Climate change, endangerment of fauna and flora, famine, wars, catastrophic consequences of economic policy, diseases ... News about the endangerment of nature and society on our planet does not stop. Here is one that sounds better - "Otvoreno polje - Open Field" project in mid-September brought together individuals and groups dedicated to solving the accumulated problems in the local communities of Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Switzerland.

Under the auspices of permaculture, as a way to create regenerative and self-sustaining habitats and agricultural assets, modeled on natural ecosystems, "Open Field" with twenty participants expanded the range of activities to expand network, share experiences and invest in necessary resources that call for fairer and smarter distribution.

New knowledge and experiences

In a very interesting and dynamic working environment, through new technologies, the participants, with the mediation of Nenad Maljković, person in charge of managing and facilitating communication, got familiar with Lipa Regeneration Center, the process of building eco / ethno villages, mulching experiences, advantages and challenges of networking. Learned much more about ways to finance environmentally conscious communities, building a house from natural materials, selling and distributing permaculture goods in competition with conventional agriculture, vastu houses, similarities and differences of regenerative agriculture in relation to permacultural, political and ecology "from the Right", sustainable energy sources in practice.

Each topic had its proponents and followers, and those interested were able to follow presentation, ask questions, or just listen and follow, virtually walking from room to room, where teams were formed, presentations and plans made for further cooperation.

Daka's "irreconcilable" activism

For example, one returnee to the Bosnian village of Lipa lives and works on his abandoned property in the context of creating a regenerative center for living and working in the wider community, also neglected in terms of property and interpersonal relations. The (un) popular Daka (depending on how, where and with whom) wants to renovate his home in a way that others benefit from, through the experience of building an ecological and social good, and even cooperative, whose work would involve even migrants. Winter is coming, and Daka has still not resolved the issue of electricity supply, while local politicians look down on him because of his "irreconcilable" activism to create a more humane environment, poisoned for the third decade after the war, to put it simply, by human stupidity.

In this group, during the "Open Field", it was agreed to help Daka for now by documenting his wish, will and effort in a film and promoting it in the media in order to more authentically acquaint a wider circle of people with his intentions, in which they can help him the most.

Benefits and challenges of networking

When it came to the benefits and challenges of networking, in a very large group at the invitation of Katarina Kneževic-Nikolić from the Center for Sustainable Growth and Development "Zeleno doba - Green Age" (Serbia), communication was defined as creating opportunities for talks as a key to strengthening cooperation within networks and out of them. Problems in communication, abstraction, ambiguity and inconsistency, disrespect for diversity are also discussed, with a kind of conclusion that it is important to repeat the most important, often more than a few times, until the goal is reached. Many of the participants in this group were willing to continue the conversations, and thus strengthen the potential networking.

Deniza Darlih from Rijeka (Croatia) gathered a group where she introduced vastu housing as building of a home and its immediate environment according to spiritual principles. This includes searching for terrain, calculating the dimensions of the house, harmonizing its functions by elements - water, fire ... The idea has been expanded to build entire villages or settlements in cities, with more chances of success in terms of joy, peace, survival through time.

Minimalism - the best solution

Katarina Knežević-Nikolić also started a conversation about sustainable energy sources in practice. The main questions within this topic were how to achieve full energy efficiency of the house and household, and whether solar panels are sufficient for energy production or it is necessary to provide energy from other sustainable sources (wind, heat pump water, biomass, biogas).

Transferred experiences from practice have shown that solar panels are not enough and that they cannot be used to produce enough energy needed for a household to function. Since a lot of investment is needed to achieve full energy efficiency, it was concluded that minimalism is currently the best solution - to reduce energy consumption, reconsider our own needs, or learn to use energy rationally.

Problem of the legal regulations

The talks were also focused on legislation that is not developed in the Balkans, unlike in Western Europe, which is why opportunities should be created to raise awareness of energy efficiency and sustainability and become more visible in this activitiy and create a critical mass that could lead to change.

Snježana Štefanić Hoefel from Rovinj (Croatia) in connection with eco-construction, houses made of natural materials stated the increasing possibilities within the material, which is also dealt with by the Association "ZMAG", but also problems in legislation, which is why it is necessary to study launch the Initiative for Amendments to Legalization. Alternatives to commercial tourism, food production, social component in the implementation of similar projects, are seen as benefits in this field.

"Green" projects

Funding for "green" projects - listed here as the last, and in fact very important, high on the list of priority topics - encouraged participants to consider all the ways in which the necessary money can be obtained. Self-financing, provision of services and products, philanthropy, creation of events with a commercial aspect based on donations, creation of own currencies, so-called crowdfunding, are entirely in the spirit of environmental initiatives. At the same time, sources of funding are emerging that require the support of systemic, institutional funds, which are also easier to access if local communities recognize the importance of projects aimed at a better, healthier natural environment for human societies.

Here are parts of the original notes from the Minutes from the circle turned to the bogeyman of avarice, due to which the planet is largely disintegrating:

Vlatko… “I did not have a good experience with fundraising. European projects are important to me, with which we want to have more experience, mainly by volunteering… ”

Zoran and Ana:… "We still have no experience with financing ..."

Lejla:… "Making money from products is demanding and it is necessary to hire a person who deals with it ..."

Tomislav:… “If you are not connected with certain structures, you cannot get finances. This principle has been transferred to international organizations ... "

Nenad:… “I insist that the element of money is always included. Money can be a taboo subject and break up relationships. I have experience with raising money for myself and for projects, mostly unsuccessful crowdfunding ... Chasing funding is now different and bureaucratic. One might perhaps find someone who can translate this from permaculture into a bureaucratic vocabulary. There are people who deal with it… ”

Deniza:… “I have no experience with fundraising. The idea is when the house is finished, that people gather, that people can be seen and heard, and then something spins, if it spins… ”

Matko:… “I have no direct experience, especially not with agriculture. You need to try to deal with the big players. With European projects, it is possible to get finance. European Commission, program - agricultural fund. We will now see the results of that program. Funds can be demanding to obtain finances. Maybe individual funding… ”

Džino: "Dolazim iz svijeta umjetnosti. Finansiranje iz evropskih fondova koji imaju javne pozive. Da bi se zaokružila finansijska sredstva, za uspješan film potrebno je pet godina…”

Nikola:… ”I had experiences in various ways. Self-financing, writing projects (EU, state institutions, foundations), mostly in all types of financing. I am currently working on Legacy, and I have experience in creating my own currencies. If you are additionally interested in these topics, we can certainly make thematic workshops… ”

Ines:… “We would be very happy to invite you as a guest, that's what I want to do. We can do closed and open workshops together and work on raising awareness… ”

And what Daka from Lipa said: "The human network is more important than money, although it can be difficult with them!"

After the spring part, the organizers of the summer cycle "Otvoreno polje - Open Field" were “Zemljani”(Earthlings), “i - platforma” i “Perforum.info”.

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