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On Tuesday, November 28th, Apollo 111, Palatul Universul (23-25 Actor Ion Brezoianu Str., sector 1, Bucharest) hosted “MOBILITY”, a benchmark conference on the topic of sustainable food production and food waste.

“EAT SMART” was the third event of the 2017 series of Green Report Conferences, organized in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment.

EAT SMART brought together representatives of the central and public authorities, of the civil society, as well as of the business environment, represented by the main operators in various industries, such as FMCG, Retail, HoReCa, Industry, Transport, Manufacturers, etc. Some of the speakers include: Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – Mihai Visan; Executive Director of the Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority of Brasov County – Dorin Enache; Corporate Affairs and Communication Manager of Kaufland Romania – Valer Hancas; Vice President of “Tara Mea” Agricultural Cooperative – Viorel Buda; Director-General of the General Directorate for Market Control and Surveillance and European Harmonization of the National Consumer Protection Authority (ANPC) – Paul Silviu Anghel; President of the “Banca pentru Alimente” Association – Gabriel Sescu; Food Waste Specialist within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – Elena Dinu; JeTrun Manager – Adrian Moisa;

The participants in this event had the opportunity to ask the central and local public authorities various questions and find answers to stringent problems related to food waste.

Romania, explanations to the European Commission for the law on supporting Romanian products on the shelves

“Romanian authorities are in talks with representatives of the European Commission to explain the purpose of the law according to which 51% of the marketed products in stores should be Romanian”, said on Tuesday Mihai Visan, State Secretary within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR).

Law no. 150 modifying Law no. 321 contains several points which have generated certain warnings from the European Commission. “We are in talks with the [European] Commission to explain the purpose of this law and the positive outcomes we are aiming to achieve through its implementation. There is also a draft proposal submitted to the Parliament for amending the law. One of the amendments concerns the access of small and medium-sized producers to the market. The first thing we need to consider is to support production. When one produces large quantities, one automatically becomes competitive”, the MADR official explained.

He added that the Ministry of Agriculture is trying to support, through all means, the aggregation of small producers in agricultural cooperatives, because it is the only way they can access the large retail networks.

From producers to consumers. Who ensures food quality?

How can you make sure that consumers get high-quality food? This question was answered from several viewpoints: anthropological, that of the retailer, of the small producer as part of an agricultural cooperative, and of the state authority.

“Quality might be a term that we all claim to understand. Intuitively, every person associates high-quality food with health, and these benchmarks work first of all in the case of the middle class”, said Monica Stroe, anthropologist. However, other aspects pertaining to quality, which do not have the same visibility, are responsible food purchasing, i.e. social responsibility (towards producers) and environmental responsibility. Both are associated with high-quality food, the anthropologist thinks.

If we have a look at the international outlook, in terms of consumer trends, a new concept comes into play: locavorism. It encourages more regional food consumption of national food for several reasons: “First, the supply chain is very short. Second, the carbon footprint as such is very low. Three, from a group of up to five friends, there is surely someone working in the area, and from there we get backstage information and know more about that particular producer than one who produces on a national scale”, explained Valer Hancaş, Corporate Affairs and Communication Manager within Kaufland Romania.

It is very difficult to ensure constant quality among Romanian producers, because ANSVSA does not have the same policy at national level, said Viorel Buda, Vice President of “Tara Mea” Agricultural Cooperative.

The price principle prevails. Over the past 20 years or so, the price principle has played a prominent role, says Paul Anghel, Director-General of the General Directorate for Market Control and Surveillance and European Harmonization (ANPC). “Multinationals have come to Romania and developed businesses in the heart of Bucharest, Iasi, and Sibiu, and no such thing has ever happened anywhere in the world. They destroyed small shops little by little.”

Preventing food waste using technology

A fully biodegradable bag, made of starch (from genetically unmodified corn), is an example whereby technology can help us reduce food waste and diminish its impact on the environment. Compost bin plastics, a problem that Jetrun seeks to solve with an innovative bag. BioBags are made of a plastic material produced by the Italian company Novamont, made of polybutyrate and starch from genetically unmodified corn. “If you want to have 100% clean waste, you need these bags of plastic-like material that is completely biodegradable”, says Adrian Moisa, General Manager of JeTrun.

