Day by day, we are closely observing the changes in our planet’s climate. Extreme heatwaves, milder winters, and torrential downpours – these are just some of the phenomena that have been disrupted by global warming. Why is this happening? We learnt this during the Erasmus+ project. As young people, we were also curious about the impact of waste sorting on the environment and the dangers of dumping rubbish in forests or other green spaces. We found out what a carbon footprint and smog are, and what energy sources exist other than coal or oil, which are currently simply unviable due to their high cost, environmental pollution and limited availability, caused, among other things, by the Russia-Ukraine war. Our curiosity about environmental issues was sparked by our own experiences, such as higher electricity and water bills in our homes, the aforementioned weather phenomena that affect our health, and observing large amounts of rubbish in the city and even across the country. A large group of young people who shared similar views on environmental protection came together in our association. This gave rise to the idea of drafting a project, driven by our curiosity, desire for change, and a wish to learn how to combat the poor management of water and energy. What’s more, a foreign group affiliated with another association in Augustów also expressed a desire to join us in this initiative. We were driven by a strong desire to counteract harmful environmental practices and to ensure that, through small steps, our future on Earth would be better and healthier than what experts predict (by 2050, the average temperature is set to rise, leading to severe droughts and, consequently, forest fires). Our activities were based on learning about: - renewable energy sources – what they are, how they work, and whether they really are cheaper than coal or oil - the harmful effects of plastic on the environment – why it is dangerous for our planet and what actions we can take to reduce its volume - how we can help the Earth in our daily lives – what actions we can take to live more sustainably and set an example for others. The aim of our project was: - to learn about the principles of Zero Waste and the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and how to put them into practice – 100% of participants learnt to apply these principles in their daily lives; - to familiarise ourselves with available energy sources; - to find ways to reduce the presence of plastic in the environment; - to identify activities that can help save energy and keep the planet clean by creating an Eco-Mind Map covering topics such as environmental protection, the effects of global pollution and eco-friendly attitudes; - learning about and comparing eco-friendly behaviours in our countries; - developing language skills through dialogues in English with the Slovak group; - developing digital skills through computer presentations and sharing our activities on social media, including eco-friendly videos; - developing social skills through the integration of both groups, as well as group work; - developing cultural skills at Polish and Slovak cultural evenings, where we learnt about the other country’s culture, cuisine, customs and traditions. We were keen to broaden our knowledge of ecology, and the objectives we set ourselves were also topics we explored in depth during the exchange through discussions, games and workshops; afterwards, we shared the information we had gained with others. Looking at the project from our organisation’s perspective, we are delighted that our young people want to learn, discover new things that are important for our comfortable lives, and change the world for the better. We are delighted by the young people’s enthusiasm and their eagerness to carry out the project, and as an organisation we are pleased that we were able to introduce non-formal teaching methods and put them into practice with our young people. As with our previous Erasmus+ projects, the new participants have gained knowledge, found the energy for social action, become more confident and opened up socially to their peers.