Sustainable living and learning – Best practices
The promotion of sustainable living and learning is becoming increasingly important at both national and global levels. Many organizations, including NGOs, government institutions, and educational institutions, have implemented best practices to promote sustainable living and learning. In this chapter, we will explore two best practices collected from our partners organizations that deal with environmental and sustainable living education at both the local and global levels.
CODEC vzw
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
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global awareness / Green skills
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries. (Global awareness refers to the consciousness that people are interconnected worldwide, both socially, economically and ecologically)
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The aim of Boskanter is to facilitate the transition to a society that is fair and is organized in such a way that it is easy or at least possible to live within the limits of the ecosystem.We do this by giving people the opportunity to try something else on our two experiential permaculture farms and to then share this experience.
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The correctbook |
Correctbook is a notebook you can use over and over again. In this book you can write and then erase what you wrote to write on the same page again.
Using a Correct Book has a positive impact on the environment, compared to using a paper notebook. With our erasable notebook you prevent paper waste. For the production of our notebooks paper from FSC certified forests is used.
At the same time they want to ban illiteracy worldwide. With each Correctbook purchased they can provide children in developing areas with the same erasable writing material. They spend 5% of the annual turnover on the realization of educational projects.
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Geoclube
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Quercus |
An initiative regarding the protection of the Portuguese flora and forest, that consists in sowing seeds collected by volunteers and planting them afterwards.
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Earth Justice |
Environmental interest NGO headquartered in San Francisco dedicated to litigating environmental issues. |
PlanBe
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
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Government |
Financial support on the installation for water heating solar panels . |
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Government
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Financial support for an energy efficiency certification .
Examples . [ Replacement of old non efficient Air Conditioning Machinery , installation of solar panels , Insulations etc |
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YouthBoard of Cyprus
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The creation of Mug Coaster with a QR Code which is linked with a website. There the organizers can find 11 tips for sustainable youth projects
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Zero Food Waste |
By attending local fruit and vegetable markets across Cyprus, we collect food that would have been thrown away and we donate it to anyone in need.
Through hosting events we aim to raise awareness about eliminating food waste and demonstrate how this supports the circular economy. |
SYSTEMS/G
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Sporites Rodopis in Komotini Greece |
Sporites Rodopis organize the annual celebration where volunteers together with students share small plants which have been cultivated in schools and on the farm. This festival is taking place in Komotini and it is the outcome of a collaboration between our organization, schools and the local community.In the festival more than 10.000 plants are given for free to the people. |
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Sito |
Every year Sito sends by post 12 different local varieties of seeds to people interested. The preservation, propagation and regeneration of endangered plant biodiversity, the rediscovering and dissemination of knowledge on seed keeping, the regeneration and maintenance of soil health, the strengthening of farming self-sufficiency, the reduction of energy footprint, the regeneration and support of Greek seed production and of the corresponding right of farmers to be able to sell the seed they produce. We believe that the current legislation on seed marketing is unjust, because it essentially allows only companies to sell seeds, practically depriving farmers of their relevant right/ a fundamental right. |
ITF
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Kenyan Government |
In 2017, Kenya passed one of the world’s harshest plastic bag bans in the world, with the production, sale, or use of plastic bags deemed punishable by a $38,000 fine or a four-year prison sentence.
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Umuganda is a national holiday in Rwanda taking place on the last Saturday of every month for mandatory nationwide community work from 08:00 to 11:00. Participation in umuganda is required by law, and failure to participate can result in a fine. |
KYSD Cambodia
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Young Eco Ambassador
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Young Eco Ambassador is a family of earth-loving individuals who empower, inspire and educate each other and society toward a more sustainable way of livingIn 2012, YEA founding team were the members of the U.S. Ambassador Youth Council and initiated various wildlife awareness campaigns.
ABOUT: Young Eco Ambassador is a family of earth loving individuals who empower, inspire and educate each other and our society toward a more sustainable way of living.
VISION: A world where people take responsibility in healing, nurturing, and protecting Mother Earth.
MISSION:
To spread our love for Mother Earth to the world by setting a platform for the exchanges of knowledge and ideas that reconnect us humans back to nature.
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City Blossom |
City Blossoms is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that cultivates the well-being of our communities through creative programming in kid-driven gardens. We envision cities with abundant, accessible green spaces where communities thrive and children build lifelong connections to the natural world. Applying our unique brand of gardens, science, art, healthy living, and community building, we “blossom” in neighborhoods where kids, their families, and neighbors may not otherwise have access to green spaces.