How to have good and cheap food

“In Romania, the percentage of waste at household level is 10%. The trend is clear. The higher the purchasing power of a society, the stronger wastage behavior gets. Statistical figures from the National Institute of Statistics indicate that a Romanian, regardless of their sex or gender, consumes about 2,400 calories a day. The optimal recommended calorie intake is 1,200-1,600 calories for women, and 1,600-2,000 calories for men. If we consider some 300-400 extra calories in men, we have an intake of 20% more than what we need, plus the other 10% we are throwing away”, says Sorin IORGA, Researcher at the National Institute of Research and Development for Food Bioresources – IBA Bucharest.

About Green Report conferences:

Green Report conferences enter the landscape of business conferences with a new, creative, and results-oriented approach. For this purpose, the Green Report team changes the „standard” and brings a different approach: instead of having a monotonous presidium and dull PowerPoint presentations, we propose open debates among speakers; instead of counting the hours until the end of the event, we wish to actively involve the audience in the debate.

“EAT SMART” media partners: Agerpres, Libertatea, Green Report, Business Arena, România Pozitivă

To find out more about “EAT SMART”, visit www.greenreport-conferinte.ro.

On Thursday, September 28^th, the Bucharest National Theatre, Media Hall, hosted “MOBILITY”, a benchmark conference on the topic of urban mobility.

“MOBILITY” was the second event of the 2017 series of Green Report Conferences, organized in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment. The main debate topics of MOBILITY were: improving and modernizing traditional transportation systems, using alternative means of transportation in major cities, urban mobility.

Some of the most prominent figures in terms of mobility who attended the “MOBILITY” event were: General Mayor of Bucharest – Gabriela Firea, President of the Environment Fund Administration – Cornel Brezuica, City Manager for Bucharest Municipality – Sorin Chirita, Deputy Mayor of Timisoara Municipality – Dan Diaconu, SIXT New Kopel CEO – Tal Lahav, Public Policy Associate CEE UBER – Mark Andrijanic, President of the Swedish Cycling Federation – Lars Stromgren, Renovatio CEO – Alexandru Teodorescu, Head Commissioner of the Road Traffic Brigade – Aurelian Calineat, Vice President of the European Cyclists’ Federation – Raluca Fiser, Pony Car Sharing CEO – Demis Ghindeanu, Head of Project Management, Swarco, etc.

The debates of the three panels led to identifying the necessary solutions for traffic decongestion in Bucharest, but also the reasons why such solutions have not been implemented yet. The key to successful implementation of sustainable urban mobility principles is

Real and effective collaboration among central and local authorities, companies and civil society representatives is key to the successful implementation of sustainable urban mobility principles.

Another idea was that people must be at the center of investments and the transportation needs of a citizen from point A to point B must be taken into consideration by implementing the concept of “mobility service”.

Present at the Mobility conference, organized by Green Report, Gabriela Firea, the General Mayor of Bucharest, presented some identified solutions for traffic decongestion in Bucharest. However, none of these are completed.

When it comes to efficient use of public space and planning, Lars Strömgrent, President of the Swedish Cycling Federation, says he has learned through his own experience how important it is to know how to effectively organize available space.

The authorities also decided to extend the billing period for the “Rabla Plus” programme to enable importers to take over the vehicles from the factory.

Cristina Mestre, Environmental, Biofuel and Transport Policy Advisor, spoke at the Mobility conference on what it takes to reduce the impact of CO2 emissions from the transportation sector. The conference was organized by Green Report, in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment.

Green Report conferences enter the landscape of business conferences with a new, creative, and results-oriented approach. For this purpose, the Green Report team changes the „standard” and brings several different approaches: instead of having a monotonous presidium, the scenography changes with each panel; instead of dull PowerPoint presentations, 1: 1 interviews; instead of counting the hours until the end of the event, dynamics and active involvement of the audience.

To find out more about “MOBILIY”, visit www.greenreport-conferinte.ro.

“CIRCULAR 3.0”, the benchmark conference on the topic of circular economy, took place on Tuesday, April 25th, at Apollo 111 – Palatul Universul, building B (23 – 25 Actor Ion Brezoianu Str., Sector 1, Bucharest).

“CIRCULAR 3.0” was the first event of the 2017 series of GREEN REPORT CONFERENCES, organized in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment, and the third on the topic of circular economy, after CIRCULAR 2.0. which took place in April 2016.

CIRCULAR 3.0 brought together the business, legislative and administrative components, allowing the representatives of recycling, collection and sanitation industries, those of central and local public authorities, waste generators, and the press to sit down at the same table.

