Multilevel Sustainability as a Prerequisite for Health and Wellbeing – SUSTAINWELL

In mid-November, Dr. Jelena Seferović visited Osijek, where she continued conducting interviews with women diagnosed with cancer. This time, she spoke with patients who travel to the Osijek hospital from Đakovo and Slavonski Brod. As was the case with women from the Pakrac area, it again became clear that inadequate transport connections to the Osijek University Hospital pose a major difficulty. The women are aware that a free taxi service has been organised for oncology patients living in the city of Osijek, in cooperation with Osječki Taxi, while they, although travelling much longer distances, are not entitled to this service.

In addition to theoretical analysis on the topic of cleanliness, we are conducting field research in various urban places as part of our project. In November 2025, Koprivnica was selected as a continental city with fewer inhabitants and a different way of life than Zagreb, highlighting the more relaxed daily schedule of the twenty informants whom we interviewed. After analyzing and publishing the data, the research would reveal the similarities and differences between the smaller and larger cities by the comparison with the data already collected through the European project EDIAQI for Zagreb. It would also answer to the questions on how individuals and families relate to the cleanliness of their own bodies and the cleanliness of the spaces where they spend their usual day, including business premises, as well as how indoor air quality affects their health.

When talking about a sustainable future, various possibilities are mentioned related to the field of cultural heritage, from preserving historical buildings to singing traditional songs. However, we rarely talk about emotions that are actually the force behind numerous traditions, because they connect us to our ancestors, grandparents, mothers and fathers, and other members of our family and the wider local community in which we live. Emotions help us understand our own, but also appreciate the values of other people’s traditions. The knowledge and skills that different communities have acquired about the natural environment in which they live for generations can be our guidelines for dealing with climate change, which brings storms, droughts, floods, and more. In addition, practicing various customs, as practice shows, provides individuals with security in their own social environment, which can reduce some of the modern mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and more. Mirela Hrovatin, PhD, spoke about such an approach to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage as part of the SUSTAINWELL project on July 19, 2025 at the panel discussion Intangible Culture and Identity: Croatian and Macedonian Elements on UNESCO’s Lists at the Cultural Information Center of the Republic of North Macedonia in Zagreb as part of the 59th International Folklore Festival Zagreb.

The participants of the panel discussion were experts in the field of protection and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Croatia and Macedonia: Mimi Gjorgoska Ilievska, MSc (Cultural Information Center of the Republic of North Macedonia), Vesela Čestoeva (Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia), Ivona Opetčeska Tatarčevska (Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia) and Tvrtko Zebec, PhD (Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies, Artistic Director of the Zagreb International Folklore Festival). They all emphasized the importance of different traditions and the need for future cooperation in the field of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding. As part of the panel discussion, we had the opportunity to hear a highly endangered way of singing, Glasoechko two-part singing, performed by family members and the singing group Trio Gavrovski from Tetovo. This singing is inscribed on the UNESCO Urgent Safeguarding List, and the singers explained at the panel discussion how important their tradition is to them, as well as the problems they face in safeguarding it.

During field research conducted in early April in the town of Pakrac, Dr. Jelena Seferović found that cancer patients in smaller communities are often insufficiently informed about the next steps in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Pakrac and its surrounding settlements are predominantly inhabited by elderly people who struggle with e-referrals and electronic communication, such as email. Patients mostly attempt to contact hospital staff and doctors by phone, but these calls often go unanswered.
An increasing number of older individuals live alone, as their children have moved to urban centers or abroad. At the Pakrac County General Hospital and Hospital for Croatian Veterans, a doctor typically conducts the initial examination and, if the results suggest cancer, patients are usually referred to Zagreb. Some are also treated in Požega, where an oncologist commutes from Slavonski Brod. New cancer cases are reported almost daily. Among women, breast cancer is the most common, while among men, colorectal cancer prevails.
Although appointment scheduling remains a challenge, waiting lists have somewhat shortened. The shortage of healthcare professionals is evident, and most cancer patients in this region cannot afford private medical care. Transportation and accommodation present further complications, as patients depend on others and must often pay for overnight stays due to early appointments.
Oncology patients are entitled to medical transport, but the journey is demanding—many must return to Pakrac immediately after chemotherapy. The town has poor transport connections with larger cities, and bus services are infrequent or nonexistent.
All of these findings—gathered through conversations with Đurđica Stokić, M.Sc. in Nursing, assistant to the hospital director for nursing and head nurse at the Pakrac County General Hospital and Hospital for Croatian Veterans—largely align with the experiences of women with various types of cancer from smaller Croatian towns whom Seferović previously interviewed.

