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Description of the project
"TURN YOUR HABITS GREEN" was a youth exchange that took place in Sarata Monteoru, Romania between 25 september – 4 october 2022 with 41 participants from 7 countries: Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Spain, Turkey
The aim of the project was to raise awareness on importance of “green” actions and habits in our lives and in Erasmus + projects in concordance with new priorities
The main objectives were:
1. to develop civic competences for increase youngsters awareness on environment sustanability
2. to promote healthy and active life style as alternative for a better life
3. to stimulate a more responsible consumer attitude through creative activities
The methodology was based on nonformal education methods including presentations, outdoor activities, theater, video, upcycling etc. The project activities were preparation, introduction, geting to know eachother, workshops in plenary and teams, outdoor activities, intercultural evenings, visits, reflection and evaluation according to agenda.
Final products were the results of the workshops consisting in: posters, videos, leaflet and a collection of upcycling objects created from different materials and trash.
We express our gratitude to our partners: EKO Greece, Sikanie Italy, Rasio Perspektiva – Latvia, Idea 4 Life – Poland, Europa 2020 – Spain, Karaman International Group – Turkey and to our wonderful hosts at “CASA CU TEI” Pension from Sarata Monteoru
Catalina and Tolea Postovei – project coordinators
HOW GREEN WE ARE ?
We were joking that you have to dress in green to be green, but during first workshop we discovered that our habits are not green enough and we can improve our life.
Working in teams we had a lot of fun creating posters based on our habits and discovered that we might be “ green” if:
-we select trash, recycle and upcycle
-reduce consumption of water and energy
-avoid pollution
-consume less
-cycling, walking or travel with public transportation
-have a health alimentation and an active life style
-are animal friendly
-use renewable energy
-buy at second hand shops
-take care of environment and nature
Simple actions, easy to do if you are responsible.
During the week we discovered that our organizers made efforts to create for us a “green” environment:
-we received mugs with our names to use them during the project and no plastic cups were consumed
-we worked outside as weather was fine so no air conditioning was necessary
-activities room had large windows so we use less electricity
-there were special bags for paper, bottles, aluminium
-the pension had solar panels and lights were turning on only when we passed around
-food was very well managed not to throw away leftovers
-part of covers, aluminium and trash was used in one session to create new objects
Via team work and good spirits, we exchange opinions and everyone’s ideas were taken into consideration. At the end, the final results were quite impressive!
Each petal is unique as each individual person and green habit.
Each green habit was depicted using the power of flowers.
Green habits should be the centre of the world
Love and art for mother nature.
Green habits make the planet happy.
Taking into consideration all posters, the most prominent green habits are presented here.
upcycling public transportation Reusable clothes and bags etc renewable energy support local products
CARBON FOOTPRINT
Nowadays people are very tended on materialistic lifestyle, while not thinking about the consequences that this lifestyle can leave. Unfortuantelly we all have a huge impact on carbon emissions just by using resources like - food, consumption, transportation, and household energy.
The carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions.
The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons. To have the best chance of avoiding a 2℃ rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop to under 2 tons by 2050.
Lowering individual carbon footprints from 16 tons to 2 tons is not something easy but by making small changes to our every day life actions, like eating less meat, taking fewer connecting flights and line drying our clothes, we can start making a big difference.
Also in our project “ Turn your habbits green “, we got the chance to calculate our own carbon footprint by following the website which was suggested the project organizatorsfootprintcalculator.org
Most of the questions were about: how often do you eat animal - based products, housing type, electricity, trash, transportation.
After answering the questions participants were asked to divide in a row from lowest number to biggest number by using fingers to tell how many planets would it take if everyone lived like you. After being devided we all told our numbers outloud and the we began discussion about how we all
can improve our everyday habits by reducing our carbon emissions. We came to conclusion on how we can decrease our emissions by:
Switching off the lights
Taking the stairs
Taking shorter showers
Unpluging the electronics that are not in use
Switching to LED bulbs
Shopping Second Hand
Reducing the food waste
Using reusable items instead of single use
Buying local food
Traveling by using public transpotation, bicycle, by foot
And these were only some of ideas that can be used to improve our carbon footprint, after the worshop the participants gained more knowledge about how to elaborate our daily lives with more sufficient and green habits.