Some the most prominent figures responsible for environmental matters in Romania who attended the “CIRCULAR 3.0” event were: the Minister of the Environment – Gratiela Gavrilescu; General Mayor of Bucharest – Gabriela Firea; Founder and President of the Cluster for Innovation and Technology, ATL Brasov – Ionut Tata; President of the Environment Fund Administration – Cornel Brezuica; Senior Counselor of the General Directorate for Waste, Contaminated Sites and Hazardous Substances – Ministry of the Environment – Mihaela Frasineanu; Vice President of the National Agency for Environmental Protection – Doina Catrinoiu; Director-General of the General Directorate for Waste, Contaminated Sites and Hazardous Substances within the Ministry of the Environment – Cosmin Teodoru; President of the National Agency for Environmental Protection – Viorel Toma; President of the ECO Romania Association – Doru Iorga; Director of the General Directorate for Analysis, Programming and Evaluation of the Ministry of European Funds: Competitiveness Operational Program – Mihaela Toader; President of the Environ Association – Andrei Orban, etc.

Circular 3.0 seeks to identify ways to improve waste management, as well as the possibilities of achieving savings on the state budget through waste generation prevention, eco-design and product reuse. Real and effective collaboration among the central authorities, the recycling, collection, and sanitation industries, and waste generators was another important topic in “CIRCULAR 3.0”, as well as the presentation of key elements for the successful implementation of the principles of circular economy.

Furthermore, the Circular Economy legislative package is less known in Romania. “CIRCULAR 3.0” will be the framework for debating the challenges brought about by its implementation. Apart from presenting the European standpoints, “CIRCULAR 3.0” will enable pragmatic discussions on the European directives on packaging waste and the waste management system in Romania.

Circular economy is the challenge of the 21st century: an economy based on decreasing energy and raw material consumption, where resulting waste has a precise destination straight from the design phase, by integrating such waste into the cyclical reuse spiral.

Green Report conferences enter the landscape of business conferences with a new, creative, and results-oriented approach. For this purpose, the Green Report team changes the „standard” and brings several different approaches: instead of having a monotonous presidium, the scenography changes with each panel; instead of dull PowerPoint presentations, 1: 1 interviews; instead of counting the hours until the end of the event, dynamics and active involvement of the audience.

To find out more about “CIRCULAR 3.0”, visit www.greenreport-conferinte.ro.

Asociatia Green Revolution, impreuna cu Camera de Comert si Industrie a Romaniei (CCIR), au organizat pe 14 noiembrie, conferinta “Managementul Mobilitatii – prezentarea conceptului de planificare urbana si management al mobilitatii ca parte integranta a procesului de dezvoltare urbana si durabila pentru construirea unui ORAS VERDE”.
Evenimentul a avut loc la Palatul Camerei Nationale – Amfiteatrul Albastru, Mezanin, Tronson III, Intrarea E, in intervalul 09:00-15:00. Conferinta si-a propus sa devina un cadru de dezbatere privind politicile publice in vederea asigurarii unei infrastructuri moderne de transport sustenabil in mediul urban si a reducerii nivelului de poluare vizand in special emisiile de dioxid de carbon.

Conferinta si-a propus sa devina un cadru de dezbatere privind politicile publice in vederea asigurarii unei infrastructuri moderne de transport sustenabil in mediul urban si a reducerii nivelului de poluare vizând în special emisiile de carbon.

In cadrul evenimentului, au fost dezbatute urmatoarele teme:

Ca noutate, in cadrul conferintei a fost prezentata pozitia autoritatilor române fata de conceputul de management al mobilitatii:

Pentru o mai buna informare, puteti descarca programul conferintei de aici.

Asociatia Green Revolution, in parteneriat cu Raiffeisen Bank si Editura Tritonic, a lansat joi, 1 august 2013, prima carte cu povesti despre bicicleta “Povesti pe doua roti – 27 de povesti cu si despre bicicleta”, un volum care promoveaza bicicleta ca stil de viata. Evenimentul de lansare a cartii Povesti pe doua roti s-a desfasurat intr-un cadru de poveste, la Roaba de Cultura din Herastrau, incepand cu ora 18:30. Intr-o forma prietenoasa si amuzanta, cele 27 de povesti cu si despre biciclete sunt scrise de scriitori, persoane publice, dar si de oameni obisnuiti, care-si impartasesc amintirile si experientele memorabile despre aceeasi pasiune: bicicleta! Fie ca sunt amintiri sau texte de fictiune, povestile cu si despre biciclete sunt pline de candoarea copilariei, de seriozitatea maturilor, de toleranta celor varstnici, de umor, de speranta si de iubire.