Podcasts
In the Smart Rural 27 podcast series, we are talking to inspiring people engaged in the Smart Villages process at various (local, national and European) levels. The first set of episodes are focusing on the local level. We are talking to representatives of local rural communities who are telling about their journey to improve their communities and areas in a smart way, inspiring solutions & ideas they are currently working on in different themes (such as energy communities and digital services), as well as how they have managed to engage members of their community in these actions. In future episodes, we are planning to talk to policymakers and other stakeholders to find out more about how Smart Villages are supported in the Member States.
In the Smart Rural 27 podcast series, we are talking to inspiring people engaged in the Smart Villages process at various (local, national and European) levels. The first set of episodes are focusing on the local level. We are talking to representatives of local rural communities who are telling about their journey to improve their communities and areas in a smart way, inspiring solutions & ideas they are currently working on in different themes (such as energy communities and digital services), as well as how they have managed to engage members of their community in these actions.
Listen to the podcast conducted by Hans-Olof Stalgren with Mette Adolfsson (project manager) and Ulf Cronsjö (assistant manager/business developer) talking about how the village association was formed, how basic services were developed and brought back to the Häradsbäck and about their plans to build a pilot project and eventually construct a solar voltaic park for energy production and storage.
Häradsbäck is a small village not so far from the municipality center of Älmhult. It has a several decades-long history of strategic development. The aim is to be more attractive, and more resilient, offering better access to services, creating jobs, and fostering a spirit of togetherness. Through the village association, a joint limited company has been formed. The shareholders are 10 different associations (sports, farmers, culture etc). Many projects have been implemented, owned, and managed by the company. Today there exists a grocery store, a café, a library, and housing for the elderly, all run by the village company. There is also an “all-service company”, an activity park, and an activity hall with a bar, boule, billiard, shuffleboard etc.
