The Zlín region workshop was organised in the city of Valašské Meziříčí by Tomas Bata University in Zlín and supported by the Zlín authority and the EU Green Week. A presentation by professor Milan Zelený, one of the most cited Czech economists opened the workshop.
Based on the innovative storytelling method, the workshop aimed at promotion of sustainable energy future and positive perception of renewable energy sources. Smart city best practice and municipal bioenergy projects were presented. Following specific topics were discussed:
- Reasons and solutions to incoherency of national and regional energy strategies with municipality action plans
- Possibilities of municipalities to be energy self-sufficient
- Best practice examples of smart village/city/region
- Perspectives of electromobility in the Zlin region
The workshop brought together stakeholders concerned with the regional energy future, including academia, business, public sector, local government and NGOs. The invited participants included NGO Veronica Hostětín (implementing a number of sustainable projects, including a biomass plant in the village), Valašské Meziříčí (currently working on the smart city concept), Regional energy agency, local university (Tomas Bata University), local energy companies and Zlin region authority representatives.
By Viera Pechanová, PhD researcher at Tomas Bata University
