Activity 4

The fourth activity in the Youth/Green ImPACT Project was the conference Youth with Rubí, for a more sustainable municipality, with the participation of boys and girls from years 3 and 4 of compulsory secondary at J. V. Foix, L'Estatut and Duc de Montblanc schools.

The politicians participating in this session were:

• Ana María Martínez Martínez, mayor
• Moisés Rodríguez Cantón, councilman for City Promotion
• Víctor García Correas, councilman for Children and Education
• Annabel Cuesta Fabre, councilwoman for Youth
• Andrés Medrano Muñoz, city councilman for Environment, Energy Transition and Animal Welfare in Rubí

Carlota Martí Niubó, head of Media for European Commission Representation in Barcelona, also participated.

Presentation

Rubí Mayor Ana María Martínez Martínez welcomed all the representatives who took part in the initiative, as well as the students who have been involved. As she claimed, this initiative is particularly hope-inspiring because it involves city youth, seeking to encourage citizens’ participation in the European Green Deal at a more local level.

The project has been underway since the beginning of the year, leading to the creation of different spaces for reflection and dialogue around the city and the definition of the role that the European Union plays in a greener and more sustainable Rubí. Experiences and best practices on energy and climate change were shared, publicising what is being done in the municipality in this field. An overview was also given of how these matters are being handled in different parts of Europe.

According to the mayor, Rubí cannot lag behind in the climate fight and young people and students are a fundamental piece in the transition strategy.

Speech by Carlota Martí Niubó

The institutional representative of the European Commission Office, Carlota Martí Niubó, focused on presenting the European Green Deal with a focus on what young people are demanding of the institutions and policies to take action against climate change and help the environment. She also set out the European Commission’s six priorities, placing the European Green Deal as one of the keys to the EU’s actions today.

The green transition is the European Commission’s main priority, which is doing an exercise to involve youth in this strategy for policies and measures to fight climate change.

Speech by Andrés Medrano Muñoz

Andrés Medrano Muñoz made special mention of the existing municipal policies on the ecological and environmental transition and how the Rubí City Council has put them into practice. He explained climate change and its impacts on the Earth and on citizens, and measures that could be executed to mitigate it through an ecological transition.

The councilman for Environment and Sustainability also presented Rubí’s Ecological Transition Plan, explaining its six core areas.

Structured dialogue between youth and politicians

Students from different Rubí schools had the chance to take part in a structured dialogue, posing several questions to political and institutional representatives related to the environment, the European Green Deal and the climate future in Rubí. They asked these questions:

• How can companies and shops be helped so that they pollute less?
• For less pollution, electric cars are great, but the batteries of electric cars are also polluting. What will the European Union do to prevent this problem with batteries?
• What can be done for families that want to install solar panels and can’t pay for them
• Can the hours of sunlight be better employed so that schools and institutes operate during these hours, so they don’t consume as much heating and electricity?
• How much have we polluted in the last 10 years? Are we lowering our pollution levels or are we still polluting too much?
• What are they thinking of doing with the nuclear power stations that are still here today? Will they close? How will they be replaced?
• Why is the European Green Deal necessary?
• How do you think the project can be effective, bearing in mind the difference in the economic resources that each municipality can receive?
• Many of us live in housing complexes that are on the outskirts. Are there plans for a bike lane that connects to the city centre?
• Why don’t you implement the use of electric public transport (buses) and the installation of electric charging points with universal plugs for private vehicles to which all citizens have access?
• Are there forecasts in the short term to create more bike and scooter lanes?
• What is the most used reusable energy? How much do solar panels cost?
• Is it recommended to use electricity at specific times? Do you save more in some time ranges than others?
• What is the European Green Deal?
• Which European country recycles the most?

Closing

The mayor closed this day of structured dialogue by reflecting on the tasks and duties that citizens still need to carry out for a green and ecological transition. According to her, the involvement of the municipality’s young people in these activities is a reflection of their concern and worry about the current climate crisis. The session also filled people in on what the municipality is doing to handle this delicate time to achieve complete energy efficiency.

Martínez thanked the students from the different schools and the institutional representatives for participating in this day, stressing the importance of raising awareness, as this will determine the city’s future.

Watch the complete video of the session: