What is Green Evolution Lab (GEL)?
Green Evolution Lab (GEL) is an international initiative that aims to support entrepreneurs, SME representatives and consumers in Romania, Italy and Czech Republic to better understand European sustainability policies and the future European Green Deal.
Through skills development events, cross-border exchanges and digital initiatives, the project encourages dialogue about the impact of green policies on the business environment and everyday life.
GEL provides practical tools for entrepreneurs, employees, and consumers so that they can actively engage in the green transition — in a fair, inclusive, and sustainable way.
Green Evolution Lab objectives
Increasing the level of knowledge regarding the Green Deal and sustainability legislation (through personalized training sessions, practical guides and applied resources, educational events and specialized workshops);
Integrating ESG principles into business models (through applied training and green skills, access to information about green financing, tools for integrating sustainability into the company's strategy);
Involving key actors in the green transition process (through awareness campaigns, public policy dialogues, exploring local perceptions and sustainable behaviors, creating a space for collaboration between the public and private sectors).
Who is it for?
Contractors & SMEs
- You clearly understand what the Green Deal brings to your business
- Discover green financing sources available for SMEs — grants, EU funds and more
- You receive practical tools to integrate sustainability into your daily work
Employee's
- Develop green skills (green skills) valuable in any field
- Learn how to apply ESG principles in your daily work
- Become an active voice in your organization's sustainable transition
Consumers
- Understand the impact of your consumption choices and how you can easily adjust them
- Discover the principles of the circular economy applied in everyday life
- Participate in civic dialogue about the future of green policies
What activities do we specifically do?
- Green Deal & what it means specifically for your business
- ESG & applied legislation
- Sustainability in the workplace
- Green financing — grants, EU funds, green credits
- Green skills & green jobs — how to position yourself on the job market
Events calendar
October 28, 09:30 - 14:00, Workshop "Sustainability can be a competitive advantage", in Bucharest
On October 28, we invite you to Impact Hub Bucharest (Str. Tudor Arghezi, no. 8-10, sector 2, Bucharest), to take part in the workshop “Sustainability can be a competitive advantage”, a practical workshop dedicated to entrepreneurs and SME managers, where you will discover how to transform sustainability concepts into concrete tools, immediately applicable in your business.
Facilitator: Adelina Dabu, Expert Business publicly and Sustainability
Who is it for:
Entrepreneurs, managers and SME representatives from Bucharest who want to transform sustainability from an obligation into a business opportunity. The workshop is open to both participants from previous Green Evolution Lab editions and those joining for the first time.
What will you take with you from the workshop:
– How sustainable practices can reduce operational costs and increase efficiency
– Real examples of companies that have turned sustainability into a competitive advantage
– How to communicate sustainable initiatives to customers credibly and relevantly
– Strategic tools that you can quickly adapt, regardless of the field or size of your business
Format:
- a brief introduction to scaling social innovations in the context of the Climate Mission and some relevant information from the toolkit developed within the project;
- two online interventions with guests from the BSO/SISO cohort, namely organizations that participated in the SI Mission Bootcamp and who will present concrete examples of scaled initiatives; Business Support Organizations from Spain, Italy or Denmark.
June 23, 09:30 - 13:30, Workshop "European Green Deal & Business Integration", in Bucharest
On June 23, we invite you to Impact Hub Bucharest (Str. Tudor Arghezi, no. 8-10, sector 2, Bucharest), to take part in the workshop "European Green Deal & Business Integration", a practical session dedicated to entrepreneurs and SME representatives who want to understand the impact of the European Green Deal on business and identify concrete opportunities to integrate sustainability into their strategy and operations.
Facilitator: Adelina Dabu, Expert Business publicly and Sustainability
Who is it for:
The workshop is open to both participants from previous Green Evolution Lab editions and those joining for the first time.
What will you take with you from the workshop:
- A clear understanding of the relationship between the European Green Deal, ESG, CSRD and the VSME standard for SMEs
- Tools for identifying and prioritizing sustainability opportunities relevant to your business
- A practical perspective on Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions and their impact on the value chain
Format:
June 18, 11:00 - 14:30, Free online conference (zoom)
Green Evolution Lab brings together entrepreneurs, SME representatives, green startups and sustainability experts from Romania, Italy and the Czech Republic for a half-day online conference, built around a central question:
How do we connect European sustainability policies with the real challenges of small companies?
The event includes three interactive panels in which:
- entrepreneurs discuss internal sustainability challenges
- Startup founders share real experiences from the green transition
- experts translate concepts like Green Deal, CSRD and Omnibus package into practical language
The format includes live polls and Q&A sessions and is based on insights from focus groups conducted in the 3 partner countries.
- entrepreneurs and SME owners
- managers and employees involved in the green transition
- founders of green or social startups
- sustainability consultants and experts
- business and civil society support organizations
- decision-makers and representatives of public authorities
Event agenda
Welcome to the event, introduction to the Green Evolution Lab and the CERV program, followed by the presentation of the main conclusions from the national focus groups in Romania, Italy and the Czech Republic, highlighting common themes, challenges and learning needs for SMEs.
- Moderator: Adriana Șerban – Program Manager, Impact Hub Bucharest
- speakers:
- Romania: Daniela Chifan — Consultant, CSR Media
- Italy: Timothy Donato — Project Manager, Microlab
- Czech Republic: Markéta Danišová — Junior Project Manager, Impact Hub Praha
Moderator: Adriana Șerban – Program Manager, Impact Hub Bucharest
speakers:
Romania: Claudiu Butacu — Co-Founder, EIS by EFdeN
Italy: Roberto Nada — Entrepreneur & Sailing Instructor
Czech Republic: Sonnentor Representative — TBC
Session about the journey of founders of sustainable startups and the barriers encountered: green financing, market access, authentic communication and collaboration with SMEs.
