REWARDING SUSTAINABLE IDEAS & SOLUTIONS. FOR A GREENER FUTURE.
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Climate Change Summit awards aims to identify, feature, and reward the best sustainability ideas in the region. It’s time for practical solutions to take center stage.
Climate Change Summit Awards spotlights and celebrates innovative and practical solutions to climate challenges submitted by young people (under 30) and small and medium-sized enterprises (over 3 years of activity) in Central and Eastern Europe.
The awards ceremony, held during the Climate Change Summit on October 15, 2024, rewards winners not only with grant funding but also with invaluable exposure and contributions from the audience.
*Solutions reimagining the way we produce and consume energy, enhancing sustainable mobility and fostering green construction practices
*Projects that reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and promote renewable energy sources
*Initiatives that make transportation more sustainable, reducing the ecological footprint of vehicles and infrastructure
*Innovations that incorporate sustainable materials, energy-efficient designs, and minimize environmental impact in construction
*Projects that challenge the traditional “take-make-dispose” model, focusing instead on creating a closed-loop system
*Innovative business models, waste management solutions and product designs that extend the lifecycle, increase resource efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
*Projects addressing sustainable practices in food production, distribution, and consumption
*Submissions that showcase innovations in regenerative agriculture, urban farming, precision agriculture and sustainable aquaculture
*Initiatives that reduce food waste, improve food security and support the transition to more sustainable diets.
*Initiatives and projects dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of environmental issues among diverse audiences
*Innovative approaches to environmental education that utilize technology, citizen science, and experiential learning
*Educational content and activities designed to equip individuals with green skills
*Projects focused on the protection, restoration and sustainable management of natural habitats and species
*Efforts enhancing ecosystem resilience, promote the conservation of endangered species and restore degraded landscapes.
A special category for CEE countries submissions (Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia and The Republic of Moldova)
Get started: Receive grant funding to jumpstart your eco-friendly idea.
Expand your reach: Present your project on stage to over 500 people live and more than 800,000 online, including investors and environmental leaders.
Community support: Win non-financial resources like consulting or advertising, offered by the audience to help grow your idea.
Join and learn: Become part of a network passionate about making a real environmental impact.
Showcase your work: Be featured in a report highlighting sustainable solutions across CEE, gaining regional recognition.
Pitch your solution: Present your business to a large audience offline and online, opening doors to potential support and collaborations.
Win resources: Beyond visibility, gain practical support from the audience, such as office space or media coverage, to boost your project.
Connect and grow: Meet like-minded businesses and potential partners who can help take your sustainability efforts to the next level.
Head of Research at EPG
Mihnea is the Head of Research at EPG, coordinating the research strategy and activities within the organisation. His expertise includes EU climate and energy policy and the transition in South-East Europe. He is also an Associate in E3G’s Clean Economy Programme, contributing to the work on industrial decarbonisation. In the past, Mihnea was an associate researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), where he led the work on the future of hydrogen in the EU. He was also an associate lecturer in Public Policy at the University of York. Mihnea has a Bachelor degree from the University of Bristol, a Masters in European Public Policy from the University of York and the Central European University, and a PhD from the University of York with a thesis focusing on energy and climate governance in the EU.
Founder towards0 & ÎntreVecini
ESG Expert with 13 years experience in sustainability, winning 50+ national and international awards, individually and collectively. Mihai Toader-Pasti is the founder of towards0 - company accelerating ESG transformation for companies and cities and founder of ÎntreVecini - non-profit creating a network of sustainable urban communities throughout neighbourhoods in Romanian cities. In the past, Mihai co-founded and co-led Romania's most awarded sustainability non-profit - EFdeN, that designed and built Europe's most sustainable home (LEED, 105p) for the world’s most important competition for solar homes and energiaTa, making energy prosumers a reality in Romania with a community of 20k people now. He also led 2 other organizations, Future Energy Leaders Romania and Global Shapers Bucharest Hub, a community founded by the World Economic Forum. For 3 years, Mihai was a member of the World Energy Council Communication and Strategy Committee. Mihai is an Obama Leader, Eisenhower Youth Leader, Climate Reality Leader and Aspen Institute fellow, being included in Forbes Europe 30 under 30, JCI 10 Outstanding Young Persons of the World and BIZ Champions of Innovation Mihai is an experienced speaker & trainer that co-authored several books and co-cordinated Sustainable Romania Book for Club Romania Publishing House supported by Konrad Adanauer Stiftung, German Marshall Fund of the US și Institut Francais des Relations Internationales. Mihai's expertise spans a diverse array of domains. He is certified as CFA ESG Investing, LEED Green Greater, PHi Passive House Designer, Living Future Institute AP, ITC Infrared Level 1 and has attended courses on sustainability, climate change and digitisation at ESCP Paris, Harvard, Cambridge and Stanford. Mihai believes that the future of cities resides in a symbiotic relationship between the built environment, humans and nature and it's our responsibility to foster collaboration amongst the stakeholders impacting life within cities.
