The “ZERO WASTE SCHOOL” project prepared by JU OŠ Vuk Karadžić from Podgorica won first place in the “Energy Underlined in Green” competition.
Second place went to the “The Roof Is Growing” project, submitted by the Secondary School of Economics and Hospitality from Nikšić, while third place went to the “We Choose to Recycle” project by JU OŠ Mirko Srzentić from Petrovac.
In addition to these, the committee, comprising Jelena Damjanović – CEDIS; Nevena Čabrilo, Institute for Education – national coordinator for Montenegro for the “Eco-Schools” International Programme and committee member; Tatjana Zečević Miranović – CEDIS; Saša Karajović – NGO “EKOM” and member of the Environmental Protection Foundation; and Igor Jovanović – Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism, awarded two more excellent projects: “Let’s Recycle Waste That Pollutes Our Sea” by JU OŠ Kekec from Sutomore and “Open-Air Nursery Workshop” by JU OŠ Novka Ubović from Podgorica.
The committee also unanimously decided that the remaining funds, amounting to EUR 1,020 after the grants for the first five projects had been awarded, would this year be granted to JU Gimnazija Petar I Petrović Njegoš in Danilovgrad for the project “Pollinator Park in the Schoolyard”, which ranked sixth.
By way of reminder, the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System, in cooperation with the Institute for Education of Montenegro, which implements the “Eco-Schools” International Programme, announced the “Energy Underlined in Green” competition for environmental protection projects on 20 September. Educational institutions implementing the “Eco-Schools” International Programme were eligible to participate, namely those holding the “Green Flag” international award, as well as institutions that had applied to pilot the “Eco-Schools” programme. The prize fund amounted to EUR 15,000.
“Although the selection criteria were very strict, the committee selected five projects that stood out from the rest. The schools made every effort to meet all the required criteria and raise their projects to a much higher level than in previous years. There were many good projects, making the task difficult for the committee; ultimately, it was the small differences that determined which of the many good, thoroughly developed projects we selected as the best. What we must emphasise, and what gives us hope that we have launched a serious initiative grounded in raising young people’s awareness of the importance of preserving green technologies and the circular economy—recycling and reusing materials, and composting, thereby creating a practically closed, self-sustaining system within schools—is the strong response from educational institutions to our competition. No fewer than 20 submitted projects, and these are no longer the simpler projects we received three years ago, when we first announced the Energy Underlined in Green competition. We are now receiving projects that bring together many elements of green technologies, recycling and composting, creating a practically closed, self-sustaining system within the school. It is extremely important for children to see this in practice and understand that everything can be produced while meeting environmental criteria. It is an understatement to say that we are extremely pleased with what we have seen,” committee members told us.
The committee members did not score four projects that failed to meet the criteria set out in the competition.
Through the “Energy Underlined in Green” project, the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System aims to support Montenegro’s commitment to being an ecological state. As a responsible company, CEDIS says it seeks to incorporate its environmental protection strategy—which addresses one of today’s greatest challenges—into its business planning process, so that managing environmental impacts becomes an integral part of its operations.
“In this regard, through the ‘Energy Underlined in Green’ project, we want to raise awareness among students, teachers and the community about the importance of the environment. By implementing the project, educational institutions will enable students to take part in solving problems and contribute to improving the environment at a level where tangible results can be seen,” CEDIS said.
The partners in the “Energy Underlined in Green” project are the Association for Environmental Consulting in Montenegro (ECOM) and the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), which implement the “Eco-Schools” programme in Montenegro together with the Institute for Education.