Opća županijska bolnica Pakrac i bolnica hrvatskih veterana

As part of Work Package 6: Energy Sustainability and Independence as a Prerequisite for Societal Well-being, Dr. Olga Orlić and Dr. Duga Mavrinac conducted field research on the islands of Cres, Krk, and Veli Lošinj. The research included an analysis of development strategies and projects in the fields of energy and green transition, as well as in-depth interviews with members of the Apsyrtides cooperative, Eko Kvarner, the Pokret otoka, and stakeholders and individuals who have installed solar energy systems in their households, advocating for energy independence and the use of renewable energy sources.

Dr. Morana Jarec participated in the kick-off meeting of the COST Action CONNECTING CRITICAL PEDAGOGIES, INCLUSIVE ART FORMS AND ALTERNATIVE BAROMETERS FOR URBAN SUSTAINABILITY on October 18, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium, as a member of the Management Committee. COST Action CIRCUL’ARTs aims to develop a common framework for collecting data on sustainability and circularity, systematizing and sharing results, producing recommendations and developing a strategic plan for implementing change. Research conducted on the SUSTAINWELL research project will be used in participation in this COST action for internationalization and dissemination of results, knowledge transfer, networking, raising academic and public awareness related to sustainability, circularity, critical and creative pedagogies. This COST action brings together educators and researchers from the fields of social sciences and humanities, as well as artists and engineers of various profiles.

Dr. Jelena Seferović, as part of the project DEAGENCY (ERC Advanced Grant), a conference held from August 30 to September 1, 2024, at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, presented a topic entitled “Navigating two worlds: Is it possible to stay connected with those we’ve lost?” During this occasion, she also presented the results of research conducted within the SUSTAINWEEL project. While exploring the everyday lives of oncology patients, Dr. Seferović came into contact with a population whose family members had passed away from the consequences of cancer. In conversations with them, she discovered that some interpreted certain signs from nature and sounds as a way in which the deceased were reaching out to them. Their interpretations provided insights into alternative ways of establishing connections with the deceased, as well as the desire to preserve that connection even after physical death.

Official confrence photos, Simona Kuntarič Zupanc

In July 2024, Morana Jarec visited the Association for Development of ‘do-it-yourself’ Culture Radiona.org – Zagreb Makerspace, as part of the SUSTAINWELL project, Work Package 3 Anthropological study of creative solutions for a sustainable future which studies the DIY (do-it-yourself) movement. For research purposes, she learned about the activities of Radiona in a pleasant conversation. To name a few, Radiona is a citizen lab consisting of makerspace/hackerspace, Repair Café, and is dealing with DIY (do-it-yourself), DIWO (do-it-with-others) and DITO (do-it-together) cultures, interdisciplinary and intergenerational non-formal education and hybrid activities. It focuses its activities on education, innovation, research processes, art production, curatorial practices, residencies, international and domestic inter-sector collaborations, self-sustainable systems, repair community activities, citizen science, and social awareness-related activities.

Dr. Olga Orlić, senior research associate, held a lecture entitled “Otvoreno o otvorenom pristupu kvalitativnim podacima” on March 20, 2024, in the Institute for Ethnology and Folklore Research in Zagreb. This topic is highly important for research in cultural anthropology. Even though this lecture is one of the results of the project Solidarity Economy in Croatia: Anthropological Perspective – SOLIDARan (Croatian Science Foundation) it is relevant to Work package 0 of the SUSTAINWELL project.

(more information about the lecturer and the lecture can be found by clicking on the text)