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Description
According to our observations, one of the main problems among the citizens of Ględy (Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship) is a low awareness and engagement in environmental protection initiatives, ecology, and a small number of implemented projects from that field. Each individual living in our village can submit their ideas at the public hearing of our local village government dedicated to budget, however very few people take that opportunity. Majority of the activities in our municipality relate to sports clubs, which consume around ¾ of the municipality budget dedicated for public projects. According to a 2019 survey conducted among the 70 of our village’s citizens, only 30% segregates their trash, and 65% still uses single use, plastic bags. At the same time, according to the Local Data Bank, the amount of trash produced by our municipality increased over the last 10 years from 27,1kg to 230,4kg per person. As part of our project, we will develop citizens’ knowledge of healthy life style, ecology and conscious consumer attitude. We will organize workshops on making your own cosmetics and cleaning supplies at home to reduce packaging waste. We will teach how to make your own tote bags, vegetable bags and wax wrappers. We will organize a lecture on generating excessive trash, influence of garbage on the environment and human health, as well as alternatives for single use products – reusable bottles, biodegradable pottery, bread bags, and shopping tote bags. We will also have a workshop on “upcycling” – turning plastics and obsolete objects into usable housewares again. We will teach about healthy cooking with local ingredients and herbs, the value of seasonal products and making home preserves. To promote the healthy lifestyle, we will organize fitness classes for the youth and the adults, as well as build out the local recreational area for the children. We will also design a field game focused on ecological issues that will take place at the existing playground.
Summary of project results
According to our observations from the town of Ględy (Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship), one of its key problems is the low level of civic engagement and a lack of ecological awareness among the citizens. Each member of our community can file a proposal during our town council meetings, where the funds are being allocated for various initiatives, however very few take that opportunity. Most of the initiatives within our small town revolve around sport clubs around three quarters of the municipal budget for public services is spent on sport-related projects. According to a survey conducted in 2019, of the 70 citizens of our village between 18 and 75 years old, only 30% segregates their trash, while 65% uses single use plastic bags. Simultaneously, according to the Local Data Bank, the amount of garbage generated per person grew from 27.1kg to 230.4kg within the last decade.As part of the project, we have promoted the healthy lifestyle and ecology awareness among our community members. We organized workshops on creating your own cleaning supplies and cosmetics in order to reduce the amount of generated trash. We also taught classes on how to make a tote bag, vegetable sacks, and wax food wrappers. Our classes included lectures on excessive trash generation, impact of waste on the environment and human health, as well as alternatives to single-use products: plastic bottles, biodegradable Tupperware, bread bags, and tote bags. We also conducted a workshop on upcycling – reusing and remaking of old and seemingly useless plastic products. We held classes on healthy eating based on local ingredients and herbs, the value of seasonal products, and home-made preserves. In order to promote a healthy lifestyle, we have organized a sporting event for teenagers and adults and expanded a local playground for younger kids. We have also designed an eco-game based at that local playground.Based on our evaluation survey, we can say we managed to change some of the consumer habits among our community members, as well as increase their ecological awareness. The workshops also allowed people from our municipality to get to know each other better, including across generations. Our youngest participant was six years old, and the oldest was 81.
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