Will sustainability become a smart village’s competitive advantage? – AINA

In the cultural center of Naujamiestis – in the art gallery on April 23. representatives of local communities, non-governmental organizations, local government and business and other interested parties gathered to invite the local activity groups of Panevėžys district.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the challenges and opportunities of territorial sustainability networking in Panevėžys district. The purpose of the Territorial Sustainability Network is to encourage cooperation, exchange of good practices, sharing of resources and other actions aimed at promoting sustainable and sustainable development. The theme of sustainability is also particularly relevant in the development of smart village concepts in Panevėžys district.

Rimantas Pranys, deputy mayor of the Panevėžys district municipality, opened the conference “Toward Sustainability” organized by the local activity group of the Panevėžys district and welcomed the participants. The vice-mayor wished the participants of the conference to integrate as many sustainable solutions as possible into the ongoing activities, which would meet both the local economic development and the social needs of local communities.

At the beginning of the meeting, Vilma Juodagalvytė – Baranovskaja, head of the local activity group of Panevėžys district, emphasized the importance of cooperation and coordination in order to achieve territorial sustainability and the development of smart villages. Direct dialogue and partnership between all stakeholders are essential to create effective and lasting solutions to territorial challenges. When it comes to sustainability, it was pointed out that sustainability first of all starts with personal choices, which are especially important for long-term change.

Lina Juozaitienė, deputy mayor of Panevėžys district municipality administration of Ramygala ward, drew attention to the important role of partnership between public and private sectors. The form of this partnership can provide not only additional resources and experience, but also promote innovation and create long-term and sustainable solutions for the development of the territory. In addition, she emphasized that Panevėžys district municipality is determined to promote and support territorial sustainability initiatives that will help all interested parties to effectively cooperate and coordinate efforts to achieve the common goal of sustainable and harmonious development of Panevėžys district.

Jurgita Vaitiekūnienė, the director of the Panevėžys district education center, presented the international project carried out by the education center on the topic of ecology “Movement: school without plastic”. The aim of the project is to create a pedagogical method that promotes the engagement of children aged 5-13 years of different abilities through scientific research and in order to identify ecological materials that can replace plastic items. The aim of the Plastic Free Movement School is to raise awareness among young people about the impact of plastic on the environment and to give them the opportunity to get creatively involved and be the main actors of change.

Skaidrutė Kriukienė, a member of the board of Bernatonių community, spoke about the importance and influence of communities in promoting sustainability and creating smart villages, who emphasized that the activity of communities is the main factor that can encourage and strengthen the participation and commitment of local residents in developing their territory. Communities, as representatives of the local population, perfectly understand the specifics, needs and challenges of the place, therefore their involvement in territorial sustainability processes is essential.

Panevėžys district business representatives – Arūnas Juškys, manager of Mototecha UAB and Ričardas Žiurlys, representative of A.Žiurlienės IĮ “Sport & Spa sveikatingumo centras” discussed the role and contribution of the business sector in territorial sustainability processes. They emphasized that business has an important role in creating and promoting territorial sustainability, as it can not only contribute to economic growth and job creation, but also promote innovation, social responsibility and environmental protection. Entrepreneurs shared their experiences and good practices on how business can contribute to the implementation of sustainable solutions.

Karolina Kužmarskytė, coordinator of the Circular spaces project and circular economy expert of the Lithuanian Innovation Center, presented the innovative training program “Circular Makerspaces” during the event, the basis of which is a commitment to rethinking how and what we create and consume. This training program not only provides the knowledge and inspiration to apply the principles of circularity to the development of new products, but is poised to fundamentally change the way developers and all of us think about resource use, innovation and the role of the community in the development process.

Giedrė Ramanauskienė, coordinator of the KISMET project and head of the Innovation Analysis and Policy Department of the Lithuanian Innovation Center, emphasized that only 4 percent farmers sell their produce directly to consumers, and the main shopping center for the vast majority of the country’s population is large supermarkets. According to her, local food systems in Lithuania are still at the stage of development, but their significance for the local economy is huge. Strengthening the connection between farmers and consumers could promote local economic development and rural resilience to external factors such as global trade disputes, global health crises, climate change, etc.

During the event, participants had the opportunity to take part in the creative workshop “Smart Village 2030”, during which they created and discussed what a sustainable and smart village of the future should be. This creative workshop provided an opportunity to come together and co-create in order to identify the competitive factors of smart village development that determine the implementation of territorial sustainability and smart village concepts.

From the many insights and questions of the participants of the “Sustainability” conference, it can be concluded that the topics of sustainability and the development of smart villages are extremely relevant in Panevėžys district. We hope that territorial sustainability networking can become an effective way to coordinate efforts and solve the challenges faced by the villages and towns of the Panevėžys district. Participating in this networking would enable cooperation with different interest groups, sharing knowledge and good practices and creating common solutions. We also hope that this networking activity will contribute to the sustainable development of villages by promoting innovation, sustainable use, social integration and environmental protection.

Prepared by:

LAVG administration of Panevėžys district. The “Toward Sustainability” conference is organized according to the project “Territorial Sustainability Network” No. 44TT-PV-23-3-06064-PR001