The demand for clean energy is a key global issue requiring global ideas to be implemented through local action. This is particularly important in Poland’s energy transition, since the country produces energy mainly from conventional sources, i.e., coal, gas, and crude oil. Adverse climate change caused by high emissions of the economy based on the combustion of hydrocarbons as well as the growing public awareness have made it necessary to look for new environmentally friendly energy sources. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate that the use of alternative energy sources, biomass in particular, is compatible with sustainable development policy. Eight indicators for the EU-28 and for Poland were analysed in order to verify the progress in modifying the energy mix between 2010 and 2018 in the context of implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The analysis showed that both in the EU-28 and in Poland, the aggregated indicator taking into account the positive and negative change in the values of individual indicators improved between 2010 and 2018. In the EU-28, this indicator is higher (180.1) than in Poland (152.3). The lower value for Poland is mainly due to the fact that the main source of energy in Poland remains hard coal and lignite. However, the noticeable increase in recent years in the share of energy from renewable sources, biomass included, allows us to look with hope to a rapidly growing indicator measuring progress towards a sustainable development goal, and to improving environmental standards.

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The air in Kraków is one of the most polluted in Europe. Polish standards for notification and alert levels for PM10 particulate matterare one of the the highest in Europe and exceed the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) for safe daily concentrations by several times. The article presents the results of airborne dust measurements in three districts of Kraków. The study hasshown that the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter exceeded the annual average permissible levels. Empirical measurements of PM2.5 show significantly higher air pollution values than the data notified by stationary monitoring stations installed intwo locations. The high value of Pearson linear correlation coefficient confirms that weather conditions have a significant impact on airquality in Kraków. Wind speed in the autumn and winter seasons has by far the greatest influence on air quality in al. Krasińskiego,in the Ruczaj and Kurdwanów districts. A strong negative correlation was displayed. Manual measurements should be used to verifydata obtained from air monitoring stations. It is to be expected that, in Kraków, air purity will improve due to the implementation ofan anti-smog resolution and subsidies for the replacement of obsolete heating systems with more environmentally friendly solutions.

Abstract. The paper emphasizes possibilities for substantially reducing energy consumption with modern ecofriendly buildings. Passive building construction is a sector of the construction industry that has extremely low demand for the energy for heating house interiors. A passive house requires a small amount of energy to provide thermal comfort, but it requires proper systems (HRU, heat pumps, solar collectors) to accomplish that effect. The modification proposal presented in the paper has dramatically reduced the demand for heat capacity of the building. Unfortunately the passive standard has not been reached, but thermomodernisation would allow for a significant reduction of heating costs. The demand per 1 m2 of heated surface area in a traditional building was 41.9 W/m2, while after the modification -only 15.01 W/m2. The tested building, if located in a warmer climate, with an average outside temperature of ≥ -10ºC would certainly perform its function. The use of modern technology ensures high energy savings. Such solutions, however, are not the cheapest on the market, and therefore are less available. The construction of a passive solar buildings is a "green" investment with tangible environmental results. By ensuring the thermomodernisation of a traditional building we can enjoy real environmental and economic benefits.

W okresie znacznego zanieczyszczenia środowiska oraz nadmiernego i nieracjonalnego wykorzystania nieodnawialnych surowców gospodarka cyrkularna, nazywana zamiennie gospodarką o obiegu zamkniętym, jest szansą dla obecnych i przyszłych pokoleń. Aby możliwe było przejście z gospodarki linearnej na gospodarkę cyrkularną, muszą być spełnione dwa warunki. Pierwszy dotyczy odpowiedniej produkcji, drugi odpowiedniej konsumpcji. Konsumenci oraz producenci muszą traktować odpady jako surowce, które można zawrócić do obiegu. Aby zmienić podejście społeczeństwa w tej kwestii, należy zintensyfikować oraz dopasować edukację ekologiczną do aktualnych potrzeb. Dostosowując metody edukacji, należy zbadać najpierw poziom świadomości ekologicznej społeczeństwa i zastanowić się, na jakie aspekty zwrócić szczególną uwagę. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań ankietowych w dwóch grupach: młodzieży oraz dorosłych. Ankietowanie dotyczyło zachowań prośrodowiskowych oraz wiedzy o odpadach. Na podstawie przeanalizowanych odpowiedzi można stwierdzić, że świadomość ekologiczna w dwóch badanych grupach jest na różnych poziomach.