On April 11, 2024, the final conference of the project took place at the Municipal Hotel Ďumbier.
The aim was to summarize and evaluate the results of the successful project in the form of expert presentations, but also through a travelling exhibition called Brezno and Climate Change.
The invitation to the final symposium was accepted by environmental specialists, analysts of meteorological monitoring, developers of technology companies, as representatives of the Smart Cities Club and contractors.
The opening words belonged to the Mayor of Brezno Tomáš Abel, who highlighted the active cooperation of the city with the individual partners of the project and expressed his gratitude to all those who participated in its successful implementation. "The whole project started on the basis of our cooperation with Smart Cities Slovakia club, in the framework of which I took part in the initial conference in Oslo, Norway. Subsequently, we found a Norwegian partner, thanks to which we were able to obtain resources and start the project. It is not quite usual for small towns like Brezno to get involved in similar projects, but I believe that we will
be an inspiration for other municipalities in Slovakia. The measures we have taken to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change in the urban environment can undoubtedly be described as very necessary, even indispensable," the mayor said.
The list of Activities is long
After a presentation by Tatiana Babalova from the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, who briefly introduced the SK-Climate Grant Programme, there followed a contribution by Milada Šimkovičová, Head of the Project Management Department in
Brezno, in which she summarized the results of the completed project plan of the city. Thanks to the project, the municipality managed to implement the planned investments to increase the energy efficiency of kindergartens on Hradby Street and Božena Němcová Street, where rainwater collection containers were also placed. The city streets saw the addition of 560 smart sensors for air quality monitoring, as well as 28 energy-saving solar lights. The Brezno town hall has also bought another electric car and ten bicycles, including stands for use by employees of the municipal office and the Technical Services. In the near future, town it plans
to change the surfaces of asphalt playgrounds to light-colored areas to prevent overheating. Gradually, measures related to the massive planting of greenery will become visible, including blooming meadow communities, mobile trees, a plant statue of a cyclist, and functional vertical vegetation in various parts of the city.
Hope for improvement
After the analytical contribution of Jan Matouš, the processor of the Action Plan, in which he named the main climatic threats for Brezno based on the collected data and proposed effective and targeted solutions, Peter Kočalka, the representative of the contractor for the installation of air quality sensors, took the floor and presented the process of online monitoring of environmental pollution applied in the city. Martin Kremler, Head of the Air Quality Monitoring Department of the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, also shared his expertise and practical experience and informed the audience about the alarming results of the measurements of the mobile monitoring station located on the main square in the city during the six-month control period. According to these finding, Brezno is one of the three most at-risk areas in Slovakia with a high concentration of dust particles in the air, and their source is mainly local heating.
Chairman of the Smart Cities club Miloslav Jurík presented positive inspiration in relation to the environment was brought in short documentary from Sweden and Denmark by the and the last presentation was made by the head of the investment department in Brezno Ivan Kamenský, who presented other activities of the city aimed at eliminating the negative impacts of climate change.
We would like to thank all presenters and participants for taking the time to attend the conference.
