ARNO Announces Winners of the 10th “Green Ideas” Competition

ARNO has announced the winners of the 10th edition of the “Green Ideas” competition, who will continue to compete at the regional level in September in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the green ideas category, the jury selected the projects “Urban Farm in a Container for Microgreens Production with an Aeroponic Growing System” by Snežana Jaćkovska – Intelligent Indoor Farm DOOEL Skopje, and “BIOHIDE – One SCOBY at a Time” by Angelina Serafimovska from LeatherandHide, while the embryonic winner was “Mobi Stove, a Mobile Stove for Outdoor Cooking” by Trajče Rušev. This year, the winning ideas were characterized by a strong environmental dimension focused on resource and environmental preservation, as well as a visible degree of innovation.

The jury evaluating the applications consisted of: Marija Gjosheva-Kovačević from the Agricultural Institute – Skopje, Besiana Mustafa from the Chamber of Commerce of North-West Macedonia, Robertina Brajanoska from the Macedonian Ecological Society (MED), Velimir Lav Ilić from FITR, Sanja Lazarevska from ASPIRE Accelerator, and Bojana Kiseloski from Macedonia2025.

For the national winners, partners again provided support: free registration on the Connect2MK platform and mentoring services from Macedonia2025, a two-year free membership in the Chamber of Commerce of North-West Macedonia, and software credits worth $5,000 from Aspire Accelerator, valid for two years. Additionally, all three national winners received promotional packages of eco-friendly cards produced by the Macedonian green business Vizart, a former competition winner.

“This year, we were a bit concerned about the content of the applications when we read them, but all those who presented today were excellent – the presentations had great aesthetics, flowed well, and included personal stories. The jury was pleasantly surprised. We will consider a new application format for next year, as the text-based form seems outdated. Thematically, in 2024 we noticed a strong green component and increased awareness. Certainly, all ideas also included a social dimension and a business model. As an organization, we want to emphasize social entrepreneurship, workforce integration, and support for the local community. So few people remain in the country, so all stories are already personal, and these need to be told more,” said Irina Janevska from ARNO.

“We are starting the production process by cultivating kombucha, which produces cellulose as a natural by-product. This cellulose is then processed into a material similar to leather, with the same luxurious texture and strength as traditional leather. Our bio-leather provides a sustainable solution to the ecological and ethical issues associated with traditional leather production, with a significantly lower carbon footprint and no water waste,” said Angelina Serafimovska from LeatherandHide.

“The increasing demand for food and the decrease in agricultural production due to a lack of arable land have led producers to use indoor agriculture. The decline in agricultural production is mainly due to reduced fertile land, unfavorable climatic conditions, and limitations in using natural resources. Growing microgreens and microherbs with an aeroponic system in a container is a new product on the Macedonian market,” said Snežana Jaćkovska from Intelligent Indoor Farm.

“The mobile stove Mobi Stove is designed for outdoor cooking. It uses waste biomass, which is found everywhere in nature, as fuel. It weighs only one kilogram and is collapsible, making it very simple and easy to transport. The design also allows for temperature regulation, with eight different levels from low to high,” explained Trajče Rušev.