Anđela Milovanović is only 23 years old, but she already lives at a pace that would leave many breathless. Student of Animal Science at the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade, runner, youth worker, lover of nature and recently a proud user of the City&Me application. In his first experience with this platform, she discovers how small steps can really trigger big changes.
“I found out about City&Me through a friend’s posts on social networks, and I was immediately attracted to the whole idea. It is simple, motivating and gives you the possibility that your daily step makes a difference in nature,” says Angela.
In order to fulfill her first monthly challenge, she decided to use public transport less and walk more. She quickly realized that it became a new, healthy routine, a combination of personal benefit and contribution to the environment. She adds that one particular function caught her eye: “I like that in some cities tokens can be used to help neglected animals. I hope that Belgrade will soon get that option as well.”
Since using City&Me, Angela has already planted four seedlings. The first one she chose was the white pine on Jastrebac, a species that, she says, she didn’t know was so unique until this experience.
“Before the application, I did not know that white and black pine forests are unique in all of Europe and that we have them right here, in Serbia. This further motivated me to continue the challenges and collect tokens for new seedlings,” she says.
Although the app offers different prizes, there is no doubt about it – trees are the favorite.
As a road race runner and someone who prefers to measure time in kilometers, Angela especially sees the app’s potential in the community of runners and Nordic walking enthusiasts:
“When we are already training for our health, why not train for the health of nature at the same time, in a simple way? Every step taken is a small action for a big goal.”
Angela’s story may have started out of curiosity on social media, but it turned into dedication and inspiration. City&Me showed her that sustainability is most accessible when it is part of everyday life. And that every tree, every step, every decision counts.
As Angela beautifully says:
“Step by step, tree by tree, let’s heal the lungs of our planet together.”