Over the past two decades, Vedran has actively worked towards fostering conducive social and political conditions for the emergence of the green political movement in Croatia and the wider Balkans region. His multifaceted approach includes playing diverse roles: facilitating grant-making and providing direct support, engaging in activism, fostering community building, and establishing networks with green political institutions and movements across Europe. Through his dedicated efforts, encompassing coordination, facilitation, research, and publishing work, Vedran has significantly contributed to shaping the landscape.
Furthermore, he is the founder of the Green Academy, a bi-annual advanced program in political ecology education since 2010. Notably, he served as one of the key co-organizers for the 9th International Degrowth Conference in Zagreb (2023).
Areas of expertise:
Social movements, postgrowth/degrowth, political ecology, non-exctractive economy, just transition, climate justice, commons, municipalism, human rights, public services
Media experience:
Worked as a journalist in daily political newspaper Vjesnik and its weekly editions (1998-2004), contributed to www.transitionsonline.cz, Christian Science Monitor, San Francisco Chronicle, Večernji list, Poslovni dnevnik etc.
Honours/Awards:
Marshall Memorial Fellowship 2010, Hertie Scholarship 2013, University of Hamburg Fellowship -Future(s) of Sustainability (2023)
Website
www.ipe.hr
Publications:
Here. At Last – Pathways of Green Politics in the Balkans, 2024, Heinrich Böll Stiftung (forthcoming), author
Postgrowth Future(s): new voices, novel visions, 2024, Institute for Political Ecology (forthcoming) editor
Sketches of a new city, https://gef.eu/publication/sketches-of-a-new-city/, Institute for Political Ecology, 2023. editor
Commons in South East Europe: Case of Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Macedonia. Institute for Political Ecology, Zagreb, 2016. (author), https://ipe.hr/en/publications/commons-in-south-east-europe-case-of-croatia-bosnia-herzegovina-and-macedonia/