The LogEx community, founded by the Balkan Forum, recognized the importance of educating young people and promoting sustainable development through the implementation of circular economy measures, launching a unique event that unites the Western Balkan countries in order to achieve a common goal: creating a healthier and more sustainable future. The Western Balkans Circular Economy Week is an annual event in which various activities are implemented in several countries of the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 As a part of this year’s circular economy week, under the theme “Partnership for circularity, an interactive workshop on Green entrepreneurship for youth was held from the 22nd-23rd of May, 2023, in Kiseljak. The workshop was organized by the Center for Energy, Environment and Resources (CENER 21) one of the members of the LogEx community.  The workshop gathered youth from several BiH cities (Tuzla, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Lukavac, Kiseljak, Zavidovići, Istočno Sarajevo, Konjic, Visoko, Breza) and a variety of professional backgrounds. The goal of the workshop was strengthening entrepreneurial skills of youth and training young people to independently develop business plans, with an emphasis on environmentally sustainable businesses.

What sets green entrepreneurship apart is its synergy of three important considerations: economic sustainability, social equality, and environmental protection. In a time of dynamic changes in the business world, entrepreneurs are becoming the backbone of the world economy. Europe’s green transition appears like a marathon for which they have spent years preparing, while Western Balkan countries are somewhat lagging behind compared to this region which they themselves geographically belong. However, green entrepreneurship is a shortcut to reaching that same path.

On the first day of the workshop, participants were introduced to the concepts of circular economy and green businesses and further tested their own past knowledge about environmental themes through team participation in a Knowledge Quiz. The main part of the first day was reserved for education and skill development in creating business plans using the canvas model, which was led by Amela Iskrić-Hadžić, a successful entrepreneur and expert in creating business plans.

After acquiring this theoretical knowledge, during the second day of the workshop participants had the opportunity to share their creativity developing their own green business idea in teams. Participants were introduced to successful green businesses in the region, as inspiration in developing their own ideas. Given that presenting a business idea is an important step in the process of starting a business, the focus was also on developing presentation skills and adopting methods of concisely presenting a business plan. These future entrepreneurs proposed quality, innovative ideas which with a little dedication can become reality:

  • NutriDeal – an application to create and deliver personalized healthy meals with the goal of decreasing organic waste and improving public health.
  • Pernato Carstvo – a farm for delivering organic products without chemical treatments, with the goal of decreasing pressures on the land.
  • Job bridge – an application that connects workers and employers, contributing to the reduction of paperwork and simplification of employment procedures.
  • Farm up – a platform for providing agricultural consulting services and networking with farmers and experts in the field.
  • Organica – production of high-quality fertilizers out of organic waste from households and restaurants, with the help of the California earthworm.

Each idea was thoroughly elaborated and impressively presented, but the winner for the best green business idea and first place went to the idea “Organica”.

We asked participants what motivated them to sign up to this workshop, and we received the following responses:

Dika Šabanović, student of the Agriculture and Food Sciences Faculty in Sarajevo: “I primarily signed up for this workshop to develop entrepreneurial skills. As a final year student, like many of my colleagues, I am in the phase of considering my future career path and possible employment opportunities. I consider it very important to point out to young people the opportunity to open their own business and create business opportunities. I hope that I will use the knowledge I have gained in this workshop in the future in planning my own business”, points out Šabanović.

Maja Ibričić, a student of the Philosophy faculty in Tuzla: “I have been interested in environmental and sustainable development issues since high school, and currently I volunteer at the Centre for Ecology and Energy in Tuzla. Beyond formal education, I constantly work to improve my own knowledge and gain new skills in this field. There is not adequate attention in the region towards entrepreneurship and sustainable development, and it is up to the younger generations to change this collective consciousness and initiate changes in society”, explained Ibiričić.

Members of the LogEx community are: The Balkan Forum (WB), Build Green Group (Albania), CENER 21, COD Jajce (Bosnia and Herzegovina), CIVIL (North Macedonia), Universum International College (Kosovo), YIHR (Serbia), ADP-Zid (Montenegro).