Which cities in Romania are targeted by the We Love Solutions 2024 Campaign?

The #WeLoveSolutions campaign, 2024 edition, will take place simultaneously in 7 cities across Europe from October 1-31, 2024, as part of the WWF – LIFE ASAP project (Accelerated Sub-national Climate Action and Participation through the One Planet City Challenge). This is a 4-year project conducted in cities from Romania, Sweden, Portugal, and Hungary, with the primary goal of encouraging actions to combat climate change and helping cities become more resilient and healthier. In Romania, the campaign initially targets two cities, Brașov and Bistrița, with other cities expected to join in future phases of the project.

The #WeLoveSolutions campaign is a public mobilization initiative for the cities participating in the first round of the project, and it will run on the social media channels of the involved municipalities, Brașov and Bistrița.

Each city will have a dedicated page on the We Love Cities website, which will be launched on October 1st. The campaign starts with 5 ideas proposed by young people, collected during workshops held in schools in the two cities as part of the Green Week program, and online through an ambassador program initiated by WWF-Romania.

Citizens are encouraged to rank the 5 ideas proposed by young people from 1 to 5 based on their preference, and also to suggest new solutions through an online form—solutions for greener cities. Votes from the section of youth-proposed solutions and new ideas submitted via the online form will be tallied, along with materials shared on the Facebook pages of the city halls, as well as other social networks like Instagram and TikTok, using the hashtags #WeLoveBistrița (for Bistrița), #WeLoveBrașov (for Brașov), and #WeLoveSolutions.

The city with the most votes will be declared the winner and will be recognized for its success in raising awareness and engaging the public in local climate actions. Moreover, the proposed solutions will be presented to the municipalities to support new projects for greener cities.

The LIFE ASAP project 

The project aims to accelerate climate action in European cities, through a collaboration between WWF and cities in Sweden, Romania, Portugal and Hungary. WWF is adapting the One Planet City Challenge (OPPC) platform to work with various reporting platforms, assessing participating cities’ climate action plans against EU climate policies and legislation. Cities will benefit from tailored assessments and support in mobilizing citizens and key interest groups around their climate plans.

In the pilot phase, WWF is working in Sweden, Portugal, Romania and Hungary with a small group of cities, supporting them in reporting climate action data and adapting the OPCC assessment framework to the local context. WWF will also work with local communities, particularly young people, to engage them in cities’ efforts to become more sustainable. Participating cities will take part in a special edition of WWF’s public engagement campaign on social media.

More than 50% of the global population lives in cities, which are responsible for more than 70% of the carbon footprint. However, cities represent a tremendous opportunity to create more livable communities, contributing to a healthier environment. By improving transportation, building green buildings, harnessing nature, reducing waste and increasing engagement, cities can pave the way for an environmentally friendly future.

Since its launch in 2013, WWF’s campaign has reached over 200 million people globally. More than 150 cities participated, with more than 10 million interactions from citizens and more than 100,000 suggestions for improvement sent to local authorities.