Green FDU – the future of education in Serbia

Belgrade, April 22, 2024  - The Faculty of Dramatic Arts marked Earth Day with an event dedicated to the green transformation of education, which launched the "Green FDU" project. This project aims to improve the faculty's environmentally sustainable practices and procedures, as well as to introduce a new management philosophy oriented towards sustainable development.

The central part of the event was the panel discussion "Green Transformation in Education" organized to familiarize the public with this initiative. Rector of the University of Arts, prof. Mirjana Nikolić, rector of Belgrade University prof. Vladan Đokić, dean of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, prof. Miloš Pavlović, associate professor of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Željko Đurišić, and Radovan Nikčević, manager of the "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia" project, agreed that the topic of green transition is inseparable from the modern business practice of educational institutions.

"Green FDU is a project of greening our school, the so-called green transformation, which aims to move to more ecologically sustainable work procedures and infrastructural adaptation in this direction. On the roof of the faculty building, we will install solar panels which would make us prosumers, which means we will mostly consume electricity we produce, from a green source. In addition to this, we are entering into a long-term strategic process of adapting our own way of working and organizational culture towards the eco-turn", said the dean of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts Miloš Pavlović.

Radovan Nikčević, manager of the "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia" stated that the green transformation of education is part of the overall transformation of the economy and society that we strive for. "The education sector is extremely important for this process because it provides knowledge and skills that enable greening of other sectors and has the power to contribute to raising awareness of the importance of climate action in society", said Nikčević.

The "Green FDU" project will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions thanks to the installation of a photovoltaic power plant on the roof of the faculty and the opening of a green charging station for powering the batteries of portable audio and video equipment and mobile studios. In order to raise awareness of the academic and wider community about the importance of responding to climate change and promoting environmental justice, a series of workshops and promotional activities are planned. All departments of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts participated in the design of this important pilot project, which positioned FDU as a leader of the green transition in higher education and innovating academic practices, indicating concrete steps towards building a more certain future.

This project is a part of a wider initiative "EU for Green Agenda in Serbia", which, with the technical and financial support of the European Union and in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, is implemented by UNDP in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden and the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional funding from the Governments of Sweden, Switzerland and Serbia.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the City of Belgrade and the City Municipality of Novi Belgrade, participate in the implementation of the project.