Let’s keep on moving eco-friendly Erasmus Project

Project Title

Let’s keep on moving eco-friendly

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Health and wellbeing; Environment and climate change; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

LKME aimed at improving the students’ basic and transversal skills when making our schools more eco-friendly.
This is why we decided to develop the students’ basic skills:
a) Foreign language skills (also when dealing with complex topics): enable our students to study or work in Europe, especially as they have national languages which are not widely spoken.
b) ICT skills: in the quickly progressing field of ICT we gave the students the opportunity to apply and develop their skills.
c) Science skills: We aimed at sparking off the students’ decreasing interest in science and let them experience that they cannot only understand up-to-date research but also develop their own ideas to contribute to progress.
d) Entrepreneurship: To let words follow action the students acted as entrepreneurs when they encouraged eco-friendly behaviour of other people in- and outside our schools.
We chose the topic eco-friendliness and climate change to take action where it is urgently need and also to support the Europe 2020 strategy for sustainable growth and the reduction of CO2 emissions by 20%. LKME’s European cooperation increased its impact and underlined the fact that the challenge of global warming cannot be solved by individual countries (European added value).
Each of the four participating schools had worked with at least one other school before, so LKME strengthened existing ties. Furthermore each school contributed expertise to the project: The Swedish school shared their experience in promoting reading skills in general and internet research in particular, the Danish school was expert in the field of visible learning and special ICT skills, the German school contributed the experience in Content Integrated Language Learning (CLIL) especially in connection with science, while the Turkish school gave us access to a well-established network with the university as well as the board of education.
Each Learning Teaching Training activity (LTT) took a different view on the challenge to become more eco-friendly.
In LTT1 “Me and my carbon footprint” the students determined their carbon footprint and discussed how it can be made smaller. Unluckily we had to give up the plan of using a sustainability app designed by the UN for this purpose. So instead of carrying out a CO2-saving competition, each school developed on action plan to make their school more eco-friendly. Here measures taken at a partner school were used as a role model.
So an initiative to reduce food waste was set up and established at the Swedish school, the Danish school focused on separating different types of litter, the Turkish school promoted the idea of eco-friendliness with posters, sticker footprints and bird’s nests and took action by establishing the apple day, while the German school started a collection of refund bottles to avoid litter around the school and use the refund money to reduce waste from drinking bottles in the long run by putting up a drinking fountain.
In LTT2 “Me and my environment” students developed their science skills and environmental awareness by comparing the results from fieldwork on local ecosystems across Europe. This resulted in exhibitions which were put up at each school. Also the students enjoyed natural environments e.g. on the Hike and Bike excursion. The follow-ups from LTT1 required a lot a perseverance as well as problem solving. So the participants gave each other advice, which ensured ensured their success. Finally the students agreed to promote the project at their school by painting a wall at each school for this purpose.
LTT3 “Me and my physical activity” deepened the understanding of the win-win situation when linking sustainable mobility with physical fitness. Here another attempt was made to find a suitable green app to set up a CO2 saving competition between the schools. Sadly because of technical problems and since tests resolved in unsatisfying results, the focus was changed to how old (bike) and new (me-mover) sustainable means of transportation contribute to fitness, well-being and saving CO2. To promote well-being and eco-friendliness the participants decided not only to make film clips but also to reduce the consumption of meat with a Veggie Day at each school.
In LTT4 “Me and my ideas” students obtained insight into Gotland’s municipality’s plans to become independent from fossil fuels by 2025 and developed their own ideas of how to reach this aim with the help of an entrepreneur game. This resulted in presentations and scientific posters which were put up at each school.
Summing up in can be said that the project still has long-lasting impact on the participants` basic and transversal skills as well as on their environmental awareness and motivation to act eco-friendly, also at school.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 88500 Eur

Project Coordinator

Landrat-Lucas-Gymnasium & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Täby Enskilda Gymnasium
• Bagsværd Friskole
• Vali Nevzat Ayaz Anadolu Lisesi