Land Art
Land art was a good tool to stimulate our imagination, creativity and good team spirit. We adventured in the wonderful forest on a sunny weather and using what we found around: leaves, branches, stones, dry fruits every team created a masterpiece to express their green habits. Not only we did fantastic pieces of art but we presented them to audience and started a useful discussion about how we can change the situation and be more nature friendly.
THEMOTO-RECYCLE
“Thismoto-recycleistheonlyvehiclethatcantransportyouinthe greenworld”
GREENSHELTERFORREDDAYS
RECYCLINGSIGN
“Thisshelteristheshelterthatprotectsyoufromthereddays”
“Therecyclingsignremindsyouthatyouhavetorecyclemoreand more”
THEGREENPEACESIGN
THEGREENFIREPLACE
“Thegreenfireplaceistheonlyfirethatlightsitselfifyourecycle”
“Thegreenpeacesignrepresentsthegoodnessofgreen recycling”
Green VS Re
This activity involves working in a team in order to create a poster that defines Good and Evil (Green Vs Red) and then a small show.
The show had the same theme only that the participants had to play roles chosen by them that refer to the poster of the respective team.
By using our creativity and with a lot of fun we understand the impact our habits can have on environment and our health.
-USING SOLAR PANELS
-SAVING WATER FROM WASHING MACHINES
-ZERD WASTE
-PLANT BASED FOOD
RECYCLING
PLANET ABI
HOBBIES:
-Cycling
-Production of Soap
-Amateur of Yoga
BILL
-AGE FROM 19 -29
-MALE
-UNEPLOYED OR UNDERPAYED
-FLAT MOUTH
-REWARD = 2.30$
SMOKE! LIGHTS ON! WASTE WATER! DON’T RECYCLE! POLLUTION!
THE EVIL PARTY
-AGE: 15
-NAME: ROJO
-EDUCATION: HIGH SCHOOL
-LOCATION: DYSTOPIA
-OCCUPATION: STUDENT
HOBBIES:
SMOKING
THROWING TRASH
BULLYING EVERYONE
SQUISHING BUGS
ROJO
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT….
We live our daily lives without thinking about the simplest things that allow us to live comfortably and happily, whether it is oxygen, food, water or friendship. Each of the elements that arepart of our lives go unnoticed. Having to come up with a list of the 10 things we could not live without has made each of us worry about what our most fundamental needs are on a day-to-day basis.
The similarities between different participants from the same country showed the power of cultural elements to influence a person as an individual and a group as a community with a common identity. By sharing our results as a nation we have been able to see both similarities and differences between countries that either share similar or totally different geographical conditions and historical background.
The biggest challenge has been to find a common path between individuals of different nationalities ina single group. The basic needs of the human being have been the main part, but the most beautiful part has been to find a common path between all of them. Differences have disappeared and similarities, respect and openness to new ideas have made it possible to create poems, songs or stories like the following ones. In them, each group has been able to show their creativity by linking the 10 things they cannot live without in a single space. Undoubtedly, the fact of accompanying these resources with live performances has made us spend a fun and educational afternoon in which we have all connected in one way or another.
A RAPPING POEM that will shoot you to death
“When you go out in the sunit will hit you like a gun but it nevertheless fun. Go and get a good education so you can fit your next generation. Collaborate with the earth to obtain right mental health. You can eat food to be in a good mood. Socialising is the art of realising you are materialising. Opportunities born from curiosity can createyour life philosophy. Love is in the air, sometimes is unfair it will pull you by the heard but it has to be a pair.”
THE BASICS OF LIVE
“We can't live without oxygen, water and art. We may live without phone, but we can't live without heart. We can't live without friends, we need them to share food.
By the way, without them life is not so good. We can't imagine life without internet even though sometimes it makes us upset. We can't exist without health, it's the first thing of living. And where is the man that can live without sleeping?”