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Association InCo
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Association InCo together with branch of initiative Refill Europe (Refill Italy) and Province of Trentino Alto Adige
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Tap Revolution was born with the intention of decreasing plastic consumption and increasing awareness of the impact that individual and community actions have on the environment. Italy sits on the sad podium as the third country in the world for single-use bottle consumption, producing 280 thousand tonnes of plastic waste annually.
TAP revolution was a project financed jointly by the Ministry of Health of Italy, Province of Trentino-Alto Adige and partially European funds. The idea was toraise awareness on the reusable water bottles use and create awareness and hence enabling the environment for people to use water fountains or tap water in the region of Trentino. We created stickers “Here you can refill your water bottle” that currently are used by bars, restaurants, theaters, public buildings (and anyone can ask them to fill their water bottle) and an app with all water fountains in the city. Tap water in our region is of very high quality and the idea was to prevent people from buying plastic water bottles, but use their own.
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Content |
“Polar Positives” was a project financed by the European Union that brought together young people from North and South of Italy. The central objective of the project was to raise awareness on environmental sustainability and one of the best practices that continued also after the project finished were the Ecological Pills stories on social media: the volunteers were making 1 minute stories (videos, reels) with a “non evident” sustainable advice. |
OSVSWA
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
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CoreCarbonX (CCX |
CoreCarbonX and Vida Carbon Corp are working together to help 300,000 households in the Indian state of Odisha switch to clean cooking with the help of improved and very efficient stoves. These cookstoves reduce energy loss and increase heat efficiency.
The World Health Organization estimates that 2.4 billion people in the developing world still cook over open flames or inefficient stoves fueled by environmentally-harmful fuels. Cleaner cooking offers a solution to the dangerous indoor air pollution which is the leading cause of death among women and children in homes. |
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Practical ACtion, UK |
Climate change is leading to increasingly frequent and more severe natural hazards. Poor people are least able to predict natural hazards, prepare for them and protect themselves against their impacts.
That’s why Practical Action embeds climate change adaptation across all of our work; in energy access, agriculture, disaster resilience and urban WASH and waste management.
Practical Action helps to make resilience a way of life, by advising people on how to adapt their lives to a changing climate and put plans and systems in place to predict natural hazards and stop them turning into disasters. We’re contributing to joint efforts to promote environmentally sound technologies for low carbon and climate resilient development.
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CSDS
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Hanoi |
Green Fingers Vietnam is an initiative sponsored by the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Program in 2015 and is one of 20 projects of Southeast Asia sponsored by YSEALI 2016 – a famous program of the US government, now a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He is a member of the youth network 2030 Youth Force in Vietnam and is being sponsored by the US Embassy. Green Fingers Vietnam was established in June 2014, the project represents the efforts of a responsible generation of young Vietnamese to tackle society’s environmental problems creatively and effectively. With the motto “Recycling is so simple!”, we combine different activities such as awareness campaigns, organize environmental education activities by opening workshops, holding classes at a A number of schools, fairs, and music have far-reaching effects and positive results |
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Ben Tre, Hanoi – Vietnam |
In 2019, Trang decided to start an educational organization called The Forest Vietnam. The goal of the organization was to promote eco-educational spaces for children, believing that by understanding oneself and the value of biodiversity and respecting the lives of species, each child could begin a comprehensive learning journey. From there, they become a person with integrity, a sense of responsibility, and a positive contribution to society.
The Forest Vietnam’s impact on the community was immense. Students gained hands-on experience and knowledge about the environment, had space to explore and learn about the environment, and became more closely connected with nature. They developed a respectful attitude towards nature, while parents and schools gained more trust in non-formal environmental education methods.
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BVBP
| Name of the Good Practice | Area/Organization | Description |
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ARBIO |
People and companies can adopt a tree or a piece of land with several trees to protect them by donating money every month or year. This also helps companies make up for their carbon print
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WWF |
WWF is the leading global conservation organization, with a presence in more than 100 countries and support from more than 5 million members. Its actions are focused on six major objectives: forests, oceans, wildlife, fresh water, food, and climate and energy.
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Sustainable Living and Learning – Local communities
Education on the environment and sustainable living is crucial in today’s world, and there are several ways to improve it. Here are some ideas for activities to promote sustainable living and learning:
- Increase awareness about air pollution:
Schools and colleges can educate students about the sources of air pollution, including factories and vehicles. Students can brainstorm ideas on how to reduce air pollution and make signs to raise awareness in public places. They can also send proposal letters to the government to reduce air pollution from industries.
