„Our aim is to show that you can grow plants anywhere, on roofs, at home, in your courtyards etc. You do not need to grow grass or bamboo- you can grow plants for secondary processing,“ explained Magdaléna Prunerová, owner of MgC Group during the presentation of the Grow Garden project.

An integral part of the project is a cafe, which should present various construction technologies, energy self-sufficiency, and ways to achieve less dependence on traditional networks.

This project should be an inspiration, it is not about one owner. The project is replicable, a larger number of centers can be created around the world. „The mindset of majority of investors is that sustainable projects have to be profitable – and this is neither common, nor simple,“ Magdaléna Prunerová said.

„Last year, we participated in two accelerators - one was focused on the future of food, the other one was part of SDG Awards (Ceny SDGs). An interesting observation for us was that all the projects that qualified and were shortlisted for the next rounds of the competitions, saw their target groups abroad – supporting schools, sustainable food projects abroad etc. Very few of them focused on the Czech Republic and its citizens,“  Magdaléna Prunerová concluded.

Prague Congress Centre consists of three buildings and it is the second largest technical building in the Czech Republic. „During 2020, when Prague Congress Centre was closed due to anti-epidemic restrictions, the EPC project helped us save cost,“ said Jan Ferjenčík, Director of Sales at Prague Congress Centre.

Energy costs savings should reach CZK 21 million a year and water savings equal to the volume of three Olympic Games swimming pools. New technology managing the operations has played a significant role, for example in free heating by waste heat from the chimney or cooling by freezing air from the outside in the winter.

The reconstruction involved the reconstruction of meeting halls, lighting, but primarily the underground floors.

„This project is a completely different concept of how to manage your energy consumption. You transfer commitment to the partner. Our lesson learned is to work with professionals and solve the projects from the beginning as a complete unit,“ said Jan Ferjenčík.

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