ConnectGREEN - MIKSER Festival 2020 in Serbia - ConnectGREEN presented

20-10-2020

The eleventh edition of the Mikser Festival was held on October 8 and 9, 2020, under the slogan OXYGEN, in a unique festival ambience of the ethno household "Zornića kuća" near Belgrade.

The Mikser Festival, well known all over southeast Europe is a multi-disciplinary platform that encourages the development of the creative economy of the country and the region establishing a dialogue between contemporary global tendencies of local and regional practice. This year’s Mikser Festival was designed as a Think Tank, gathering more than 100 participants - experts, activists, and young talents, who discussed approaches to achieve healthy environment in accordance with the European legislation, participatory urbanism and other fields, all through talks, lectures, and workshops.

 

Twenty panels in two days aimed to contribute to the dissemination of knowledge and information about the environmental protection and its importance for sustainable development in Serbia and its surrounding. Respecting the epidemiological restrictions on the number of people present at public gatherings, all contents of the Mikser Festival 2020 were available to a wider audience online, through live panel discussions and broadcast of recorded materials on Mikser’s YouTube channel and social networks. Nevertheless, still some of the audience was present at the event.

On the second day of the Mikser Festival, a panel discussion was held on the topic of "EU perspectives" presenting innovative projects of international cooperation in the field of nature-inspired solutions in modern cities in which local experts participated: Marina Nenković-Riznić, the ConnectGREEN Project Manager in the Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia, Prof. Čedo Maksimović from the Imperial College London, Dobrivoje Lale Erić from the Center for Promotion of Science TeRRIFICA and Zaklina Zivkovic from the network Polekol / Right to Water, Clean Waters of Serbia.

Marina Nenković-Riznić presented results of the ConnectGREEN project so far. She spoke about eco-ducts and ecological corridors, which are one of the important ways to protect endangered species - specifically, large carnivores. Marina mentioned her participation in the development of documents at the project level, but also in the implementation of project results within the IAUS. In this respect, one of the basic goals within the Institute is to introduce the obligation for building green bridges, through the rules of planning and construction of large corridors, highways and infrastructure lines. She commented successes achieved during the two National workshops and pointed out numerous workshops with school and preschool children, which are the basis for the future generations committed to preserving nature and ecological connections in it. Also, she emphasized the newly adopted practice within the urban and spatial plan elaboration in IAUS, which not only proposes, but also oblige the construction of the green bridges. After presentations of all participants within the panel, a discussion ensued on current topics related to environmental protection, during which all participants, each from their own view, talked about future steps, plans and cooperation at the local and international level.

It may be concluded that the Mikser Festival successfully achieved one of its basic goals - to create the operative platform for a healthier environment in which all participants in social life, from citizens to the private sector to decision-makers, cooperate and have the same goal.

All events during the two-day Festival were reported by several press and TV media houses.

 

 

Programme co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF, IPA, ENI)