A group of young people from Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina, gathered in the societies Green Network of Activistic Groups (GNAG) from Vukomerić, Center for Environment from Banja Luka and Kneja form Čakovec, produced a common project named 'Balkan Ecovillage Network – Sustainability in Practice', which got funding for the implementation from the Regional Environmental Center, Hungary.

The project includes practical activities – ‘do it yourself’ solar water heating system, installation of small hybrid solar-wind energy systems, worm composting and theoretical introduction to permaculture. The activities are focused on urban areas and will be carried out through 2007 and 2008 in the cities Velika Gorica, Čakovec, Banja Luka and Sarajevo.

The workshops are free of charge and open to public to achieve the main goal of the project: to disseminate practical knowledge and skills for sustainable living in the region.

The first activity that will be carried out, is producing and installment of the solar water heating system, which will take place in Banja Luka (Bosnia Herzegovina) from the 18th to the 21st October 2007 in the High School for Agriculture. The workshops that will follow are installing the hybrid solar-wind systems in form of little wind turbines and photovoltaic panels on the School in Banja Luka, Čakovec and in Velika Gorica, worm compost bins in Bosnia Herzegovina and in Velika Gorica, and production and installation of solar water heating system in Velika Gorica.

To get more informations and to sign in for the workshops in Bosnia Herzegovina, please contact Miodrag Dakić on the number 00387/(0)51 433 140 or send an e-mail to miodrag.dakic(monkey)czzs.org in the Center for Environment.

More informations about all project activities can be gathered on the web page www.ekosela.org/project, e-mail zmag(monkey)zmag.hr or call Dražen Šimleša (ZMAG), the project coordinator on the number 00385/(0)91/535-1643.

The project „Balkan Ecovillage Network – Sustainability in Practice“ is being implemented with a grant given through the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe's SECTOR Programme. This Programme is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).