Let`s make trash great again – Upcycling Erasmus Project

Project Title

Let`s make trash great again – Upcycling

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Energy and resources; Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions

Project Summary

As a vocational school for technology and environment, we consider it one of our highest educational goals to motivate our students to act responsibly and environmentally conscious in order to make a contribution to environmental protection in today’s consumer-oriented “throwaway society”.
For this reason, we would like to realize our Erasmus+ project “Let’s make trash great again!” in cooperation with our Italian partner school: we aim at manufacturing Upcycling products from waste products which we receive either from private equity or from regional companies in Germany and Italy.
While the German partner school will participate in the planned project with approximately 12 pupils from vocational school classes (computer scientists and electronics and mechatronics technicians) as well as from pupils of the vocational high school with technical orientation (environmental, electrical and constructional engineering as well as metal technology), the Italian partner school will participate with approximately 12 pupils from the vocational school classes (timber engineering) and the economics classes (cost control and rentability).
A total of four project meetings – spread over twenty-four months – are planned, two in each partner country. During each period of work, the pupils from the partner schools will be in active foreign language contact via the eTwinning platform to collect ideas and impulses for the planned Upcycling products and to exchange ideas via “eTwinning-Live- Community”.
During the planned project meetings at the partner schools, the pupils of the host schools conduct self-planned foreign language workshops with the pupils of the sending school – according to the principle of “learning by teaching” – in which the sent pupils, under the guidance of the host pupils, reproduce their developed upcycling products. Several day trips are also planned during all project meetings, both in Italy and in Germany. During these day trips the focus will be on providing students with a comprehensive insight into the process, significance and consequences of waste disposal/incineration (visit to the Mainz waste incineration plant) and basic steel production processes (UNESCO World Heritage Site Völklinger Hütte) and alternative ways to practice an environmentally conscious lifestyle (visit to the Huhtamaki company in Alf, which produces disposable tableware) to make them critically reflect on their own behaviour towards their environment. During these day trips, students will work on materials (questionnaires, quizzes, rallies, etc.) created in advance and exchanged via eTwinning to ensure sustainable learning success.
However, getting to know the region of the partner country should also play a decisive role: In Germany, for example, its oldest city, Trier (UNESCO World Heritage Site Porta Nigra), but also the state capital of Mainz, as well as the typical place for wine-growing on the Moselle, Bernkastel-Kues, will be visited.
In Italy the German pupils will visit the Province of Trento, its territory (UNESCO World Heritage Site Pala Group in the Dolomites) and its historical towns (Trento, Rovereto) as well as the Province of Bozen (Südtirol) and its famous attractions.
During the last project meeting, the focus will also be on creating a shared website on eTwinning, where students will be able to upload independently developed foreign language tutorials, publish a foreign language glossary with an environmental focus, picture galleries and have the opportunity to interact in a forum. With the help of this website the Upcycling products developed by the students can be published, the idea of Upcycling can be spread and the achieved project results can be reviewed and reflected. In addition, the developed project products are to be published on the homepage of the schools. The survey tool SELFIE will also be used for final evaluation. After the project will have been completed, it is planned in any case to continue the school-internal work to manufacture further Upcycling products. This can be continued by initiating the JUNIOR project and the foundation of a student company, which will offer the chance to improve further when it comes to learning foreign languages and being prepared for the challenges of professional life.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 0 Eur

Project Coordinator

BBS für Technologie und Umwelt Wittlich & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Istituto di Istruzione “La Rosa Bianca – Weisse Rose”