Service-learning represents an innovative pedagogy that integrates academic learning with community service to address environmental issues based on experiential learning principles. This innovative pedagogy enhances higher education learning outcomes by fostering active engagement, real-world context, interdisciplinary insight, skills development, and civic engagement among students. The merging of service-learning contributes to a profound understanding of the subject matter, its practical applications, and personal and professional growth. This paper provides an overview of the implementation of service-learning in the STEM field, with a primary focus on the decade-long involvement of the Faculty of Chemistry and Technology in environmental protection projects. Through collaboration with the non-governmental organisation Sunce and partners from the University of Split, this initiative, led by environmental experts, has introduced a novel approach to higher education, facilitating knowledge expansion, skill improvement, and expertise development for both students and academic staff. The impact has been substantial, with the University of Split attaining the 21st position globally on the “World Universities with Real Impact” list for ethics in 2021, largely attributable to these service-learning projects. Service-learning has been integrated into the SEA-EU initiative, furthering its development at the University of Split, and establishing it as a pioneer in this field. Institutionalising service-learning in higher education requires the establishment of dedicated courses, integration into existing programmes, and the allocation of resources for academic staff, community partners, and students. Successful implementation requires a collaborative, iterative process involving careful planning, preparation, and assessment, ensuring that students benefit from meaningful opportunities to apply course content to real-world challenges while positively impacting the community.

In this study, we examined the correlation between the collected municipal waste (MW) and the tourism intensity (TI) in five of Croatia’s most popular tourist towns—Zagreb, Poreč, Rovinj, Split, and Dubrovnik—from 2015 to 2021. Furthermore, we conducted a comparative analysis of target scenarios for municipal waste reduction in these tourist towns based on population changes and the amount of separately collected and residual MW collected to achieve EU targets for processing MW for reuse and recycling. The TI indicator quantifies the population’s theoretical multiplication during tourist influx, providing a clear picture of the pressure exerted by tourism. Rovinj and Poreč have the highest TIs, while larger cities like Dubrovnik, Split, and Zagreb have lower average TI values. The correlation between the collected MW and the tourism intensity in Dubrovnik is very high and positive, in Zagreb and Rovinj it is high and negative, while Split has a higher positive correlation than Poreč. The results for the MW preparation rates for reuse and recycling from 2015 to 2021 and future projections for 2021–2035 suggest that, in five of Croatia’s leading tourist towns, the imperative must be to decrease residual MW, promote separation at the source, and separate MW collection to meet EU targets. Given the challenges of meeting all three—or even two or one—of the EU’s targets of 50% by 2025, 60% by 2030, and 65% by 2035, the current waste separation system must be improved. This study contributes to the scientific community by addressing the gap in the current knowledge on the effects of population changes caused by tourism on MW in tourist destinations. The findings could be relevant for practitioners and policymakers planning MW collection, processing, and recovery in tourism-oriented economies, particularly in Croatia’s top tourist destinations.

The electrochemical and surface behaviour of implant-grade commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti), Ti6Al7Nb, and Ti6Al4V clinically used alloys was investigated in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), with and without albumin, at 37 °C using electrochemical techniques and SEM/EDS analysis. In PBS, the corrosion resistance followed the order Ti6Al4V < Ti6Al7Nb < cp-Ti, with cp-Ti serving as the benchmark reference material. The addition of albumin improved the corrosion resistance of all materials under the investigated static in vitro conditions, with the most pronounced effect observed for Ti6Al4V. Over time, the oxide layer stabilised and the differences between the materials decreased, with Ti6Al4V approaching the behaviour of more stable systems. Surface analysis revealed a comparatively more uniform (but not fully homogeneous) protein distribution on Ti6Al7Nb, whereas Ti6Al4V exhibited localised adsorption associated with greater surface heterogeneity. Protein adsorption acts as a stabilising interfacial factor, contributing to improved protective properties under static conditions. These findings highlight the key role of surface heterogeneity in governing protein adsorption and electrochemical behaviour of titanium alloys under biologically relevant conditions.