About us

Association "Tatavaka" consists of a group of activists and volunteers committed to promoting a culture of sustainable living, the transition of our society to a circular economy and the protection of the living world. "Tatavaka" was founded in 2010 by a group of young people from Zlarin with the aim of improving life on the island and in 2019 it became a home to the “Plastic free Zlarin” initiative and the programs that we have been developing since.

On Zlarin, in partnership with the Zlarin Tourist Board, its community and local organizations, we are implementing a program for transitioning towards a small sustainable island. The decision to become Croatia’s first island free of single-use plastic was just the beginning. It led us to the work of preserving biodiversity through taking care of the island's traditional water reserve and drystone walls, management of water resources, designing content to reconnect people with nature, such as the first climbing area on the offshore side of Zlarin and sharing our practices with other interested communities.

As of 2020, we began expanding to other parts of Croatia through the implementation of an educational program on climate change and sustainability in partnership with a widening circle of partners and supporters. Synergies with the initiative “Scientists for Climate”, French and British Embassies, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the Office of the Prime Minister, French organizations Climate Fresk and La Renaissance Écologique and 20+ schools enabled us to bring education on climate change and sustainability to over 2,000 students, teachers and other adults.

From supporting Zlarin to become the first plastic-free island in the Adriatic, we have expanded our activities to educate all generations and segments of society about the climate crisis and sustainability. Our goal is to support and inspire social changes in small local and school communities, transforming them into sustainable places for learning and living.

We are registered as a non-profit which according to Croatian Law on Associations (Official Journal NN 74/14, 70/17, 98/19) allows us to apply for government and private sector funding through donations.

People behind the name

Tatavaka grew through volunteer work. Since the very start of the association in 2010, it has been led by young volunteers from Zlarin. The “Plastic free Zlarin” initiative was completely designed by volunteers and activists, in cooperation with the local community. The inclusion of volunteers of different ages and profiles is an important practice that we nurture in "Tatavaka".

Today, Tatavaka has a small professional team that supports all the association's programs and ensures that the organization responsibly manages public funds, but volunteers remain at the heart of Tatavaka's story. Our volunteers organize educational workshops and socio-cultural events, translate educational materials, work on the promotion of programs and values that the association stands for. In addition to volunteers active in Zlarin community program, we also gather a growing circle of people interested in climate action who become leaders of the "Climate Fresk" workshop.