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During the project "Clean.Good.In Circularity" on Wednesday, December 4, a hackathon took place at the Vidzeme Technology and Design Technical School (VTDT), gathering nearly 100 young people from schools in the Cēsis region. During the event, 20 teams tackled two major environmental challenges: how to reuse items and how to reduce food waste. The hackathon was led by Emīls Lukjanskis, while mentors from the "Draugiem Group" Mentor Club provided participants with valuable advice and practical support for idea development.

After a day of intensive work, participants’ efforts were evaluated in the semifinals and finals by an experienced jury. The youth presented their ideas in English, as the top three teams were selected to participate in the international Erasmus+ Baltic Green Leadership hackathon.

First place was awarded to the team Apītes from the Draudzīgā Aicinājuma Cēsu Valsts ģimnāzija and Priekuļu Primary School with their idea "Sustainable Book Covers". The team identified that at least 10 textbooks are discarded annually at their school due to wear and tear. They proposed repurposing textiles from the fast fashion industry to create book covers, thereby extending the lifespan of books and reducing textile waste.

Second place went to the team Mazie Poniji from VTDT with their idea "Furniture Recycling"—a post-school activity where students could practically learn furniture repair skills. The team emphasized that this initiative could be adapted and implemented in other schools and technical colleges offering carpentry courses. The refurbished furniture could be donated to disadvantaged residents in the region, simultaneously addressing social issues.

Third place was claimed by the VTDT team Baked, which proposed a mobile app allowing users to list unwanted items for others to find and creatively repurpose. The team highlighted that resources are often underutilized due to a lack of knowledge or creativity. This app would promote resource reuse and a sustainable approach, turning seemingly useless items into practical and beneficial solutions.

Other ideas also received high recognition. The team Čefi proposed a system to improve social service delivery by connecting those in need with restaurants, cafes, and households generating food surpluses. This team received a special prize from the Cēsis Municipality—a gift card to the restaurant Pavāru Māja in Līgatne—awarded within the LIFE integrated project "Waste as Resources in Latvia - Promoting Regional Sustainability and Circularity by Implementing the Concept of Waste as Resources."

The team Apelsīni suggested enhancing the recycling of disposable e-cigarettes by transforming them into new, practical items. The audience’s favorite award went to the team Cenzētie for their app idea Ingridease, which would help users efficiently utilize products in their refrigerators before they spoil, significantly reducing food waste.

During the hackathon, participants also tackled a spontaneous task: finding a sustainable solution for used pizza boxes. The VTDT team Šokolādes piena spēks suggested turning used pizza boxes into fire starters infused with wax, thus avoiding the use of artificial firelighters.

The hackathon jury included Elīna Sprūde Nesenberga from AS CleanR Group, Sandija Svarupa from the Ministry of Climate and Energy, Andrejs Bušenko from the Cēsis Entrepreneurs Club, Zane Pīpkalēja from Cēsis Municipality, Kristiāna Bumbiere from Zero Waste Latvia, Inta Ādamsone from the Cēsis Municipality Environmental Department, Anna Liene Brokāne from the Cēsis Youth Council, and Valters Kinna from the NGO Zaļā Brīvība.

The project "Clean.Good. Youth Involvement in the Circular Economy" is implemented with the support of the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund, co-financing from CleanR Group and the European Commission Representation in Latvia.

The hackathon was supported by the European Commission-funded Erasmus+ program, the LIFE integrated project "Waste To Resources IP", the Cēsis Entrepreneurs Club, and the Draugiem Group Mentor Club.

The event was organized by the NGO Zaļā Brīvība in cooperation with the VTDT Erasmus+ project "Baltic Green Leadership" and the Cēsis Municipality.