While in Bosnia and Herzegovina, each year discusses the competencies, strategies and the consequences of pollution, two young people decided to act. No functions, without budget, but with ideas, knowledge and incredible persistence.
At the world’s environmental day, they do not call for a change – they are already created. From Sarajevo comes innovation – a hybrid turbine that uses wind and sun energy to power public lighting. From Prijedor resistance – an organized fight against mini union and illegal mining excavations that threaten the community health. Muhamed Hamamdzic and Milica Končar are not just the new generation voice – they are a concrete action where the system is scheduled.
Muhamed Hamamdzic, Detached Sarajevo High School, Today, the team of young innovators who develop hybrid turbines for electricity production. His idea: to take advantage of wind and traffic energy with roads for power supply of public lighting – clean, renewable, locally produced.
“There is no vertical wind turbine in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All we have are horizontal and most foreign production. We have decided to do something that does not exist, and in the world it is more sought,” explains Muhammad.
Their prototype combines vertical wind turbine and solar power panel 70W. The device functions as a self-sustaining system with a double energy source. More importantly – everything is connected to the mobile application that the team has developed independently.
“The application is available on Microsoft Store, and allows users to follow the condition of the device in real time – from battery voltage to filling efficiency,” says Muhammad.
The application is compatible with any renewable energy source, which opens the door to a wide application.
From the school bench to investor interest
Although in the development phase, the Tech Turbine project has already attracted the attention of the general public – and potential investors.
“I couldn’t believe that there was so much interest in Renewable sources in BiH. People are private, they want to buy a device. We still work in the final technical solution, but the response encourages,” said this young innovator.
Despite the support of individual professors, a large part of the way had to cross themselves – without significant institutional assistance.
“In our education, it is difficult to realize innovation. That is why many young people give up, and that disappears,” says Muhammad and adds not to plan: enrollment is the next step, but the goal is to start the manufacture and the spread of the team.
Resistance from Prijedor
While innovation is created in Sarajevo, the fight takes place in Prijedor. Milica Končar, activist and expert for the circular economy, over the years are opposed to attempts to install the waste incineration facilities in agricultural areas.
“We were not against development, but when the project is shown harmful to the community and nature – we react”, says Milica.
In cooperation with the local population, they managed to stop the construction of the incinerator in Bosanski Petrovac, Vlasenica and Loparam.
Now, through the initiative, “Prijedor is waking up, Milica leads to a fight against illegal mining excavations on localities such as noise hair.
“We have mines without permission, sulfur pollution, drinking water disappearance, traffic hazard and environmental devastation. People lost water, and the red liquid flows in the fields. And that happens today,” warns.
Local resistance that lasts
Citizens are, despite the inaction of the authorities, determined.
“There are hundreds of people on the protests – and in the rain and in the sun. We will not give up. We want to be a lot of ignorance,” says Milica, which despite education in Scotland to return its knowledge to the local community.
Next steps? Launching local initiatives for the circular economy, reuse of waste and connecting to rural knowledge that exists in BiH, but it is not systematically valorized.
“We don’t need development that poison us. We want projects that respect people and nature,” says.
Generation that does not wait for something to happen
Both, and Muhammad and Milica, share the same message: change will not come from the system if we do not start ourselves.
“We have young people who do what they are doing – and those who do not look after. But we all need to know that our habits make a difference,” says Muhammad, looking back on the recent appearance of leptospirosis in Sarajevo.
Their work is not a product of luxury than needs. Because while politics consumes the energy to transfer liability, these young people – without resources, but with the aim – create specific solutions for real problems, writes N1 BiH.