- Go Greener:
Take school students for a visit to green buildings or houses and talk about the benefits plants give us. Talk with the municipalities to find empty land of no use and plant native species with the youngest kids, show them how to take care of it and take a few pictures every school year and see how it develops and benefits the environment. Make a species guide with all local trees and plants to use less resources to have better outcomes.
- School Workshops:
Students can learn how to segregate trash and organic matter by visiting factories that segregate plastic, glass, metal, and organic matter. They can build a compost container together and learn about the composting process and benefits like less pollution and free rich soil they can use at home.
- Podcast on sustainable and environmental life:
Students can invite speakers from NGOs, government representatives, and influencers on the environment to discuss sustainable lifestyles. They can also interview random people on the street about their sustainable practices. The aim is to educate young people on how to create their sustainable lifestyle by learning from different experiences.
- Introduce the 5R:
Schools and youth-led organizations can collaborate on promoting the 5R: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, and Repurpose by storytelling. Activities can include conducting workshops with students, organizing a bicycle campaign, and creating videos to promote the 5R. Aim are to contribute to the SDG 13 on Climate Action, to make people to Rethink and React about their lifestyle, to have people being more proactive in protect the planet
- Smart Green Technology Awareness:
Students can introduce a paperless lifestyle by using e-wallets to pay, e-receipts, e-menus, e-voting, and e-bins. They can also share the benefits of technology that contribute to the environment. Aim is to contribute to green future by thinking about zero waste and replacement by technology.
- Study visits to places promoting good ecology practices:
Students can visit local businesses, NGOs, and environmental departments to learn about good ecological practices. They can brainstorm solutions for daily life issues and communicate with local businesses and organizations about the visits for the type of group they’ll come in contact with so they might be able to adapt themselves.
- School and Community Gardening:
Students can learn about food by getting involved in the process of getting food from the garden to their plates. They can create a seed bank, learn about the use of insecticides and other products, and create a guidebook with step-by-step instructions. Creating a seed bank can also be an effective way to encourage children to plant their own food and avoid buying more seeds from the supermarket the following year. To ensure the success of this initiative, a guidebook with step-by-step instructions and pictures can be provided to teachers and students, and an NGO can give a small workshop to teach them how to keep up and preserve the garden.
- Promoting the exchange of clothes and toys in schools and youth centers:
Students can create a thrifting department in schools to benefit families with little possibilities and reduce consumerism. They can designate a specific room for this thrifting and involve other schools to contribute.
- Create awareness in schools abut UNSG:
Go to schools and talk with kids about the United Nations Sustainable Goals in order to raise awareness about environmental issues. The steps would be to start by explaining what the goals are and then brainstorm with them. This way young people will be involved in creating solutions, which will be the start for them to be motivated to implement their own ideas.
- Promote the zero wastage
One approach to promoting zero wastage is to choose a specific problem and sensitize a community or state on the topic through a continuous process until it is not only embraced but practiced as well. To involve relevant stakeholders who understand the concept and goals, it is important to use kids to help spread the message of zero wastage in their homesteads and the larger community. To organize the activities, the first step is to identify a specific community and get in touch with their leader. Then, together with the leader, 3-5 schools can be selected to work with. The project concept should be shared with the school administration, teachers, and then children, and finally, various planned activities can be implemented with the students as the main target group.
- Provide photo sessions with local people about environmental issues:
Students can organize photo sessions with local people about environmental issues and provide a quarcode with further information on how to solve it. They can partner with local environmental organizations or community groups to help promote the event and gather resources.
13. Clean up the river from trash:
Students can use kayaks to collect garbage and remove litter and debris from the river. The aim is to improve the overall appearance of the river, provide unique and engaging activities for volunteers, and create opportunities for education and awareness.
Students can create a self-guided tour or trail that showcases the unique flora and fauna of a particular area. This activity encourages participants to learn about biodiversity, raise awareness and promote conservation efforts, and attract visitors and tourists interested in nature and conservation.
- Create awareness and identity with local flora and fauna species:
Aim is to promote the sustainable use of the natural resources of a specific locality. Organize information fairs on the multiple uses of the region’s resources. Provide updates on the current situation of the resources in the area through local news. Provide advice to teachers in order to motivate students to know the resources of their area in a dynamic and entertaining way in school classes.