1,2,3,4,5
“A little bit of water in my life A little bit of family by my sideA little bit of love in my night A little of nature in the sun
A little of arts what I fell A little of internet when I am boredA little of food when I am hungry A little of justice for the world
A little bit of friends day and night And a little bit of travelling tonight.”
THE JOURNEYOFLIFE
“I am Andreas from the nation of imagination and I was born now as a concept in your minds. I took my first breath of oxygen and I am ready to have a relationship with my family. My mommy started taking care of me, feeding and giving me water. When I hit 7 I was sent to school to get an education and expand my relationships by getting friends. At 14 I went to High School and in my first year I gota summer job, and that's how I made my first money. Next year I found Lolla, my first love, there I started to see life in different ways. With Lolla we were going to parties, enjoying our lives and that's when the bad habits started, drinking and smoking. In a few years we broke up, and I drank away my sadness, which got me hit by a car and sent to the hospital. There I realised that health was the most important and I started enjoying life in other ways. I started traveling and seeing nature, but I don't have much time left as the story is coming to an end and I am going to fall into an eternal sleep.”
POEM
“Have you ever thought the air about having a career. Fairytales tell things forever there is someone with a white fair. Sun is shining so bright be the one drinking water tight I see a man with a clothing lightGetting friends whole the night.
At the end of rainbow, there is money.Don't be scared it might be tricky
Did you try it by yourselfpreviously?
I got you, you will sleep so early. Why do you think it's so good? Maybe you should get another food.The feelings around will get smooth.
When the things cover your body at south.
GIMME GIMME GREEN HABITS
“All I am is a man I want the nature around my head. Sometimes all I think about is food, late nights in the middle of june. Gimme, gimme, gimme humanity baby, take through the darkness to the break of the day. Baby, baby, baby art.
I was made for using technology, those were made for using me. Once I had a love and it was a gas self development were made of glass. Beating like a drum and it's coming your way Can't you hear that Boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom, bass?
He got that super recourses Boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom, bass?
He got that super recourses. Do I wanna know if this feeling flows both ways?
Ai job su pego, ai ai job su pego hey
Dont go dont go yet don't go yet dont go dont go with my mental health.
LET’S SAVE THE PLANET
This workshop was to practise our digital skills and to create posters, a leaflet and meme’s following the topic of the project. Work was relaxing and we learned from one to another how to support our ideas, how to find best messages for a poster/leaflet/flyer…and part of the results are below
ECO-DISCO COOKING
One of the craziest activity that can happen in a youth exchange was this one. Organizers provided us vegetables and fruits and all tools needed and every national team was in charge to create a salad or a dish. But that was not all, the activity and “cooking” was done with a disco music background so we danced and at same time discussed, cut, arrange leaves and pieces of vegetables in a very nice way. And believe it or not we even tasted them during the dinner. Yammmmm, yammmmm !
FROM TRASH TO CASH
At the beginning of the project we discussed about reduce, reuse, recycle but soon we discover another concept: UPCYCLING, quite new for most of us even if we were familiar with some actions of transform old things in useful ones.
So, as we were told we brought from home some materials tha we don t need anymore like pieces of clothes, jewelleries, cd’s, broken objects and together with what we collected from the nature we made a big resource to start the workshop.
We enjoyed so much this session and we created decorative objects that stayed in the activities room but also we prepared some clothes and accessories and a fashion show was presented. Apart the fun we had everybody understood that we can use things that are considered “dead” or trash to create useful objects and save money or even we can sell them and get some money.
INTERCULTURAL EVENINGS
“Intercultural learning is one of main outcomes of every Erasmus + project. Not only that youngsters discover cultural diversity but they also become aware of stereotypes, habits and traditions. Gastronomy, dances, music are first steps and it is amazing to see people promoting their cultures but at same time they understood other cultures by creating games, quizzes and short plays about them”
(Catalina – project team)
In this project we had different approaches to understand cultural diversity. First every country had the opportunity to promote their values then each country had the task to realize an artistic promotion of another country using dances, drama, music.
‘This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.’
