Through employee training, Valmiera Municipality Government raises awareness on environmental management aspects

04 December 2025

Valmiera Municipality Government continues to purposefully strengthen the integration of environmental management issues into its daily work by organizing training and thematic discussions for employees on sustainable resource use, responsible management, and specific goals to be achieved.

At the end of October and in November, Valmiera Municipality Government employees attended a total of four training sessions at the URDA Nature and Technology Park to expand their knowledge of waste and waste management issues and discuss the development of environmental management in the municipality. The aim of the training was to assess the current situation in environmental management in the municipality and to set goals for the future, focusing also on the consumption of various plastic products in everyday life and at work. One of the meetings was specifically dedicated to the organization of environmentally friendly events.

In the introductory part of the training, participants took part in training organized by the URDA Nature and Technology Park on waste sorting and an interactive lecture on the circular economy and the integration of its principles. Afterwards, the participants worked in groups to discuss and conclude what environmentally friendly actions they already implement in their daily lives and what would be needed to promote environmentally friendly behaviour more widely among their colleagues.

Guidelines have been developed for Valmiera Municipality Government employees on plastic waste prevention and reduction in the municipality’s offices, as well as guidelines for plastic waste prevention and reduction in events. The guidelines were developed within the Interreg Baltic Sea Region project “BALTIPLAST” in order to motivate and support employee initiatives on plastic reduction in their work. For the most part, employees recognized that they had already been integrating environmentally friendly practices into their daily work for a long time in order to reduce their impact on the environment and save resources.

Colleagues suggested that the guidelines for plastic waste prevention and reduction in events should be added to each contract that the municipality has with a private event organiser to make sure that not only municipality-organised events are organised more eco-friendly, but also events organised in the Valmiera region by the private sector.

It is essential for the municipality to continue to improve environmental management processes in various areas in order to reduce its impact on the climate and the environment, use resources more efficiently, and strengthen compliance with the principles of sustainable development at all levels of decision-making.

Information prepared by:

Elizabete Brūvere

Valmiera Municipality Government