Moderator: Adriana Șerban – Program Manager, Impact Hub Bucharest
speakers:
Romania: TB
Italy: Edoardo Ramondo — Managing Director, Impact Hub Turin
Czech Republic: David Šohaj Minařík — CEO, Myco
Experts from different national contexts explain the main European regulations and how they can be translated into practical terms for SMEs.
Moderator: Adriana Șerban – Program Manager, Impact Hub Bucharest
speakers:
Romania: Gabriela Fistis — Sustainability Advisor, Founder & Managing Director, Bluesid Consulting
Italy: Mario Madafferi — Senior Consultant & Auditor, Progesia SRL Società Benefit
Czech Republic: Markéta Svobodová — EEN Czechia
April 29, 09:30 - 13:30, Focus Group
Pe 29 April, we invite you to Impact Hub Bucharest for the second event within the Green Evolution Lab - a focus group dedicated to entrepreneurs and professionals from SMEs who want to better understand the impact of new sustainability policies on their business.
Facilitator: Tudor Juravlea, Facilitator for innovation processes and expert in collaborative design.
In an informal and interactive setting, we will discuss the real challenges that entrepreneurs face in the context of European Green Deal, about what information and resources are currently missing and how small and medium-sized companies can prepare for the transition to more sustainable practices.
Participating in this session gives you the opportunity to:
- contribute to shaping future activities in the program Green Evolution Lab
- share experiences and perspectives from your own business
- engage in dialogue with other entrepreneurs and professionals interested in sustainability
Places are limited to maintain the interactive format of the discussion.
Reserve your seat and join the conversation about the sustainable future of business.
The registration form is available in English, but the discussion will take place in Romanian.
Speakers & Experts
Emma Manolache
Public Affairs Lead for Romania, Bulgaria and Republic of Moldova @ Bayer
Oana Craioveanu
Co-founder & CEO @ Impact Hub Bucharest
Mircea Farcau
Lawyer @ Deloitte Romania
Ilinca Paun
Founder @ Bravva Angels & Bravva Female Founders
Marius Pasca
Co-Founder & CEO @ AgroCity
Gabriela Ciripiala
Executive Director @ Ameropa Foundation Romania
Alexandru Cristinoi
Founder @ favr. snacks
Paul Eduard Kmen
Deputy Director General @ Payments and Intervention Agency for Agriculture
Erik Maidik
Co-founder @ CO2 Angels
Alina Donici
Co-founder @ Artesana
Tania Nicoara
Co-founder @ Unison
Marius Ogrezeanu
Founder @ Agribusinessjob & Terra Pitoresca
Ioana Ivanov
FoodEducators Program Manager @ Brașov Metropolitan Agency
Julia Suciu
Founder @ ZEN· VITA Kombucha
Alina Donici
Co-founder @ Artesana
See how it was at the event!
Launch of Romanian Agrifood Startups – Overview Report 2023
Also during the event, we launched Romanian Agrifood Startups – Overview Report 2023, a complex report, made by Impact Hub Bucharest and Activate in partnership with EIT Food and Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, which includes the mapping of Romanian agrifood startups involved in industry innovation and the most important trends shaping the future of modern agriculture.
It is located at third editionie and represents a useful tool for the representatives of the agrifood ecosystem, intended to facilitate collaboration between them and the development of projects that benefit from local expertise.
Organizers
Impact Hub Bucharest
Impact Hub Bucharest is the dynamic space where professionals and entrepreneurs work to develop business projects and initiatives. Since 2012, Impact Hub Bucharest has been the first coworking space in Romania, with a community of over 3.000 members in Bucharest, and globally the organization is present in over 100 locations in over 50 countries. Impact Hub Bucharest’s mission is to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem by offering startup acceleration programs and direct financing, as well as the largest online entrepreneurial education platform – Startarium.
CSRMedia.ro
CSRMedia.ro is the first platform in Romania dedicated to corporate social responsibility and sustainability. With over 15 years of experience, it has involved more than 4.500 companies, NGOs and public institutions at the national level and has organized over 30 events with national impact, including the Romanian ESG Summit, CSR Summit and the Romanian CSR Awards Gala.
CSRMedia.ro also develops studies and offers training programs for sustainability professionals through the ESG Experts program run on ESGHub.ro.
Microlab
Microlab is a voluntary association based in Turin, Italy, dedicated to promoting social inclusion through mentoring and education. Since 2003, Microlab has been supporting budding entrepreneurs, small business owners and people entering the job market by providing personalized mentoring and practical training programs.
Volunteer mentors share their knowledge and professional experience to help participants develop their skills, achieve their goals, and manage the challenges of growing a business or managing personal finances.
Microlab's mission is to support people through education and guidance, contributing to personal and professional development and strengthening the entrepreneurial and social ecosystem in Italy.
Impact Hub Prague
Hub for Change is the non-profit organization behind Impact Hub Prague, a community and innovation ecosystem where entrepreneurs, startups and #impactmakers collaborate to turn bold ideas into real change. For over 15 years, it has been developing spaces in Prague, Brno and Ostrava, dedicated to those who want to actively contribute to a better world.
The organization is driven by the belief that business can and should serve people and the planet — a principle that permeates all of its initiatives. From incubation and acceleration programs that have helped launch projects like Czechitas and Rekola, to ESG innovation partnerships with companies like E.ON and Kofola, Hub for Change operates at the intersection of entrepreneurship and impact.
