The conference served as a valuable platform for sharing best practices, discussing challenges and fostering collaborations in the pursuit of carbon neutrality for cities. Attendees gained insights into innovative projects and partnerships that are currently bringing about positive change.

Key highlights of the conference

An important aspect of the conference was the exploration of innovative projects for climate-neutral cities. The Green Penguin Project itself was showcased, with Adrijana Andonov, representative of Iskraemeco, presenting the project, its partners and the future steps for its application. Aimed primarily at schools, this application has the potential to be integrated into wider curricula, promoting environmental awareness from a young age. In addition, a representative from Velux presented its sustainable living concept entitled “Visionary living places – affordable decarbonization,” which offers another practical solution to reduce emissions.

The conference emphasized the importance of collaboration between different stakeholders to accelerate progress towards climate goals. A dedicated panel discussion explored the power of innovative partnerships for climate-neutral cities. A representative from Desmos Helsinki presented their approach “Navigating the complexity of cities’ decarbonization through partnerships,” highlighting the value of collaboration. A representative from IPoP further emphasized this point, discussing the type of mobility needed for carbon-neutral cities and emphasizing the importance of supporting communities in sustainable urban development. Finally, a representative from Focus presented the concept of “Public/private partnerships of community solar farms,” showing another example of successful collaboration for a greener future.

Another important insight from the conference was how important it is to share experiences. A panel discussion with representatives from the cities of Trondheim, Kranj, Aarhus, Ljubljana, Velenje and Amsterdam focused on best practices for decarbonizing cities. Each representative had the opportunity to share their city’s experiences and best practices and provide valuable insights to other municipalities embarking on the decarbonization journey.

The conference culminated in a roundtable discussion on concrete ways to accelerate the decarbonization process in Slovenian cities. The representatives of the cities actively participated in this conversation and spoke in particular on the topic “Accelerating the decarbonization of Slovenian cities – challenges and opportunities” This discussion underlined the need for continued collaboration and innovation to create a greener future for Slovenian cities and beyond.

The event emphasized the importance of collaboration between cities, businesses and municipalities in achieving ambitious climate goals. The success of this international conference shows that efforts to decarbonize cities are gaining momentum. By fostering collaboration and innovation, we can create a greener future for our cities and our planet.