SOS Earth : Exploring natural diversity and creating awareness of environmental problems Erasmus Project

Project Title

SOS Earth : Exploring natural diversity and creating awareness of environmental problems

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: Natural sciences; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

Throughout the course of the project we will work together to embrace the diverse natural heritage in Europe and explore the many differences and also similarities between the four countries. The project will involve four schools with pupils growing up in a mainly urban environment. Some of them have not experienced much of the rich and diverse natural resources of European countries. This project aims at encouraging our students to discover and explore some of Europe’s natural heritage, and to reinforce a sense of pride and appreciation of our continent’s natural wealth. We believe that , in order for the future generation to act and deal with environmental problems, it takes young people who are passionate about our natural surroundings. We must face up to the fact that we only have one planet and must live and act accordingly. On the one hand, students of the four participating schools will explore and find out how beautiful and diverse our environment is and on the other hand become aware of the environmental problems we are facing. Finally, they will learn what each one of us individually and as a European community can do to tackle these problems and live in an environmentally friendly way.
This project aims to foster in our students and teachers primarily a sense of awareness and pride for our European wealth of natural resources, but also a sense of respect and open-mindedness. Together, in international teams , they will discuss environmental issues and plan activities and actions to deal with environmental problems. Science, Biology and Geography teachers will teach the pupils the importance of the three ‘ r ‘s : Reduce, reuse and recycle for protecting our nature and saving energy and natural resources. Participants taking part in the project and meetings will be around 100 students of diverse backgrounds and abilities of the four partner schools, aged between 14 and 16, their teachers and last but not least the parents, who will host the students during the Learning, Teaching and Training Activities.
Planned activities include walks along the river banks and in the Lagoon of Obidos, visits and field trips to natural heritage sites, eco farms, and natural history museums , as well as visiting a glacier and learning about the negative effects of global warming. Schools will organise ecological runs and walks. Creative activities such as Landart workshops will be organised too. Using online tools, students will measure their carbon footprint and learn, how one can reduce it. Schools will be assessed on how effective they are with waste management and use of energy . New movements such as the “zero-waste” lifestyle will be explored and bulk stores and markets, selling their products without packaging will be visited. The advantages of using locally grown organic food will be discussed and experienced during food workshops and while visiting local eco-farms. Students will also have the opportunity to take walks through forests and along beaches, lakes and rivers, testing water quality with science teachers and comparing the water quality of different rivers and lakes and the sea of the different countries taking part in the project. Towards the end of our project, a tree will be planted in each of the school yards as a sign of our commitment to the environment.
Methodology used in this project includes peer learning, team work, small group work, practical workshops, guided tours and lectures, using online tools , presenting project work in front of an audience, using eTwinning, doing sports and creative work, exploring and experimenting. Students will take part in discussions and think creatively when looking for solutions to environmental problems.
With this project we endeavour to engage and motivate students of all abilities to actively participate in their learning process. Learning about the natural environment and the cause and effects of environmental problems and making our pupils reflect on and discuss possible solutions to these issues will promote communicative skills and problem solving skills and teamwork at a European level. We believe that children should acquire a passion for the natural environment from an early age on, by learning and exploring nature. It is a proven fact, that people who have knowledge of diverse natural animal and plant species also develop the desire to preserve and protect biodiversity. People who do not have this knowledge and do not have positive experiences in natural surroundings do not feel the need to protect biodiversity. Longer term benefits will be that all participants will recognise the need to change or adapt their lifestyle in order to protect the environment and will therefore grow up to be responsible citizens of the European Union. In the long term, activities carried out during this project and online tools used will be implemented in our teaching and in future projects, carried both nationally and at a European level.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 105040 Eur

Project Coordinator

RG Modellschule Graz & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Thomas More Catholic School
• Collège Aristide Briand
• Agrupamento de Escolas de Josefa de Óbidos