As part of the preparations for the largest environmental campaign in Semberija, a meeting was held at the City Administration between the Mayor of Bijeljina and the working group, with the participation of representatives of citizens’ associations from Slovenia and Croatia. On that occasion, the guests delivered presentations and shared their experiences and practical advice related to the organisation and implementation of large-scale environmental actions.
 
The Mayor of Bijeljina, Ljubiša Petrović, emphasised the importance of continuous work in the field of environmental protection, stressing that such meetings and exchanges of experience are of exceptional importance for the successful implementation of major environmental projects.
 
“Over the past several years, we have made efforts to organise a number of environmental actions, but when it comes to ecology, we must not stop. Instead, we need to take additional steps and seek as many partners as possible, because together we can achieve a great deal. It is important to preserve healthy ecosystems, clean watercourses, soil and air, because these are precisely the factors that affect our health and on which we all depend,” Petrović concluded.
 
Jaka Kranjc from Slovenia, a prominent environmental activist, has participated in several major environmental campaigns, including the comprehensive clean-up action in Slovenia in 2010, when the entire country, following the example of Estonia, was cleaned in a single day. Sharing his experience, he pointed out that the most important step is setting clear goals in order to successfully connect people and influence changes in public awareness regarding waste disposal. As key recommendations, he highlighted the creation of digital registers of illegal dumping sites, the education of activists and the improvement of legislation, as well as dividing the organisation into smaller, more manageable tasks. He particularly emphasised the importance of mutual cooperation among all associations and civil society organisations.
 
Ana Golja, an environmental activist from Croatia and one of the founders of the organisation “Zelena čistka”, which has been implementing large environmental actions across Croatia for many years, as well as in cooperation with partners from the region, spoke about the importance of thorough preparation and communication with the public as key factors for the success of such initiatives. She referred to the need for a systematic approach which, in addition to fieldwork, includes the use of promotional materials, photographs and visual content, available advertising spaces, and clearly defined logistical support, in order to ensure that citizens are informed in a timely manner and motivated to participate.
 
According to her experience, the timely identification and mapping of illegal dumping sites is of great importance, as this will later, with good communication, quality volunteer coordination and the organisation of accompanying events, enable the campaign to be implemented in an efficient, visible and sustainable manner.
 
The participants of the meeting agreed that the “Let’s Clean Semberija” project has the potential to become one of the largest and most significant environmental actions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was emphasised that, in the coming period, the focus will be on defining concrete steps and involving as many volunteers, associations and institutions as possible, with the aim of making Semberija a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable place to live.