In a crowded hall of the Music School in Slavonski Brod, on 29.5.2018 the schools winners at the competition in electricity saving have been pronounced: the elementary school Antuna Mihanovića from Slavonski Brod as well as the Public Institution Gymnasium Živinice from Tuzla Canton. The winners shall be awarded with the photovoltaic system for electricity production, as well as solar laboratory that would be equipped, in cooperation with students and school employees, with solar tree, solar bench, solar barbecue, solar lamps and similar commodities.
105 schools took part at the competition (24 from Brod-Posavina County and 81 from Tuzla Canton) with almost 38.000 students, teachers and other school employees. The competition was organised within the project “SMART SCHOOLS” implemented by: Centre for Development and Support (CRP) from Tuzla, Government of Tuzla Canton, Government of Brod-Posavina Country, association Green Action from Zagreb and Brod Ecological Society (BED) from Slavonski Brod.
The schools competed in electricity and heating saving, as well as water saving in period from December 2017 to March 2018 without any investments – only by changing the behaviour. Comparing the recorded consumption of schools compared to the same period of the previous year, the organisers selected the most successful schools in Brod-Posavina County and in Tuzla Canton. At the same time, they determined that all schools together saved almost 7% of energy, in fact 219.446,4 kWh, which is an outstanding achievement because students and teachers demonstrated how much energy can be saved by changing the habits only. Decrease in energy consumption, together with the transition of energy sector towards the renewable sources, is the key factor in reduction of the environmental pollution and combatting the climate changes.
At the ceremony, Osman Puškar, the Minister of Economy in the Government of Tuzla Canton, emphasised the importance of cooperation between different institutions and organisations about such an important topic and issue as this is. He also stressed the support of the Government of Tuzla Canton to this project, as well as to similar projects in future. Damir Mirković, the deputy governor of Brod-Posavina County expressed his satisfaction with the dynamics of the project implementation and close cooperation with the project partners. He also stressed the commitment of the County to energy reconstruction of building managed by the County.
In the end of the ceremony, 20 young innovators were introduced from Brod-Posavina County and from Tuzla Canton who will, at the camp to be held in Slavonski Brod in 3 weeks, under the mentorship of the project team, produce different solar innovations. The devices made at the camp shall be publicly exhibited the following year at two festivals of solar innovations in Slavonski Brod and Tuzla.
