ENVIRASMUS-Towards a sustainable Erasmus Mobility in VET

"<< Background >>We applied for the ENVIRASMUS project to address the urgent need for education about environmental sustainability and to reduce the Erasmus+ program's environmental impact. Recognizing the EU's identified gaps, we aimed to provide tools and resources to promote sustainable practices among Erasmus participants. Key needs addressed included: conducting baseline research to assess the program’s environmental impact and proposing indicators for future evaluation, ensuring sustainability monitoring and improvement. We developed a mobile app featuring a carbon footprint calculator and practical tips for greener living, enabling participants to measure and reduce their impact. The pre-mobility workshops and city-specific catalogs provide actionable information on sustainable transport, recycling, and eco-friendly options, empowering participants to make informed choices. The project also promotes digital tools for broader reach and long-term impact. By creating new materials, monitoring progress, and collaborating internationally, ENVIRASMUS supports EU priorities and inspires sustainable behavior changes during and beyond mobilities.<< Objectives >>The project objectives were to investigate about Erasmus VET students’ behaviour regarding their environmental sustainability practices, comparing their behaviour at home vs their behaviour during their Erasmus exchange programme, raising awareness and motivating students during pre-mobility activities towards developing individual changes to reduce their carbon footprint, to motivatestudents to achieve a greener Erasmus+, to measure and analyse the individual carbon footprint of Erasmus VET students during their exchange programme andanalyse if the project materials are being effective, to provide students with information about sustainable options in 5 different European cities, to strengthen collaboration between VET centres participating in the Erasmus programme, assuring the continuity of Green Erasmus VET practices once the project is over. The project objectives and results are directly linked the priorities of the project: Environment and fight against climatechange (main topic of the materials), and the creation and implementation of internationalisation strategies for VET providers and VET Erasmus students<< Implementation >>First we conducted a preliminary research to identify necessary content and resources for sustainable mobility preparation. We used the results to develop and launch the Envirasmus platform and mobile application, featuring a questionnaire and carbon footprint calculator, recommendations for greener daily habits, access to pre-mobility workshops. We have included the pre-mobility workshops into the preparation phase for Erasmus+ KA1 mobility to educate participants about sustainable transportation, recycling systems, and local food options in host cities. The partnership compiled catalogs for each partner city, detailing recycling systems, second-hand stores, farmers' markets, sustainable restaurants, and eco-friendly activities.We have implemented 4 live partner meetings, 10 online meetings, 6 multiplier events and several presentations, one of the most succesful being the presentation on annual meeting of Erasmus+ Coordinators on KA1 HED level (invited by Slovenian NA), we had a presentation at European VET Skills Week and were also invited to present the project to WindEurope (advocates wind energy policies for Europe).<< Results >>Concrete outputs and results of the ENVIRASMUS project include:A functional online platform and mobile application available at envirasmus.eu and app download.Catalogs providing comprehensive information about sustainable options in partner cities, available for download via the platform.Pre-mobility workshops enhancing participants' awareness and preparedness for sustainable living in host countries.Positive feedback and reflections from participants, indicating increased environmental awareness and appreciation for sustainable practices. Example:""Before arriving in Finland, we learned about eco-friendly waste management and energy conservation. Surprisingly, Finland lacked some of these practices, which made us appreciate Slovenia's efforts even more."" – Ajda, Kaja, Maša, and Maja.Materials and tools designed for long-term and broad use, accessible in multiple languages (Slovenian, Italian, Swedish, French, Spanish, and English).Opinion on the project from one of the partner organizations: ""An enormous, wonderful tool for capacity-building Bridging education-labour market gap, providing opportunities for learners, addressing identified common needs across borders."" (Drottning Blankas)."