33 Cities Participate in This Year’s “From Source to Sea” Project

A total of 33 cities have applied to take part in this year’s edition of the environmental project From Source to Sea, organized by Coca-Cola, Konzum, Jutarnji list, and the Association of Cities. The project consists of two segments: urban afforestation, for which 29 cities have applied, and the construction of public drinking fountains, for which 17 cities have submitted applications. Some cities are participating in both segments, making this year’s edition a record-breaking one in terms of the number of participating cities.

In the urban afforestation segment, the following cities have applied in the small cities category (up to 10,000 inhabitants): Beli Manastir, Benkovac, Ilok, Korčula, Lipik, Oroslavje, Otočac, Otok, Pakrac, Senj, Valpovo, Vodnjan, and Vrgorac. In the medium-sized cities category (10,000 to 35,000 inhabitants), participants include Čakovec, Daruvar, Gospić, Jastrebarsko, Koprivnica, Poreč, Sveta Nedelja, Virovitica, and Zaprešić. In the large cities category (over 35,000 inhabitants), this year’s participants are Varaždin, Velika Gorica, Osijek, Rijeka, Pula, and Zadar.

In the segment related to co-financing the construction of public drinking fountains, the participating cities are: Čakovec, Daruvar, Gospić, Klanjec, Koprivnica, Korčula, Lipik, Osijek, Otok, Senj, Sveta Nedelja, Trogir, Vinkovci, Virovitica, Vodice, Vodnjan, and Zlatar.

The From Source to Sea project promotes the protection of water resources, responsible waste management, and urban afforestation, with the aim of reducing carbon footprints and lowering air temperatures. Cities applied through a public call open from March 2 to March 31. As part of their participation in the urban afforestation segment, cities are required to organize a one-day clean-up campaign in collaboration with local NGOs and volunteers, to be held between April 10 and June 22. Cities will be evaluated based on the number of volunteers involved, the total amount of waste collected, and the amount of waste collected per volunteer. The three most successful cities will share a prize fund of €45,000, intended for the purchase of tree seedlings for urban planting. Tree-planting activities will be carried out in agreement with the winning cities during the autumn months, from September to November, after which they will be awarded special plaques.

Cities that applied for the public fountain segment have already fulfilled their obligations by submitting applications, outlining the needs of their communities, and demonstrating how a public fountain would improve citizens’ quality of life. Based on these submissions, the project committee will select the winning city, to be announced no later than July 1. The winning city will receive €10,000 and will be tasked with constructing and installing the public fountain within one year, ensuring it is fully operational for the benefit of its residents.

Coca-Cola launched the From Source to Sea project in Croatia in 2018, in cooperation with government institutions and civil society organisations. Jutarnji list joined as a partner five years ago, followed by Konzum in 2022, and subsequently the Association of Cities in the Republic of Croatia. The project is supported by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition and the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology at the University of Zagreb. Since its launch, 134 packaging waste collection actions have been organised, involving nearly 12,000 volunteers. A total of 932 tons of waste have been collected - the equivalent of filling 108 trucks.