From a Local Science Festival to Shaping European Policy: My Journey with EcoMont and Project Earth
It is hard to believe how fast reality can shift when you combine code, passion, and the right launchpad. Less than a year ago, EcoMont was just an idea. Today, it is on the verge of becoming a framework for European environmental policy.
My journey began in September last year at the national Festival of Science and Innovation in Montenegro. That was the moment I conceptualized EcoMont—a platform built on the belief that youth-led digital architecture can solve real-world environmental challenges. During the festival, a visiting physicist from CERN saw my drive and the architecture of what I was building. He looked at me and said, “You need to register this for Project Earth.”
That recommendation led to my very first conversation with Becky, and it changed everything. With the crucial backing of the Ministry of Education in Montenegro, the project quickly gained immense momentum. From a plethora of projects worldwide, EcoMont was selected among the top projects, earning a ticket to the Royal Institution in London for “Pitch for the Planet 2026”.
Standing on that historic stage at just 16 years old, presenting EcoMont’s architecture—a fusion of gamification, civic-tech and youth-led sustainability—to a panel of world-class scientists and investors was surreal. The validation from organizations like Innovation Zero proved one thing: the world doesn’t care about your age; it cares about scalable solutions that actually work.
But the momentum didn’t stop in London.
Immediately after returning, the ripple effects of that pitch reached the highest institutional levels. I reconnected with Caroline Martin, the Secretary of the Council of Europe Landscape Convention. Blown away by EcoMont’s approach to public-space governance, she officially invited me to submit a concrete written contribution to shape the Council of Europe’s official activity programme for 2027. This December, in Strasbourg, my strategy will be circulated at the Conference of the Parties to help member states engage youth through civic-tech.
Next week, on July 7th, I am connecting to Geneva for the United Nations WSIS session with the ITU, which will lead into our official school pilot rollout this September in Montenegro, and eventually to Mumbai this November.
Less than a year ago, I was introducing this concept at a local festival. Today, I am leading a global vision. Technology is the ultimate equalizer. If you have the code, the strategy, and a platform like Project Earth backing you up, a teenager from a small Balkan nation can lead the game with the UN and the Council of Europe. We are no longer just launching a project; we are building the future standard of environmental governance.
Andrija Đurović