Programme nearbyCommunitySofiaEcoObshtina: Bulgaria's national zero waste municipality competitionThe competition that raised the stakes for Bulgarian local government The EcoObshtina (Eco Municipality) competition is Bulgaria's largest annual award for sustainable municipalities, organised in partnership with the French Embassy. Za Zemiata shapes its evaluation criteria to prioritise measurable waste reduction outcomes: ensuring the competition rewards genuinely impactful programmes over greenwashing. In 2024, both Svilengrad and Gabrovo received the EcoMunicipality award, boosting the visibility of zero waste solutions at the level of national ministries and the National Association of Municipalities. What EcoObshtina does for zero waste - Evaluation criteria designed by Za Zemiata to reward source separation rates, PAYT implementation, and community engagement over less measurable commitments - Award ceremonies provide media coverage that amplifies zero waste success stories nationally - Partnership with the French Embassy brings international credibility and comparative benchmarking - Winning municipalities become reference cases for other local authorities to study How to engage - Bulgarian municipalities: apply for the next EcoObshtina cycle: follow Za Zemiata for application deadlines and criteria - Community groups: nominate your municipality for EcoObshtina recognition and document the waste programmes it runs - Policy advocates: use the competition results to name and praise municipalities that are leading: and ask the Ministry why national policy has not yet caught up with local practice Why it matters National awards turn local zero waste wins into stories ministers and neighbouring mayors cannot ignore. When Svilengrad and Gabrovo took EcoMunicipality honours in 2024, they gave every Bulgarian council a visible benchmark, and a reason to aim higher than greenwashing.advocacyawardspolicy +2
Programme nearbyCommunityViennaGraz "(Zero) Waste in the City?": civic dialogue between activism and urban agendaA panel that brought zero waste into the policy conversation In September 2024, Zero Waste Austria participated in a panel discussion in Graz: "(Zero) Waste in the City? Between Activism and Urban Agenda", organised by the Waste in Motion (WiM) research network. The panel brought together experts from WiM, representatives of the City of Graz, Zero Waste Austria, and Katja Sres from Ekologi Brez Meja (Slovenia): one of the strongest Zero Waste Europe member organisations. The format is designed to be replicable in other Austrian cities. What the panel discussion format provides - A structured dialogue between zero waste advocates, researchers, and city officials - Cross-border learning: Slovenia's experience via Ekologi Brez Meja adds an EU best-practice dimension - A public record that zero waste is a legitimate part of urban policy discourse in Graz - A template that other Austrian cities can use to host similar panels with city council involvement How to engage - Austrian municipalities and research institutions: contact Zero Waste Austria or the Waste in Motion research network to organise a similar panel in your city - Activists and civil society: use the Graz format as a model for connecting with local researchers and city officials: the research network provides academic legitimacy - Students and academics: engage with the Waste in Motion network and connect zero waste scholarship to local policy advocacy Why it matters Zero waste needs a seat at the urban policy table, not just protest outside it. The Graz panel brought advocates, researchers, and city officials into one room, a replicable format for turning activism into municipal agenda.advocacyeducationpolicy +2
Programme nearbyRepair & ReuseKielTry cloth nappies: a proven Kiel pilot patternSauber gewickelt: weniger Restabfall A child uses roughly 6,000 disposable nappies before potty training, about one tonne of waste. From 2022-2024 Kiel subsidised cloth nappy starter kits (up to €200); 496 households joined and saved an estimated 80 tonnes of residual waste per year. Why it matters The Kiel pilot showed hundreds of families can divert tonnes of nappy waste when cloth is affordable and supported.familyreuseadvocacy
Programme nearbyCommunityDarmstadtJoin Darmbach e.V. for stream daylightingAdvocate for living water in the city Darmbach e.V. is a 160-member civic group founded in 2008 to uncover and restore the Darmbach stream, which has flowed underground since 1970. The group argues that visible, flowing water cools the city, supports ecology, cuts stormwater costs, and reconnects residents to hydrology. Membership costs €5/year and joins a landscape-scale advocacy effort. What you can do - Join Darmbach e.V. (€5/year) and attend planning meetings and site walks - Learn why daylit streams are cheaper and cooler than hidden pipes - Advocate to your Ortsbeirat for a Darmbach section in your ward - Support the group's dialogue with city planners about Masterplan 2030+ How it works The group documents the stream's path, teaches residents about its history and ecology, and pushes municipal decision-makers to prioritize water visibility in climate plans. Each win (unsealing a section, adding a cascade) changes how a place feels and what people expect. Why it matters Hidden water is invisible infrastructure. Daylit streams are gathering places, cooling corridors, and signs that the city listens to residents who know their watershed. This is how urban hydrology shifts from pipes to commons.streamdaylightingadvocacy +2
