Beekeeping on hotel roofs, delicious green dining in sustainable restaurants, a fully electric car-sharing system and much more is what Ljubljana, the Green Capital of Europe, has to offer. Journalists were invited to explore Slovenia's capital city's beauties on an international press trip, organised by BMW Slovenija Group. It was a trip that made us all aware of the fact Ljubljana is even greener through a window of a fully electric car. 

With our i3, we greeted German and Austrian journalists at the Jože Pučnik airport and made our first stop at the urban Hotel Park. "Reduce, re-use and recycle" is one of their main principles, mirroring in the work they do. We took a tour around the hotel roof and were given the opportunity to taste the first ever honey, produced by the local bees within the hotel's urban beekeeping project. After savouring that natural sweet treat we went on to explore Ljubljana with our BMW i3 and the company's business partner Avantcar, the leading regional vehicle manager that is very active and technologically progressive, especially when it comes to urban mobility. 

Next stop - meeting Alenka Repič, the owner of Kaaita brand, where every product dubs as an invitation to lead a sustainable lifestyle. Their Bigabaga, for example, is a paper bag that can be put together from waste or recycled paper without even using glue. It neatly folds together, almost like origami. Another interesting product are the Copa Copa slippers that are sewn and crafted together from the fewest pieces possible. The light version is created using a single piece of felt. And all the slippers and bags are produced from felt, matted from recycled plastic bottles. "We have a system in place that allows customers to return the used, no longer needed items, so we can recycle them along with other waste felt in order to create fuel, which is then used elsewhere in the industry," explained Alenka.

BMW Group Slovenia along with the brand BMW i and their business partner Lumar created the special BMW i3 Lumar Edition, so we had to stop to witness in person just how the car connects with the smart house. The vehicle will enthral you not only with comfort and style, but also with its sustainability aspect that is even more expressed in the newer model than ever before. All the plastic elements featured in the interior and exterior are produced from 25 % natural, renewable or recycled materials. Teh doors and seats are coated with a special kind of fabric, consisting of 27 recycled plastic bottles, while 95 % of the vehicle can be reused once it's no longer suitable for driving.

On a two-day green car trip we were also able to enjoy scrumptious meals from local restaurants, offering traditional Slovenian foods with a modern touch. We had the pleasure of dining at restaurants such as Na gradu and Bistro Monstera, famous for its "zero waste couisine". The Bistro is owned by one of Slovenia's most recognizable and established chefs, Bine Volčič. Bine is in fact quite a celebrity in Slovenia, an extremely talented chef full of true rock 'n' roll spirit. His artful specialities are created from local, seasonal ingredients, paired with ecologically produced wine.