Schools from five different countries (Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania and Turkey) would like to establish a multilateral Erasmus+ partnership and work on their project idea "A Unique Earth - Our responsibility for a sustainable future". Each country is involved in the topics of this project due to their various geographical location and socio-cultural characteristics. Geschwister-Scholl Gymnasium (Germany) is the coordinating school. Social responsibility as well as sustainability are topics that concern every human being's life in this world. According to a report by the UN in 2019, our planet is in a bad state. Therefore, focusing on a sustainable use of our earth is a topic that should be dealt with in an international exchange. There is a striking difference between the perspectives of the participating countries concerning climate change, the availability of resources, the way of life, that is why the students can, for example, directly experience the problem of the consequences of climate change in a personal school exchange. What is more, they can evaluate, and hopefully change their individual handling of resources and their lifestyle. This project aims are to sensitise our students to environmental issues as well as make them more aware of their own lifestyles, of their relation to nature, of the way they deal with natural resources. We want them to realize how significant the role of teenagers in promoting and living a sustainable life is. We have to be conscious of the facts provided by the UN, that how we live and what we do nowadays, will affect living standards of future generations. By double-checking our lifestyle and by reflecting upon what we can do to make our society and the environment more sustainable all participants – both pupils and teachers – should be made aware that ecology and sustainability ought to be crucial in everyday lives and each pupil and teacher can make a contribution in their local areas . In order to illustrate the importance of this topic, the following aspects need to be the focus of the project: - Nature Park North Eifel-Belgium, Carpathians, Mount Olympus, Yenice National Park, Parcul National Muntii Rodnei: protection of natural resources found in fauna and flora, sustainable tourism - consumption of energy and sustainable ways of creating energy - environmental pollution and its consequences for the society and the environment - dealing with resources like water and food, sustainable farming - the latest UN report from 2019 We aim to redefine “living in prosperity and wealth”. We need to define prosperity as living in health, living in a sustainable world which is also an option for future generations. Choosing the topic “Ecology and sustainability” aims at making the students aware of the individual’s possibilities to take concrete measures to change our living space into an ecologically and socially sustainable place to live in. Aims of the project are the awareness of the various forms of using resources, energy, nature, the exemplification of the international relevance in various contexts and the development of solutions for problems related to the topic of sustainability. Our students are going to analyse their own consumption in the light of sustainability in order to realize the European and the global importance of private and public use of resources. In this context we also deal with the problematic distribution of resources and of utilization of our nature as well. To stop the destruction of our planet, we must all work together across national borders. We must all learn to live in balance with nature. That is why it is also important for us to work together with other European partners on this issue and to be in contact with stakeholders and organisations. It is also our aim to create an awareness of the importance of political engagement. It is only through political and societal engagement that we can have a say in forming our environment. There will be workshops focused on the students, where they can contribute their ideas, their own initiatives and their entrepreneurship competence will be improved. We want to work not only cognitively, but also practically.Therefore we will create a small herbarium with photos of protected plants. We want to enthuse young people about the idea of Europe and we want to get the message across that a common European future will be based on values such as tolerance, empathy, respect and a sense of responsibility. Our aim is to exchange date about current global changes and individual lifestyles using e-Twinning and project meetings. Our results will be published in a final presentation and through a film. Our students will acquire and extend their presentation and research skills. They will learn how to plan, carry out and analyse surveys and other data collection methods. They will also gain an insight in social science and academic research. Their level of linguistic competence will also improve.
From 2020 to 2023, schools from five different countries (Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania, and Turkey) worked on a multilateral Erasmus+ partnership. The main goal of their project was to raise awareness about environmental issues and sustainable lifestyles, particularly with regard to individual responsibility for a sustainable future. Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium in Germany took on the role of the coordinating school. The project was based on the belief that social responsibility and sustainability are universal themes that concern every person worldwide. Given the alarming state of our planet, as reported by the UN, it is crucial to focus on the sustainable use of the Earth's resources. The diverse geographical and socio-cultural characteristics of the participating countries played a central role in this endeavor. Through personal school exchanges, students had the opportunity to experience the effects of climate change firsthand and to reconsider their individual handling of resources and their lifestyles. Special emphasis was placed on raising awareness about environmental issues and fostering an understanding of one's own lifestyle and the responsible use of natural resources. The project focused on various aspects, including the protection of natural resources in fauna and flora in nature parks such as Nord-Eifel-Belgium, Olymp, Sugar Canyon, Yenice National Park, and Parcul National Muntii Rodnei. Other topics included energy consumption and sustainable methods of energy production, environmental pollution and its consequences, as well as sustainable agriculture. The overarching goal was to redefine the concept of "prosperity and wealth," with prosperity being understood as living in health and in a sustainable world. The project aimed to inspire students to take concrete measures to make their living environment more ecologically and socially sustainable. Participants were encouraged to become aware of the importance of ecology and sustainability in daily life and to understand that each individual can make a contribution in their local community. The project also emphasized political and societal engagement, as active participation is necessary to influence environmental policies and practices. Workshops and initiatives were specifically designed for students to contribute their ideas and strengthen their entrepreneurial skills. The exchange of data on global changes and individual lifestyles through eTwinning and project meetings contributed to the international perspective. The results were published on a project website (https://www.erasmus-plus-ueor.com/) and on the project results platform. Students expanded their presentation and research skills, learned to plan, conduct, and analyze surveys and other data collection methods, and also improved their language proficiency. In general, the project represented a holistic approach to promoting environmental awareness and sustainable action, made possible through the collaboration of schools from different countries.