Ecological Footprint 2020 – Europe Go Green! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Ecological Footprint 2020 – Europe Go Green!

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 : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

1st part: 2017-2018
The first year of the project included the first preparatory visit of the partners in Gifhorn and the meeting in Reda / Poland.
At the first meeting in Gifhorn, we designed our first logo and had the problems of CO2 production in various lectures. These lectures were in English and for each group a first step towards understanding the problems to be studied. We visited the “Autostadt” in Wolfsburg, where we visited the VW plant and went through all the different steps of the production. Before our short visit to Berlin, we spent a night together at school. Puff pastry, pasta and other dishes were cooked together and experiences exchanged.
In Berlin, we visited many different sights, such as the Holocaust Memorial, the Victory Column and the Brandenburg Gate was very interesting for everyone.

Between the meetings, all schools dealt with the problems in the regions and created posters or PowerPoint presentations about the topic. There was an exchange of information between the teachers and the pupils on the state of the investigations and the progress of the posters. Each partner school has its own projects in the regions to obtain information and to gain experience in LOCAL.

At our second meeting in Poland, we learned that the most economical route from “A” to “B” is not always the fastest, as our train was delayed by about 4 hours. That was not bad, because it is the best way to get to know about Europe while traveling.
In Reda / Poland the students showed us the school and informed us about their projects concerning the CO2 problems. The next day we went on a trip to Gdansk, a large industrial town nearby that has environmental problems. The next day we visited a seal station, where we learned a lot about the problems and the rescue of the seas or the Baltic Sea.
We also had some presentations about the footprints of different countries and how it would be possible to reduce them. In summary, the meeting was very interesting and made a lot of fun.

2nd part: 2018-2019
In the second year of the project there was a meeting in Burgas / Bulgaria and a final meeting in Gifhorn / Germany.
At the beginning of the school year, there was an evaluation of the first year and a first planning of the second year of the project. We worked more on solutions and tried to implement them in the schools.
In September 2018 (8 pupils and 2 teachers of the European School Humboldt-Gymnasium Gifhorn) flew to Burgas, a coastal city on the eastern shore of Bulgaria. The first days we spent with our guest students in the respective families. There we learned a lot about culture, language and environmental behavior.
In addition, during our regular meetings at school, we worked on how we can reduce our CO² footprint. The lectures, which have been prepared every Monday in the AG, also dealt with the question of a more conscious and ecologically better lifestyle. We spent two nights a week together in the group and shared the results in presentations and workshops. There, too, we got to know the city better and made international friendships.

Back in Gifhorn, the implementation and improvement of the group ‘s CO2 reduction was the focus.

A few months later (March 2019) the exchange students from Poland and Bulgaria visited us in Gifhorn. Also this time, lectures were prepared and presented as we have improved our environmental footprint since the last meeting. We also prepared a city tour in Gifhorn for the guest students and teachers from Burgas and Reda and had a lot of fun in the implementation. Also a trip to Wolfsburg could not be missing. There we took part in a factory tour through the VW plant and then explored the Autostadt.
We spent the night together in the group and attended the “fridays for future” demonstrations the next day, for which we had already produced posters together at school.
In the evening we all cooked together in the school and had dinner. We stayed at the school and said goodbye to the guest students and teachers the next day. We had a great week together and were very happy to see everyone again. Our ecological footprint results have also improved and we want to continue to do something for our planet, respecting the environment and our future.

After this successful second year of the Erasmus + project, the groups look forward to seeing each other again in 2019-2022. With new ideas and new partner schools we discuss the new topic: The Future of Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 61760 Eur

Project Coordinator

Europaschule Humboldt-Gymnasium Gifhorn & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Szkola Podstawowa numer 3 im. Stefana Zeromskiego
• German Language School Goethe