With our project "Eco-Fluencer - together for more sustainability" we want to contribute to counteract the thoughtless use of natural resources resulting from an unsustainable way of life. This topic is of great social relevance, has a strong media presence and is of personal significance, especially for young people. However, not every individual is aware of this responsibility and reflects this in their actions. With the help of our project we want to point out problems and evoke a personal involvement of the individual. For this purpose, the pupils must first be picked up in their everyday life, before the view is opened and the perspective is broadened from their own home, school and city to the dimensions of the whole country, Europe, the seas and our entire planet. The main aim is to encourage the pupils to actively engage in environmental and climate protection. In doing so, priorities such as air and water pollution, waste of energy or waste production are jointly developed and set according to the interests of the students. The final products will be a blog on the eTwinning platform, a guide to sustainable behaviour in (school) life, teaching and learning materials and alternative (reusable) products to avoid waste. We, KGS Wiesmoor, want to carry out the project together with the Ühisgümnaasium in Türi, Estonia and the Lycée professionnel Claret in Toulon, France. The participating pupils in all three schools are from the higher grades of SEK I and SEK II. While in Wiesmoor the project is worked on in the framework of the full-day programme, in France it takes place in the 11th grade of the economics class. In Türi, the project is linked to the environmental education course. Ten to fifteen students per school should participate in the mobility phases. With the beginning of the coming school year and thus in the run-up to the first mobility phase, the pupils will start to deal with the topic of sustainability. For this purpose, they will first record actual conditions with regard to the volume of waste and consumer behavior, for example by mapping the number of waste bins available or by creating and exhibiting art objects from the plastic waste produced, thus raising awareness of the topic among a wider public. At the same time, the teachers involved will have a preparatory meeting in Wiesmoor, where they will receive training on eTwinning. The teachers will then act as multipliers in their schools by introducing their pupils to eTwinning, so that the creation of the blog can begin. During the three mobility phases, which have different thematic focuses, the students* visit local companies such as wastewater treatment plants and waste management companies as well as scientific (research) institutes in order to understand and evaluate solutions currently being pursued in science and business, and ultimately to adapt them for their own lives. The focal points are also determined by the geographical location of the three cities. In Wiesmoor, for example, the focus is initially on the microcosm of the school, in order to develop alternative courses of action for everyday life. Following on from this, in the second phase the view of the (natural) environment will be expanded, since in Türi the problem of natural pollution is omnipresent in the many forests and bogs around the city. Finally, due to the location of Toulon at the sea, a deepening examination of the pollution of the oceans takes place. In comparing the different problems and in dealing with them, for example regarding disposal and recycling, multilateral, transnational exchange thus offers a special and indispensable opportunity for the project. In workshops about sustainability, for example on up-cycling or the production of natural cosmetics, the pupils can implement concrete options for action. In addition, a stainless-steel drinking bottle (or similar) is planned as one way of reducing the amount of plastic used, for which a common logo will be created to reflect the development of the project. The experience gained through these activities will be published and multiplied via the blog. This way, the pupils slip into the role of an "Eco-Fluencer", as the developed proposals for action can be presented to pupils not directly involved in the project, but also to teachers, parents and other people, and also can be integrated into everyday life at school. In this way the pupils can experience themselves as self-effective and future oriented.
With our project "Eco-Fluencer - together for more sustainability", we wanted to make a contribution to counteracting the thoughtless use of natural resources resulting from an unsustainable lifestyle. This topic is of great social relevance, has a strong media presence and is of personal importance, especially for young people. However, not every individual is aware of this responsibility and reflects it in his or her actions. Thus, despite the Corona pandemic, we tried to highlight grievances in the project and evoke a personal sense of involvement on the part of the individual. To do this, the students first had to be picked up in their everyday lives before their gaze was opened and their perspective expanded from their own homes, schools and cities to the dimensions of the entire country, Europe, the oceans and our entire planet. To do this, they first recorded actual conditions with regard to the amount of waste and consumer behavior by creating and exhibiting art objects from the plastic waste produced, thus raising awareness of the issue among a broader public. Coloristic and impressive sculptures were created from the mass of garbage, showing once again how much diverse garbage regularly accumulates at a school alone. This was documented on the school homepage. Posters were also created that address various aspects of environmental pollution and encourage students to actively engage in environmental and climate protection. The project was planned on a larger scale and included above all transnational exchange and encounters directly on site. The pandemic situation made this impossible and so did the planned excursions. We, the KGS Wiesmoor, carried out the project with the Ühisgümnaasium in Türi, Estonia, as well as the Lycée professionnel Claret in Toulon, France. The participating students in all three schools are from the upper grades of SEK I and SEK II. While in Wiesmoor the project is part of the all-day program, in France it takes place in the 11th economics class. In Türi, the project is linked to the environmental education course. Unfortunately, the Estonians ended the project prematurely due to the difficult pandemic conditions. The project continued with the French and an intercultural exchange took place in a video conference over 2 days. We designed instructions and a prototype of an insect hotel, which was replicated by the French in the video conference. On day 2, we were allowed to make cosmetic products under the guidance of the French, which were made without toxic additives and therefore environmentally friendly. In April 2022, six students and two teachers from Wiesmoor participated in the trip to France. The group traveled to the partner school in Toulon. The German participants got to know different cities in France (Nice, Toulon, Cannes) and explored the island of Sainte Marguerite and the Mediterranean ecosystem in detail. The main goal of our Erasmus+ project was originally to pick up the students in their everyday life, to open their eyes "and to broaden the perspective from their own home, school and city to the dimensions of Europe, the oceans and our entire planet". The aim was to encourage students to get involved in environmental and climate protection. The actions on Ile Sainte Marguerite have undoubtedly contributed to this goal. The German students enjoyed and appreciated every moment and were grateful for the broadening of their horizons, which became clear again and again from their statements. In addition to the environmental aspect, intercultural exchange is of course equally important. The experiences gained through these activities were published on the school homepage and on an Instagram account ("ecomacarons"). In this way, the students take on the role of "eco-fluencers", as the proposals for action developed can be presented to students not directly involved in the project, but also to teachers, parents and other fellow human beings, and can be integrated into everyday (school) life. In this way, the students can experience themselves as self-effective and future-oriented.