--- title: "The five SPARKLE Schools hosted a Europe-wide learning event for European cities; scholarships to 66 local authorities across Europe" sdDatePublished: "2026-08-31T13:09:00Z" source: "https://energy-cities.eu/learn-from-the-sparkle-cities-stories/" topics: - name: "renewable energy" identifier: "medtop:20000257" - name: "environmental policy" identifier: "medtop:20000423" - name: "sustainability" identifier: "medtop:20001374" - name: "energy saving" identifier: "medtop:20000421" - name: "climate change" identifier: "medtop:20000418" - name: "local authority" identifier: "medtop:20000612" - name: "regional development policy" identifier: "medtop:20001174" - name: "public contract" identifier: "medtop:20001159" locations: - "Poreč" - "Vilnius" - "Calenzano" - "Guimarães" - "Albertville" --- The five SPARKLE Schools hosted a Europe-wide learning event for European cities; scholarships to 66 local authorities across Europe Learn from the SPARKLE cities' stories - Energy Cities The European learning community for future-proof cities Who we are A network of cities Our vision Governance What we do The Hubs Policy & Advocacy Projects How we do it Our team Holacracy Our Values Funding & Investments Learn from the SPARKLE cities’ stories Our SPARKLE cities share the results of some important projects they are carrying out to advance the energy and green transition Is there anything more powerful than learning together? The five SPARKLE Schools gathered almost 200 participants and granted scholarships to 66 local and regional authorities from all over Europe. Learning communities around topics such as community energy, local governance, circular economy, food systems and land use, and fossil-free neighbourhoods have been set up to keep exchanging on both challenges and best practices, and to work together – thus fulfilling the SPARKLE mission. As inspiration is never enough , in the videos below, our lead cities share the results of a few important projects they are carrying out to advance the energy and green transition in different sectors, and to become more resilient and competitive . Enjoy! Building stronger, resilient cities through energy communities: the Poreč model Gordana Lalić — CEO of Parentium Ltd., Poreč’s municipal company for the development of the Croatian city, energy efficiency, and environmental protection A green transition for all: empowering participatory governance in Guimarães Paulo Miguel Machado, Head of Energy Efficiency at the Guimarães municipality When circular economy meets local climate strategies: the Calenzano model Serena Barilaro, Head of the European Project Department of the Calezano municipality Decarbonising buildings and energy districts in Vilnius Lukas Bunkus, Project Coordinator at Atnaujinkime miestą Eat better, waste less, produce locally: developing sustainable food systems in Albertville Sandrine Deternay, Finance Director of the Albertville municipality. to keep track of the local energy transition Get our news on your favorite network 4 chemin du fort de Bregille 25000 Besancon, France Phone: +33 (0)3 81 65 36 80 Mundo Madou Avenue des Arts 7-8 1210 Brussels, Belgium Become a member of the network © 2026 All rights reserved Energy Cities Powered by WordPress and IDfr