Projects funded by Croatian Institutions
Here you can find short information about the projects financed by Croatian Institutions and implemented or in which the partner is the Ecological Association Krka Knin
1. Write a note and plant
This project aims to decrease the consequences of the climate changes trough education of children how to care of water, environment protection, awareness of the importance of plants for health and to decrease the use of plastic. Eko Krka will organise workshops in two primary schools when the children will plant recycled pencils from which the plant grows. They will get textile bags in order to decrease the use of plastic ones. Town of Knin is the donor of this project.
2. Public works - eco masks for local community
Public works is a measure based on socially useful work initiated by local community or civil society organizations. Eco Krka employed three women for period of six months to sew masks meant for citizens free of charge. Croatian employment bureau finance this measures.
3. Eco pebbles
Eco Krka, along with Association of the people with intellectual disabilities of Šibenik-Knin County “Pebbles” from Šibenik, implements the project “Eco pebbles”. Main aim is to increase self-confidence among socially vulnerable groups giving them a chance to get new knowledge and skills and include them actively into social life of the community. Activities include: workshop “Do it yourself”, exhibition of their works, educational visit to Knin and trip to island Cres. Broad local community shall get sensitized on the problems of this socially sensitive group. Ministry for Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy founds the project worth 40.000 kuna with duration of four months.
4. Eco toys library
Eco toys library opened by Eco Krka is the first project of this kind in Croatia. It was opened in 2014 and got National Civil Society Development Foundations price (20.000 Kuna) „I=d2a“as the best social innovation of the years. Town of Knin and Šibenik-Knin County gave us smaller financial support in the following years. Main point of this project is to teach the children (parents as well) not to purchase unnecessary toys for which the kids loose interest after short while. Instead of that, they can visit our library and borrow item of their interest at that moment under condition to bring a toy which is no longer in their focus. The idea was adopted very quickly. Toys are catalogued, children are registered customers and they enjoy this exchange. This way they create less waste as old toy usually end up in the garbage. Interest for the idea evolved among variety of organizations, so new toy libraries were opened in Šibenik, Korčula, Zagreb, Sesvetski Kraljevac. Three tanks for collection of used toys were installed in Knin in 2016 and 2 in Šibenik in 2018. Meanwhile the project was upgraded by installation of Eco “cottages” for books at many locations all over Šibenik-Knin County with purpose of collection and exchange of books.
We have installed 5 wooden Eco cottages for toys in front of kinder gardens in Knin. Each of them has inscription “TAKE, GIVE BACK, DONATE, PLAY AND TAKE CARE!” When the project is over cottages will be donated to local administration for the use of the citizens.
5. FRK – Festival of Rural Culture
Eco Krka organizes FRK on annual bases since 2006. During one weekend in August, we have fair of rural products, such as local food, authentic items for household, handworks, knitted staff and old tools farming, etc. Different associations hold workshops for children teaching them some old games and skills. Topic of all activities is protection of the environment, sustainable development and awareness of the importance of natural resources. Apart of this, we organize cultural program like interesting concert, hosting popular singers, actors or writers. Children participate in different competitions for symbolic prices thematically related to the festival. It is held at the bank of Krka River in the Information centre of our association, which is attractive due to its location and setup. Participation in all events is free of charge. Several generations of members of the same families usually attend these events.
6. Seed Exchange Fair
Seed Exchange Fair took place twice on annual bases with tendency to become traditional. We held the first one in Knin in 2019 and the second in Šibenik 2020. It is educational one day fair for exchange of variety of seeds among different participants. All events are open and free of charge for the public. The aim of the project is preservation of different sorts of the plants and their seeds which grow in our county as well as to educate the population about importance of preservation of the seeds and food growing in harmony with the nature. Association “Bio garden in harmony with the nature” participates in the fair with presentation of their works and workshops for adults and children. Fair shall be organized in different town/place in the County each year. It is founded by Šibenik-Knin County.
7. Green phone
We are a part of Green phone network of Croatia since 2007. The aim of the project is to incite the citizens to participate actively in the environment protection in order to motivate responsible institutions to solve environmental problems quicker and more efficient.
Most of citizens complain about the problems directly or indirectly related to the treatment of waste. This project includes different activities, such as media coverage and presentation at local radio and TV stations. “Partnership for the environment” is also part of this story. Some of our warnings and actions were successful in the sense of prevention of some environmentally harmful plans, awareness of people of dangerous interventions into nature, support to local people who were opposing harmful activities in “front of their own yards”. This is never-ending task for associations of our kind.
8. Recycling, composting and separation of waste
Eco Krka along with Utility Company of Knin started joint project on recycling, composting and separation of waste in 2007. Project “Green islands in Knin” started with collection and separation of paper. Since then numerous workshops, lecturing, actions and projects were held in cooperation with different associations as well as local administration.
The project got attention of population and institutions why new projects and ideas erase from this. Collection of used textile is ongoing. Textile is reused and new useful items were created mainly for humanitarian purpose. Projects like “Used for useful”, “Don’t throw away-recycle and save!” awoke conciseness of people, particularly school kids, about environment, sustainable development, saving of the resources, use of textile bags instead of plastic ones. Eco Krka organized different fairs where children could learn and practice the skills on this matter. National and local institutions, associations and individuals who care of the environment financially support all the activities.
9. Volunteering
We participated in the national campaign “Croatia volunteers 2020” and within a few days, we have collected many, many books for our “Eco cottage for books”. This action would not be successful without participation of our citizens, who donated large number of books. Our volunteers were working hard collecting the books and refilling the cottages. Anyone can find a book for himself, take it freely and live the other one. By borrowing and exchanging, we contribute to decrease the waist and protect environment all together.