Electric ferries, skyscrapers with gardens instead of facades, public transport without cars, applications that motivate tens of thousands of people to protect the environment, and smart cities whose services you can use by simply touching the screen – these are just some of the innovations that were presented on June 1st and 2nd in Split during the second edition of the Green Future conference.

More than 1000 visitors from 15 countries of the world, took part in the Green Future conference at Split’s National Theater and confirmed that the future is green and that it can and should start from Split.

“We wanted to emphasize the impact of technologies because they can accelerate the processes of green transition. We are glad that the solutions from Split are going to spread to the world and that the beauty of our city brings together people who will lead the world in the years to come,” said Tomislav Buljubašić, co-organizer of the conference.

Among the speakers was the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, who expressed her satisfaction that such a world-class event took place in Split, and praised the organizers for creating a platform to discuss topics that will define the future of our tourism and economy as a whole. In a conversation with the former Minister of Tourism of Austria, Elisabeth Köstinger, she emphasized the importance of tourism development through three pillars of sustainability – ecological, economic, and social.

Ashkan Hosseini from E.ON said that the energy network forms the backbone of the green transition, stressing that Croatia can become a superpower in the field of renewable energy sources.

The role of marketing and design in the green transition was discussed by Detria Williamson, who worked for companies such as Google and Facebook, traditional and digital banks were compared by Andrius Bičeika from REVOLUT, Sébastien Pellion from Glovo demonstrated how their drivers acquire knowledge to start their own businesses, and Maxim Haartsen presented an application that disposes of surplus food.

“We are happy that, for the second year in a row here in Split, we have created a perfect fusion of new technologies and cultural heritage,” said the co-organizer of the conference, Marijan Čipčić, emphasizing the great commitment of the city, which, headed by mayor Ivica Puljak, presented the Smart City mobile application, which provides citizens with direct access to the services of city companies and institutions.

All the speakers agreed that the future is now and that only by working together and making bold decisions we can really become the change we want to see in the world.

“The change that must happen first is a change in ourselves,” summed up Anamarija Asanović, a fashion designer, who also emphasized the importance of the media, which, she said, should try a more modern approach to these topics.

At the closing of the conference, the Flex Grid (10,000 euros), as well as Spector, Flash, and BeBeep (vouchers by Infobip of 50, 30, and 20 thousand euros) were the startups who were awarded for presenting the best green ideas.

A special opportunity for networking and exchange of ideas took place at gala dinners and after-parties, both especially praised by visitors, primarily because of the exceptional ambiance of Diocletian’s Cellars and the Art Gallery.

Let’s add that one tree will be planted for each of the thousand visitors to the conference, which is why the Green Future conference was awarded a Green Certificate by the Croatian Scouts Association, the HEARTH agency, and Croatian Forests.

The conference was supported by a large number of sponsors, including Infobip, Mastercard, Splitska banka – OTP Group, E.ON, EY International Medical Corps, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, HBOR – Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development, RASCO, A1 Hrvatska, Schneider Electric Hearth, Siemens Energy, ProfessioEnergia, Julia Teamgeist, Split-Dalmatia County, GradSplit, Paket24, SrednjaDalmacija, VisitSplit, CroatiaFullofLife, Climatig, FFST, PMFSplit, Generali, Botanica, Promotion BB, Zlatni prst, and many others.

“We can only say that we are grateful and satisfied that we had the opportunity to organize the conference here, and all the people from Croatia and the world were overjoyed to meet people who share our vision,” said the co-organizer, Ognjen Bagatin, already announcing the third edition next year.

Text: Green Future
Photos: Milan Šabić