission makes it a privilege to get acquainted with many wonderful initiatives”, while a member of the commission, Stipe Božić from the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, said: “The Green Belt is a very successful campaign that encourages Croatia to be cleaner and greener. I am happy that I had the opportunity to see how the awareness of the need to preserve nature is spreading and that with similar initiatives we will encourage people to think about coexistence with nature.”
Awarded projects, in addition to financial support from INA, will also receive valuable help from volunteers from the INA Volunteer Club, which will further facilitate their implementation.
“I am happy that AKU Žirje achieved co-financing of the “Puddle for the Future” project, through which we will revitalize the island’s puddle and organize a series of cultural and educational activities for our youngest islanders. This project means the future for us – a functional puddle enables a sustainable community, given its importance in ecological agriculture”, said Jere Bilan, president of the Žirje Amateur Cultural Association.
“The Lungs of the Turopolje Region project is an extremely important project for us, which contributes to rural development. The Turopolj lake with its dense forests has always been important in the lives of the people of Turopolje. We would like to thank Ina for enabling us to implement this project with her financial support, because we will improve biological diversity and contribute to the preservation of green areas in Turopolje by planting the saplings of the oak tree,” said the president of the Local Action Group “Zrinska gora – Turopolje” Božidar Antolec.
10th INA’s tender for the Green Belt was open from April 22 to May 22. Selected projects as part of the jubilee Green Belt will be implemented with the financial support of INA, in the total amount of 53,000 euros.
The selected projects are:
- Riba Ribi Association – Establishment of a bio-waste separation system on the island of Unije
- Local action group Zrinska gora, Turopolje – Lungs of the Turopolje region
- Association of Veterans of the Croatian Navy – Environmental Action Šolta 2023.
- Beekeeping Association Labin – Because BEES are a BEEg deal!
- JU for the management of the Park forest Marjan and other protected natural values in the area of the city of Split – Marjan – domestic plants
- Istrian University – Università Istriana di scienze applicante – Smart waste sorting facility
- Amateur cultural association “Žirje” – Pool for the future
- Croatian mountain rescue service station Ogulin – Clean Medvedica
- Voluntary firefighting society Vrbovec – Friend of water and forest
- Association for the protection of nature and the environment and the promotion of sustainable development Argonaut – Dica plants more – one step lower
- Kindergarten Obrovac – figs and olives
- JU Lonjsko Polje Nature Park – Revitalization of the old orchard in Čigoč
- Association of people with limb amputations of the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County – Green Power
- Beekeeping online – Rosemarina2405
- Kindergarten “Latica Garčin” – When you walk down my alley – you will come to a green kindergarten
INA is proud to be able to contribute to local initiatives that will result in environmental preservation and will continue to support projects that promote sustainability, revitalization of natural resources and education in order to build a greener Croatia together.
More information: https://zelenipojas.ina.hr/