Beatrix Csaba, Szubjektív Magazin – MUOSZ
In Zala County, there are 150 settlements with fewer than 500 inhabitants, and 64 of them have populations under 1,000. Among these, Nagypáli stands out due to decades of innovative development. This quiet village, surrounded by forests, has become an attractive place to live, thanks to ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life for its residents through environmentally conscious projects and grant funding. These efforts have been successful, as evidenced by the population increase from 271 residents in 30 years to 650 today. The village is home to many young inhabitants, with 110 children under the age of 12. These remarkable achievements can serve as an example for other communities nation and Europe-wide.
Tibor Köcse has been the mayor of Nagypáli for 28 years. The innovations and developments he initiated in the village demonstrate that forward-thinking and representing the interests of the community are not at odds with environmental and climate protection considerations.
What Ensures Long-Term Success?
“When I took over the leadership of the village in 1996, I believed, after assessing the local conditions and opportunities, that it was worth creating both medium- and long-term plans,” said Köcse. “This is how the ‘Green Path’ program was born, which primarily aimed to integrate environmental protection into all developments. At the same time, economic aspects could not be ignored. Increasing the population was as much in our interest as preserving the environment. That’s why we built a new residential park, designed in a way that it blends into the natural surroundings. We used an American-style model. It was a greenfield investment, built on land that had not been cultivated for a long time because it was not ideal for agriculture.”
Another key objective was community development. Currently, we have six civil organizations, all actively involved in various projects. The ‘FOR OUR FUTURE’ Association focuses on environmental protection, and we have a local police group, a fire brigade, and the Nagypáli Retirees Community, which has been very active for 10 years. We also have a youth association, the ‘For the Village’ Foundation, and a sports club.
A major element of our development strategy is energy efficiency, renewable energy, and circular economy practices. I was inspired by a successful model in Güssing, Austria, in Burgenland, where similar approaches have been implemented. We also considered cross-border collaborations with Austrian and Croatian partners, particularly when developing our tourism strategy. However, when it came to implementation, we prioritized our own ideas. Essentially, these collaborations provided us with inspiration and direction, helping us to carve out our own path.
Nagypáli Energy Pyramid. Source: Nagypáli Municipality
We have a building where we use purified rainwater for flushing toilets. Water-saving technology has been installed on the taps, resulting in significant water savings, which also reflects in reduced wastewater costs. We established a solar collector system 15 years ago and installed an energy park. For instance, we can cover 89% of the municipality’s energy bills this way. Not only did we manage to generate energy with solar panels and wind generators, but we also developed methods for storage and energy optimization. We have an energy pyramid where a computer program monitors energy consumption. We also have a sunflower solar collector system that tracks the sun’s movement, a unique technological innovation. This shows that a more rational and forward-thinking approach to managing municipalities is possible in Hungary as well.
We have built a business center, an innovation center, a tourism center, and created a modern guesthouse with four apartments for visitors—all funded through grants. It seems from what you’ve described that the results largely depend on the leadership mindset, which creates the right conditions. Is the regulatory framework also in place to support project-based thinking and grant financing?
The regulation, for instance, in the area of solar systems, works more or less well. However, the issue often arises with reintegrating the generated energy back into the grid. This is why we are working on better energy storage solutions. Our latest initiative involves hydrogen energy storage. Unfortunately, there is no central regulation at the government level for this yet, which made its implementation quite complex and labor-intensive. The discontinuation of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology has not helped in this regard. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean we are not considering further developments. Our next goal is to create a solid-state energy storage system using an underground tank, under a Leader grant.
Agricultural energy is also worth mentioning. Nearly 10 years ago, we planted 38,000 Japanese willow plants on 2 hectares. We produce wood chips from these, which are burned in an automatic moving grate boiler. A large amount of energy is released through a two-stage combustion process, almost equivalent in heat quality to natural gas. Additionally, this plantation not only provides an area for energy production but also serves as an energy accumulator.
We conducted energy utilization measurements on the Japanese willow plantation. Based on these results, we entered a renewable energy competition in Germany, where we placed second out of 600 municipalities. I believe this result speaks for itself. It is significant because, alongside solar collectors, this plantation is also a noteworthy solution.
How is climate protection addressed in Nagypáli?
Our climate plantation also serves the village. The air quality is almost like oxygen therapy, with high humidity levels that cool the air. There is a 5-7°C difference during sunny periods between the plantation and other parts of the village. A lot depends on how a settlement develops. Community-oriented thinking and grant financing are essential. However, this alone is not enough if the residents are not on board. That’s why we continuously try to shape the mindset of the locals. We believe in the importance of knowledge transfer and education from an early age. Therefore, we hold lectures for all age groups. This way, we can ensure that the residents understand why we do what we do and how it benefits the community. They become cooperative partners.
Climate Plantation in Nagypáli, Source: Nagypáli Municipality
We prepare grant applications with the help of two Nonprofit Ltd companies, both of which are owned by the Municipality. Additionally, our civil organizations and foundation are also involved in these applications. Therefore, we can say that every development realized in the village is a collective achievement. The residents themselves are part of this progress. It’s ideal when the work is continuous—when one development is completed, the next grant is under review, and a new plan is already being prepared for submission.
Is there cooperation between municipalities that could help expand environmental and climate protection efforts across a larger area through collaboration between local governments and residents?
Yes, there are such initiatives. We are open to collaborations. For example, there is the village renewal movement, where we regularly meet and share best practices. Recently, the National Association of Municipal Governments established the Innovation Municipalities Club. I believe that where the mayor and council prioritize knowledge renewal, focus on the ongoing training of leaders and the council, invest time and energy in learning from good examples, and share this knowledge with local residents—while being open to consortium collaborations for grants—there is progress. This is true even if financial resources are perhaps more limited than before. We also work with twin towns. We don’t know how the results of the upcoming mayoral election will affect relationships and cooperation opportunities nationwide. We often receive visitors who come to learn about our local developments. Increasingly, university students from other parts of the country are choosing the innovative developments of our village as the topic for their theses.
