They’re talking about us! FEDARENE publishes an article about OwnYourSECAP We’re proud to share that FEDARENE – the European Federation of Agencies and Regions for Energy and the Environment – recently featured the OwnYourSECAP project in their latest article: 👉 Five Takeaways from OwnYourSECAP Project In this piece, FEDARENE reflects on the key lessons learned throughout the project, from supporting municipalities in climate action planning to implementing energy-saving solutions and fostering cross-border collaboration. It’s an honour to see the project’s impact recognised at the European level. A big thank you to all partners and local authorities involved! 📢 Stay tuned – more to come as we approach the final phase of OwnYourSECAP.

🌍 Final Conference – Act Local, Shape Tomorrow: Lessons from OwnYourSECAP If you were unable to attend or would like to take the time to review what was presented, you will find the presentation materials here and you can also watch the recording. https://youtu.be/6DaP6qrXR04

5th project meeting in Bratislava Empowering Municipalities for a Sustainable Future: Highlights from the OwnYourSECAP Workshop in Bratislava On April 8–9, 2025, Bratislava hosted the final international workshop of the OwnYourSECAP project, focused on supporting local authorities in the implementation of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs). The city hosted the final international workshop of the OwnYourSECAP project, bringing together representatives from 13 countries to exchange knowledge, ideas, and best practices for a greener future. Organized by the Energetické Centrum Bratislava (ECB), this event gathered 49 participants from 40 organizations, including experts from the partner projects RECET and Plan4CET. The two-day workshop was part of a series of successful peer-to-peer meetings that previously took place in Vienna and Prague, aiming to support municipalities in implementing their Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs). Throughout the workshop, attendees engaged in hands-on discussions focusing on: Energy management at the local level, Climate change adaptation strategies, Public motivation and communication, Practical implementation of SECAP measures. In addition to the workshop sessions, participants had the opportunity to explore real-life examples of sustainable innovation. A field trip included a visit to the National Football Stadium, considered the greenest stadium in Central Europe, where attendees discovered cutting-edge technologies like the advanced heat pump system. The group also visited Alexander Dubček Elementary School in Karlova Ves, a role model for ecological renovations featuring green roofs, water retention systems, and the use of sustainable materials. This final workshop not only showcased the progress made so far, but also provided an opportunity to address remaining challenges and support municipalities in their transition toward more sustainable operations. The project will continue its activities in the coming months, building on the outcomes of this collaborative event.

Pollutec on November 27, 2024 Own Your SECAP has been selected as one of the 17 #LIFEProjects to be featured in Pollutec Paris 2024.  Solenne FAVRE, from MT Partenaires Ingénierie, the French partner in the project, was present at the Life stand amongst other EU Projects. This event enabled to shed the light on our project and its outcomes.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=0iC6eYXsvaDl-zaL&v=TU6snVwiW00&feature=youtu.be

Pollutec on November 27, 2024 Own Your SECAP has been selected as one of the 17 #LIFEProjects to be featured in Pollutec Paris 2024 Solenne FAVRE, from MT Partenaires Ingénierie, the French partner in the project, will be present on Wednesday, November 27. We warmly invite you to join us to learn more about the project and its accomplishments to date.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka7pr9O_veQ&t=27s Video about the importance of SECAPs By implementing a SECAP, local governments aim to contribute to the EU’s goal of reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030, aligning with broader climate targets.   This video was created by the OwnYourSECAP LIFE CET project partners in order to present the project and the importance of implementing a SECAP.

Presentations from the meeting Click on the titles below to open the presentations. 1. General information about Own Your Secap Project 2. Replication task and timetable for conducting the task 3. Learnings from systematic implementation of SECAPs 4. Examples of SECAP measures implemented 4. Examples of SECAP measures implemented Resources for the first webinar Click on the titles below to dowload the resources. 1. Template to invite municipalities to the first webinar 2. Presentation proposal for the first webinar

The fourth meeting and the second international peer to peer workshop of the Own Your SECAP project took place in Prague, Czech Republic on the 18th and 19th of April 2024. On the 1st day, the local authorities shared their experiences and visited Prague Energy Center based in municipal Wastewater treatment facility. During this time, the partners reviewed the results of the project to date and the next steps to be taken to bring it to a successful conclusion. On the 2nd day, three highly instructive case studies were presented (City of Prague, Tipperary County Council, Ireland, and City of Bydgoszcz, Poland) then the local authorities took part in workshops. After working on the adaptation and implementation of an energy management system in Vienna, the topics addressed this time were the implementation of energy and climate measures and climate mainstreaming in municipal budgets Presentations from the meeting Click on the titles to open the presentations. Cascais-Smart-Pole in Portugal Located in the Municipality of Cascais, a leading municipality in the definition of a Municipal Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality, Cascais Smart Pole by Nova SBE lead the generation of change makers influencing people and all stakeholders on the path of innovation combined with carbon neutrality. The concept is based on a physical and a virtual space, providing people with a space for experimentation that aims to be a reference for the whole municipality and for other cities. The management of the living lab is a collaboration between private and public entities (Private and Public Partnership for PEOPLE). With a duration of 36 months, the project is being developed through interconnected activities. The ambition to achieve carbon neutrality with the contribution of all stakeholders is the driver of this living lab. For more informations :https://cascaissmartpole.pt/en Developing and Implementing SECAP Actions in Ireland Eddie Meegan from Tipperary County Council in Ireland has presented their SECAP. Tipperary County Council is the local authority for the county of Tipperary, Ireland. In 2022, the population of Tipperary was 167,661 people. Tipperary is located in Ireland’s province of Munster, and is a landlocked rural county that’s home to mountains, rivers, lakes and farmland. Towards climate neutrality and energy self sufficiency of the City of Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz is a city in Poland. Since 2016, Bydgoszcz has had an Energy Management Team, whose main activity has been the creation of a comprehensive Energy Management Base. Climate-maintreaming municipal budgets Michaël TOMA of MT Partenaires ingénierie presented the essential elements of mainstreaming climate budgets, from definition to the various possibilities: green public procurement, divesting municipal funds from fossil fuels, financing climate actions and environmental reporting and budgeting.

Meeting to prepare the project meeting in Prague The next European meeting of the OwnYourSECAP project will be held on 17 and 18 April in Prague.  All 11 partners and representatives of the municipalities taking part in the project are expected to attend for two days of intense work. The programme includes site visits for municipalities, workshops and strategic meetings between partners to bring the project to a successful conclusion. 

    The third project meeting was held this week online the 19th and 22th september!  The meeting was an opportunity for the partners to present their progress on the various tasks involved in the project and the involvement of the various local authorities.  We were joined by our CINEA project officer, who gave her views and suggestions on the project and its progress.