The main objective of our project was to raise awareness about recycling and environmental sustainability among students, teachers, and families. We aimed to help students understand the environmental impact of overconsumption and waste and to promote conscious behaviors such as reusing, reducing, and recycling. Specific goals included increasing participation in recycling activities, integrating environmental topics into different subjects, and enabling students to explore traditional and modern recycling practices in different cultures. An additional priority involved strengthening digital literacy through the integration of Web 2.0 tools, while fostering European values by promoting intercultural dialogue and collaborative learning. Furthermore, we sought to empower students as environmental leaders and to encourage their meaningful engagement in democratic processes and sustainability-related decision-making within the school environment.
We applied for this project because we observed a lack of environmental awareness and sustainable habits among students, parents, and the local community. In our schools, we have observed that students exhibit increasingly intense consumption habits, while waste management practices and recycling concepts are not yet fully integrated into their daily lives. Surveys revealed that over 60% of students lacked knowledge about separating waste or the benefits of recycling. Guided by our strategic plan and environmental policies, which underscored the pressing need to educate young people on environmental sustainability, we sought to cultivate responsible consumption behaviors, promote a recycling-oriented culture, and reinforce students' commitment to environmental responsibility. The need for interdisciplinary and international collaboration to address global challenges such as climate change further motivated us to implement this Erasmus+ project.