Programme nearbyCommunityBrasiliaLegislate reverse logistics for public ITLegislate reverse logistics for public IT The DF wrote Reciclotech into law so unused public computers have a route other than the skip. Decreto 41.859 (2 March 2021) created the programme inside the executive. Lei 7.913 (16 June 2026) turned it into a district-wide system of reverse logistics, disposal, and reconditioning. This is a replicable procurement pattern, not a Solarpunker endorsement of the statutes. What you can do - Read Lei nº 7.913/2026 and Decreto nº 41.859/2021 - If you work in a DF public body, ask your asset desk how idle, unserviceable, or uneconomic IT is offered to the Reciclotech manager (the law gives the manager 30 days to claim it) - If you live in another city, take the pattern to your council: public IT should feed repair workshops and inclusion labs before it feeds a landfill - Follow Reciclotech as a citizen by using PEVs and courses; the statute is the back-office that keeps those full How it works Lei 7.913 lets direct, autonomous, and foundational DF bodies notify the programme manager of IT and electroelectronics classed as uneconomic to recover, unserviceable, or idle. The programme prioritises correct disposal of public IT and free public access to digital technology. The executive still has to regulate execution, partnerships, and which body is the manager. Solarpunker does not organise Reciclotech and does not lobby for the law. Why it matters A city that donates its own leftover towers to the same workshops that train residents is practising circular procurement, not only asking households to be virtuous.policyreverse logisticsprocurement +1
Programme nearbyCommunityLondonAdvocate for clean waterways through Surfers Against Sewage River ActionSpeak up for rivers that should be swimmable SAS River Action helps residents challenge sewage pollution: petitions, sample requests, and media toolkits that turn anger into organised pressure. What you can do - Join River Action campaigns targeting your catchment - Request water company monitoring data and share results at parish meetings - Pair advocacy with FreshWater Watch sampling so stories have numbers behind them How it works Campaign coaches help you set goals: legal letters, councillor questions, or community monitoring. Wins get celebrated publicly to recruit more neighbours. Why it matters Rivers belong to everyone who walks their banks: organised voices restore trust and funding for real infrastructure fixes.riveradvocacywater quality +1
Programme nearbyCommunityMunichChampion gender-just climate and health action in MunichChampion gender-just climate and health action in Munich WECF connects ecofeminist groups that link clean air, toxin-free homes, and reproductive health in Munich. Their Gender Just Climate Solutions Awards recognise grassroots projects that already protect bodies and ecosystems together. The 2026 application window closed on 12 July; winners are celebrated at COP 31 in Antalya (November 2026). What you can do - Read Climate Justice Starts at the Roots for field-tested finance and policy asks - Follow WECF and the Women and Gender Constituency for 2026 winners and the next award round - Host a neighbourhood conversation using WECF toolkits on chemicals in everyday products How it works WECF funds and mentors women-led organisations, then brings their evidence into UN and EU climate spaces. Local groups test solutions first; advocates scale what works. Why it matters Climate policy that ignores gender misses who cooks, cares, and lives nearest to pollution. Grassroots women already hold the blueprints.healthgenderclimate +2
Programme nearbyCommunityBrusselsYoung Energy Ambassadors programmeYouth voices shaping EU clean-energy policy The Young Energy Ambassadors initiative engages 18-35-year-olds from the EU, EEA, and Ukraine who are passionate about the clean energy transition. Each year a cohort of 30 ambassadors promotes EU energy policies among peers and represents youth at the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW). What you can do - Apply to become a Young Energy Ambassador when calls open each spring - Host a local EUSEW side event featuring ambassador materials - Bring youth energy perspectives into your community council or campus group How to participate - Follow the programme via Energy and youth and EUSEW - The 2026 cohort begins its mandate at EUSEW, 9-11 June 2026 Why it matters Intergenerational fairness requires structured youth participation, not token consultation. Ambassadors create a pipeline from local action to EU policy dialogue.youthambassadorsEUSEW +2
Programme nearbyCommunityBerlinMunicipal heat action plans (Hitzeaktionspläne) in BerlinMunicipal heat action plans (Hitzeaktionspläne) in Berlin Few German municipalities have a binding Hitzeaktionsplan yet in Berlin. Residents, health workers, and clubs can ask councils to adopt science-based heat plans, covering cool public spaces, building adaptation, and care for vulnerable neighbours. What you can do - Ask your Gemeinde or Stadt whether a heat action plan exists and when it was last updated - Raise heat protection at work, in your Verein, or at a parent council, what is already done? What is missing? - Connect with local Health for Future groups and the HitzeService for municipalities What strong plans typically include (paraphrased from alliance asks) - Binding local heat action plans with funding and staff from federal and state levels - Climate adaptation in building and infrastructure investment, especially schools, care homes, and hospitals - Health, care, and social sectors at the table when plans are written and tested - Clear warning chains and crisis structures when heat overloads clinics and emergency services - Faster climate protection in transport and buildings, prevention alongside adaptation Why it matters Plans turn hot-day panic into rehearsed mutual aid: who opens a cooling room, who checks on isolated neighbours, and where shade already exists on the map.heat planadvocacymunicipality +2
Programme nearbyCommunityBerlinHealth for Future local groups, heat on the agenda in BerlinHealth for Future local groups, heat on the agenda in Berlin Health for Future (H4F) connects clinicians, carers, and public-health staff who want climate action that protects patients, including heat plans in hospitals, schools, and municipalities in Berlin. What you can do - Find or start a local Ortsgruppe via Health for Future - Set heat protection on the agenda at your workplace, Kita, or clinic, use the alliance's short videos for health professions - Subscribe to the Deutscher Wetterdienst Hitzewarnungen newsletter and share alerts with vulnerable neighbours - Network with your Kommune, Betrieben, and Sozialeinrichtungen, see BZgA heat guidance linked from the H4F page About Health for Future Health for Future was launched by KLUG – Deutsche Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit. Local groups host Hitzeaktionstag events, roundtables, and film nights, Solarpunker reposts for discovery; H4F organisers lead their own programmes. Why it matters When health voices join neighbourhood planning, cool rooms and tree corridors show up before the next Hitzewelle, not after the emergency ward fills.Health for Futurehealth workersOrtsgruppe +2
Programme nearbyCommunityBrusselsCall to Action for a Wilder EuropeAsk leaders to make large-scale restoration a priority Dozens of organisations endorsed a Call to Action for a Wilder Europe, urging citizens, policymakers, land managers, and financiers to scale practical rewilding as part of the European Green Deal and national nature recovery. What you can do - Read the Call to Action and share it with #CallForAWilderEurope - Raise one concrete ask locally, for example free-flowing rivers, wetland rewetting, or natural grazing support - Invite your club, school, or municipality to discuss how rewilding fits your region Sector asks (folded summary, not separate listings) - Citizens: welcome wildlife comeback and enjoy wilder landscapes - Policymakers: prioritise ecological restoration at scale - Land & water managers: restore floodplains, wetlands, and grazing systems - Financiers & communities: invest in nature-based economies and coexistence Why it matters Policy follows visible public hope, when neighbours ask for wilder rivers and forests, councils find room to act.advocacyCallForAWilderEuropepolicy +2
Programme nearbyCommunityFlorenceLivorno incinerator closure: community mobilisation winsHow Livorno permanently closed its local incinerator In 2024, Zero Waste Italy helped mobilise the community of Livorno, a port city on the Tuscan coast, to secure the permanent closure of its local incinerator. The campaign combined technical advocacy: showing that alternatives existed: with community organising to build broad public and political pressure. What happened - ZWI supported local residents and civil society groups in building the case against continued incineration - Community pressure alongside technical evidence persuaded decision-makers to close the facility permanently - Livorno joins a growing list of Italian cities phasing out waste incineration in favour of source separation and reuse Why it matters The Livorno closure shows that communities do not have to accept incineration as the default. With the right information and organised residents, the economics and politics of waste can be shifted. ZWI's experience here is now a template for similar campaigns elsewhere in Italy. What you can do - If your city has a waste-to-energy facility under review, contact Zero Waste Italy for advocacy support and technical materials - Attend public consultations on local waste management plans and raise the zero-waste alternativeadvocacyanti-incinerationcommunity-mobilisation +1