Executive Director of the Circular Economy Coalition - CERC
Alexandru Laibăr, Executive Director of the Circular Economy Coalition - CERC, is a professional with sustainability background in various types of organizations, focused on sustainable businesses in the circular and social economy sector, who uses his knowledge and experience gained from the corporate and NGO sectors to develop within CERC a community of specialists and companies in order to facilitate the transition to the circular economy by implementing the principles and good practices of circularity in Romania.
Executive Director - Romanian Farmers’ Club for Performant Agriculture
Florian Ciolacu is the Executive Director for Romanian Farmers’ Club for Performant Agriculture. Starting September 2018, Florian coordinates the activities of the Executive Unit of the association, of the programs and projects launched to achieve the objectives of the Club, which aims to increase the competitiveness and profitability of the businesses in Romanian agriculture. Florian was Commercial Vice President of the most prestigious Romanian software house, SIVECO Romania, specialized in complex software projects. Florian was part of SIVECO team for eleven years. Earlier, he served as diplomat in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dealing with UN and Multilateral Diplomacy. He was assigned as Romanian representative to specialized agencies in Geneva (2000-2004) – International Telecommunication Union, World Intellectual Property Organization and UNCTAD – also to the European Center for Nuclear Research. In 2006 he has graduated Executive Policy Program of the J.F.K. School of Government, Harvard University. Florian is a member of ASPEN Institute. Florian has graduated Physics Faculty, University of Bucharest and followed postgraduate studies at Academy of Economic Studies (Bucharest).
CEO of WWF Romania
Orieta Hulea has 24 years of extensive experience in key roles within the field of nature conservation and 19 years dedicated to coordinating nature conservation efforts across the Danube-Carpathian region with WWF Central and Eastern Europe. As CEO of WWF Romania, Orieta Hulea leads the development and implementation of strategic actions to ensure protection and responsible management of forest, demonstration of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation, protection of iconic wildlife species and their habitats, adequate implementation of environmental legislation as well as engaging with companies for sustainable business transformation, promoting environmental education and long-term sustainable local development. Previous to her current position, Orieta worked as Regional Conservation Director of WWF-CEE, coordinating multi-disciplinary teams and conservation activities across various countries, including Romania, Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, and Croatia. Orieta holds a PhD in freshwater biology, consolidating professional experience in natural systems conservation and management through applied research and project implementation.
President of FuturePlus
Teia Ciulacu was involved for 7 years in volunteering projects to support the personal development of youth worldwide, in AIESEC, in countries like Romania, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Germany or Belgium. The activity around sustainable development started in 2004, in the Netherlands, while working for ABN Amro on a feasibility study for carbon neutrality and benchmarking on climate change and renewable energies. She continued in Romania, leading their national operations for sustainability. In 2006, she founded ViitorPlus (FuturePlus) association where she is developing innovative projects around afforestation, environmental education, circular economy social enterprises and much more.
infoclima.ro
Sorin Cebotari is an experienced climate professional who has been working in the past 9 years mainly on making climate science and policy initiatives easier to grasp and more popular with the general public. In 2020 Sorin founded the project infoclima.ro which is dedicated to communicating scientific arguments regarding climate change to the wider public. The main strategy through which this project aims to achieve its goal is building up direct cooperation between scientists and journalists, working as a press agency for climate change arguments. Currently Sorin is making a difference as a strategic communication consultant for the European Climate Foundation in Romania. His work with ECF focuses on supporting partners to build up and implement an efficient communication strategy to engage the wider public and relevant actors with the arguments and data regarding climate change and needed actions. Sorin is also part of the consultant team working with the Romanian government to develop the national strategy and action plan for the Circular Economy in Romania. Between 2014 and 2017 Sorin pursued his PhD studies researching the impact of renewable energy projects on regional development. In his activity so far, he has developed connections with a wide range of climate relevant stakeholders in Romania.
Co-Founder & CEO How to Web
I believe there are two things we can agree on. One is that cheesecake is the mother of all desserts. The other is that Eastern Europe is a hotbed for technology and innovation, with founders at its core. How to Web is here to support the regional tech and innovation scene's growth and watch it booming. Come, take a seat and buckle up! For more than a decade already at How to Web we've been organizing the How to Web Conference, Eastern Europe’s leading startup & innovation conference. The How to Web Conference is a gathering of more than 2.500 startup builders, business leaders, and innovation explorers that relentlessly networks and gathers knowledge during the conference days. More in here: howtoweb.co
GP & CEO, ROCA X
ROCA X VC has been the first fully privately financed Venture Capital investment fund (EuVECA) in Romania and active across the region, an investment vehicle launched by Impetum Group. An integral part of the ROCA X team since its foundation in 2019, contributing to the development of the project through his organizational skills, strategy, digital experience, product design, IT expertise and his own corporate and entrepreneurial experience, Alexandru Bogdan took over the role of CEO starting in 2020 from Andrei Cionca, founder of ROCA X and Impetum Group. Currently, Alexandru Bogdan is also a member of decision-making or advisory boards of startups such as Kinderpedia, iFactor, Medicai or Code of Talent, respectively organizations that support the development of the ecosystem such as InnovationLabs.
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