From the 1st to the 10th of July, 2022, AMSED organized in Strasbourg the “Zero Waste” Seminar, with the support of its European partners. Bringing together 45 participants from 13 countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Romania, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Belgium, Hungary and Turkey), this project funded by the Erasmus+ Program aimed at exchanging good practices and enabling youth workers to develop the necessary skills to support the implementation of youth initiatives and projects in the field of Zero Waste.
During 10 days, the participants had the opportunity to work together on this theme thanks to numerous non-formal education activities. On the program:Â
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Reflection and interactive definition of the concepts of zero waste, sustainable development, circular economy, “5 R’s” method (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot), “BISOU” method (need, immediate, similar, origin, useful), global warming, carbon emissions, ecological footprint, green and social entrepreneurship, social and solidarity economy, innovation, eco-citizenship, employability, young people with fewer opportunities ;
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Projection of street interview videos made by the participants in their countries to exchange and understand the different contexts in terms of zero waste, waste management and sustainable development;
- Exchange of experiences and sharing of best practices from the 13 partner countries in the field of Zero Waste;
- Workshops and reflections around the many issues related to Zero Waste: the potential of innovation and employability for young people, the ecological footprint, e-waste, green travel, the Green Deal…
- Workshops to create collaborative tools: an E-Campaign of recommendations for companies, policy makers and civil society; a Tutorial on the creation of Zero Waste start-ups for young people; and a Guide “1 year of challenge to go Zero Waste”;
- Photo safari during which participants discovered the best addresses and practices in Strasbourg in terms of Zero Waste;
- Round tables and debates with Zero Waste experts: we had the honor to welcome Mr. Pierre ROTH, Vice-President of the Eurometropole of Strasbourg and City Councillor in charge of the Social and Solidarity Economy; Mrs. Agnès SADOWSKA, General Delegate within the association La Banque de l’Objet; Mr. Fritz FERNANDEZ, Responsible for eco-consumption within the Chamber of Consumption of Alsace and the Grand-Est; and Mr. William GOURDIN-SERVENIERE, co-founder and CEO of the start-up Green Phoenix ;
- Do It Yourself workshops to put into practice the Zero Waste approach in a creative way, always from recycled materials: weaving; puppet making; creation of Tawashi sponges; contemporary art; sprouting; natural cosmetics;
- Theatre performances of situations experienced by the participants around environmental issues;
- Presentation of the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programs by Mrs. Marie-Agnès PIERROT, in charge Youth, Europe and International at the Regional Directorate of Youth, Sports and Social Cohesion of the Grand-Est region;
- Development of new partnerships and creation of new European youth projects related to environmental and/or social issues.
We would like to warmly thank all the speakers who accepted to come and share their experiences, as well as our European partners: Familles du Monde asbl (Belgium), Blue Cherry Academy for Youth and Adults (Cyprus), Asociacion Mundus – Un Mundo a Tus Pies (Spain), StepEurope (Finland), KIKE (Hungary), ALTERNATA SILoS onlus (Italy), Mano Europa (Lithuania), Bad Badgers (Poland), ESN Minho (Portugal), Mostar Friedensprojekt (Germany), Aspire to Change (Romania), and Pi Youth Association (Turkey). Last but not least, a huge thank you to all the participants who invested themselves with us in this beautiful project!
A LOOK BACK AT THESE 10 DAYS RICH IN IDEAS AND SHARING:Â
