ECOTECA association and GRF+ launch “Reporting: Climate”, the academy of environmental journalism

The GRF+ agency and the ECOTECA association have launched the “Reporting: Climate” Environmental Journalism Academy, a program that aims to support journalists with information and technical resources to deepen environmental and sustainability topics.

The Academy is developed by ECOTECA, an association specialized in proper waste management and sustainability, together with GRF+, a consulting and co-design agency with and for brands active in society and supported by BCR as a founding partner.

“Environmental journalism needs professionals to convey to the public the constant changes we’re going through, so it’s important to give them the information as explicitly as possible. Public interest in environmental and sustainability topics is constantly growing, and journalists need to be constantly informed of the changes taking place at the technical, legal, and other levels. Reporting: Climate offers a resource to Romanian journalists to help them understand these implications, to subsequently address environmental issues in a more applied and impactful way,” said Raul Pop, Director of Programs, ECOTECA Association.

A study by Cult Market Research and GRF+ in 2022 shows that:

• 77% of Romanians believe that there should be more education on environmental topics

• 53% say they could become more environmentally responsible if they were better informed about climate change and its long-term effects

Reporting: Climate aims to support the creation of a community of journalists trained to professionally treat topics related to the environment, climate, and sustainability, to support the development of environmental journalism in Romania and better informing the public about these topics.

The Reporting: Climate program is supported by BCR as a founding partner, along with Coca-Cola HBC Romania, Egger and Vodafone as partners of the first edition. The “Circular Economy and Waste Management” module is supported by Stratos Management, and the “Air and Water Quality” module by Mercedes-Benz Romania.

The first edition of the Reporting: Climate program comprises five thematic one-day modules, supported by environmental specialists with relevant experience in the field, during which journalists can gain experience more about sustainability, the environment and climate change. The program started on April 20 with the module “Circular Economy and Management of Material Resources”. The following topics covered in the program will be:

• Air and water quality – 11 May 2023

• Forests and biodiversity – June 15, 2023

• Sustainability and climate change – September 14, 2023

• Energy efficiency and renewable resources – 12 October 2023

Participation in the Reporting: Climate program is free for journalists, subject to availability. Registration can be done by filling out the form at ecoteca.ro/reporting-climate-formular-de-inscriere

The first module in the program, on the topic of “Circular economy and management of material resources”, took place on April 20 under the guidance of trainers Raul Pop, Program Director of the ECOTECA Association, and Alexandru Laibăr, Executive Director of the Coalition for the Circular Economy – CERC. In the training sessions of module one, participants learned more about how they can document and write about managing material resources and extending the life cycle of products by reusing, repairing, and recycling already existing resources.