Estonian Opinion Festival panel brought together experts and enthusiasts on the challenges and opportunities of green communities

On August 9th, the University of Tartu and CEESEN co-hosted a discussion panel titled “How to become a smart green community?” during the Estonian Arvamusfestival. The Opinion Festival, as it translates, brings together speakers and thinkers nationally every year, and boasted 11,000 visitors this year.

The discussion was organised within the Sustainability Area, which both UT and CEESEN also co-organised, and featured a panel of four – moderator Kertu Vuks (Head of Tartu City Government’s Urban Planning department), and panellists Marten Saareoks (CEESEN Founding Member; Expert at Tartu Regional Energy), Kristi Klaas (Deputy Secretary General of Green Reform at Estonia’s Ministry of Climate), and Age Poom (Associate Professor in Urban Development at the University of Tartu). The discussion started with and was intertwined by audience input, which provided some excellent jump-in points for the discussion, and let the panellists know quickly the audience’s high expectations for the event.

The hour and a half conversation (which will be available in full length in Estonian from September) brought up many complexities around green communities and their identity and even the basic definitions of such. A topic that featured heavily in the discussion is one very prevalent in Estonian society for a variety of reasons, green topics included – renovations. With a heavy presence of Soviet-era architecture and buildings, many communities struggle with larger move towards sustainability and energy efficiency due to the high cost of upgrading their property, built in an era of very different standards. Without improvements however, the community cannot become sustainable. With financing options often available only for the larger municipal centres, leaving remote and rural communities further disadvantaged. The panel also discussed how Russia’s war in Ukraine has pushed the nation, as well as the average Estonian forward in their sustainability, with many looking to cut ties with Russian fossil fuel industry and bolster their energy independence both on small and large scale. The role of national-scale stride towards sustainability and more green communities and policies was also weaved heavily into the discussion.

„It is important to have such public discussions on how to move forward with energy efficiency and energy security as well as how to strengthen bottom-up movements in our communities,“ said Elis Vollmer, President of CEESEN and Project Manager at the University of Tartu. “Green transition is an opportunity and responsibility for every person to contribute and create our better future and wellbeing. While EU sets policies and governments adjust them through regulations, it is in the hands of local communities to implement the green mindset through their activities in everyday practices. IT is their own future they take responsibility of!“

Opinion Festival is an annual public event held in Paide, Estonia already since 2013. It defines itself as a participatory meeting place of all layers of society, giving a platform to different worldviews, and therefore being the ideal place to hold public-facing discussions on topics such as the green transition and energy security, which hinges upon public interest and inclusion as much as it does on technological advancement. University of Tartu thanks CEESEN, as well as all other organising partners and parties for their work and commitment in putting this panel, as well as the wider Sustainability Area, together.