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Green way, is the way

2020-3-HU01-KA105-0938192020Youth mobilityfinalized
Countries: HU|BG|EL|CY|ES|RO · Grant: €20,976
Environment and climate changeEnergy and resourcesCivic engagement / responsible citizenship

Objectives

One of the EU's sustainable development goal is to meet the needs of today's generations without endangering the environment. However, all countries should work together to achieve this goal and have a green economy. Under the heading of environmental protection, the greatest emphasis is placed on waste management, climate change, air, soil and water pollution. For example, EU waste policy aims to reduce the waste’s impact on the environment and health. Based on Eurostat's analysis from 2019 (https://bit.ly/331jRqm) across Europe, the recycling rate was 42.4%. According to them, more than half of the waste has been incinerated or sent to the landfill, and because of that, a lot of harmful substances were released into the environment, endangering animals and human health and polluting the biosphere. The decomposition of the waste produces a lot of carbon dioxide and methane, and in most cases these are not used to produce energy. These greenhouse gases are known to contribute to climate change, which is a serious threat both globally and locally. According to another Eurostat study, in most countries, a very large proportion of waste still ends up in landfills, with the worst cases being Romania (94.1%), Bulgaria (94.4%) and Greece (94.8%). In addition to the changes created in the economy to deal with global environmental problems, such as progress towards a truly circular economy, people’s personal choices also have an impact on the environment and significant change can already be achieved by following smaller environmentally conscious steps. Therefore, we believe that reducing the amount of waste generated in households is also an important step to protect the environment. A more environmentally conscious lifestyle, such as the “zero waste” movement, can help reduce the individual’s ecological footprint and combat the waste crisis. We want to promote this idea among young people, as they are the determinants of our future. To have a “Green Europe”, action is also needed. We asked young people and members of partner organizations, using a questionnaire, how much they pay attention to being environmentally conscious. Based on this, it has become clear to us that most people, although interested in the environment, do not know how they can help us create a sustainable society. For example, 87% of respondents said they were interested in the environment, but only about half of respondents pay attention to what and where to buy. This project would be an opportunity for those who want to become more environmentally conscious but do not yet know how to achieve this, but it can also help those who are already working on it and want to learn more. They will be able to acquire a set of skills that will contribute to sustainability. We believe that the time for action has come in Europe, and we want to emphasize this to young people. With this project we want to educate young people about environmental awareness and to describe, present and raise awareness of the current environmental situation.

Project partners (7)