In the project we tried to explore the beauty of nature, and to make students feel why it is worth to give emphasis on possible solutions to global problems. Since this project was implemented as a CLIL project, I also wanted to foster English and our partners wanted to promote English at school. I also liked students and teachers to try out the night jet and the KLIMATICKET - for most of them it was the first time they used it - and to consider green travelling for future journeys. I wanted the money in order to promote fair trade products, and green travelling. Particularly, I wanted to support our French partners, who never would have had the possibility to travel to Austria by train because of the costs. I also wanted to support our KLIMATEAM by buying a climate ticket, our Erasmus+ students and their Austrian host sisters and brothers as well as teachers could use for advanced training courses, to cover the distance between their home towns and their working place, and in their free-time. I wanted teachers and students to consider green mobility as possible way of travelling. I also wanted to teach students how to be an active citizen and that we have to solve global problems such as climate change together as European team
We applied for this project, because we strongly felt the necessity to put emphasis on nature conservancy and on green mobility. We aimed to win the ÖKOLOG award and the KLIMABÜNDNIS schoolaward. Our idea was to focus on the beauty an intact nature would offer, and to teach students why it would be worth to protect the environment. Soon, we became aware that travelling by train actually was much more complicated and expensive than we had imagined - especially for our French partners it was unaffordable to go by train. Due to the national support airlines profit from, it is very cheap and comfortable travelling around Europe by plane. At the same time we know that aircraft strongly accounts for CO2 emission which is one of the reasons why the global warming constantly increases. I really think that within the Erasmus+program emphasis has to be given to nature protection. It cannot be that schools always have to choose the cheaper instead of the more eco-friendly option of travelling. Finally, the problem is a large one: within the school system teachers cannot "waste" money on biological, eco-friendly, sustainable products, because they always have to save. For our French partners it was the first time going to Austria by train.