The Green Step – Transnational Meeting

3-5 April 2023 – Amsterdam – The Netherlands?

The second in-person transnational meeting of the consortium from The Green Step Project took place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from the 3rd until the 5th of April 2023. The Consortium, made up of Netwerkpro , FO-Aarhus , Glocal Factory , Asocia?ia Gal Napoca Porolissum and SYNTHESIS Center for Research & Education , came together to discuss the development of the project, share ideas and exchange experiences.???

The meeting was hosted by Netwerkpro , who organized the agenda, discussions and on-site visits. The meeting was attended by the project's teams from the 5 organizations, a total of 9 people, from Netherlands, Denmark, Romania, Italy and Cyprus.???

The group spent nice and productive days together, where you could feel the collaborative atmosphere and see the ongoing teamwork building and thinking. It is incredible how the in-person meetings give participants the ability to engage more fluidly with one another.??

The first day of the meeting focused on the evolution of the project and its results, specially the ones that the group have already accomplished. It is important to look back and see what was built as a team, it gives the team extra energy for the new challenges ahead. It was a productive afternoon where the group shared their situation regarding the implementation of the Green Step Community Programme. It was an active interaction of the group as all the partners got new ideas and understood different ways for organizing and approaching the trainings.?

The second day was dedicated to on-site visits on the theme of environmental sustainability. During the morning the group had the chance to visit the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam . The complex consists of an outdoor garden and 5 greenhouses with various climates and collections, including a three different climate-controlled greenhouses with hundreds of different types of plants, where you can find more than six thousand tropical and indigenous trees and plants. A true small green oasis in the middle of the city.??

On the afternoon of the second day the group had a meeting with Niek L.M. Persoon , the director of the Amsterdam Green Campus , at the Universiteit van Amsterdam . It was a very productive and inspiring conversation, where the group could get insights and new ideas from the discussions. Niek Persoon explained how they connect the societal needs to education and research and tackle those challenges together with companies and partners. Indeed a really fruitful afternoon!??

Article written by Laise Ayres