Web Analytics

fundsforNGOs - Grants and Resources for Sustainability

Grants and Resources for Sustainability

You are here: Home / Proposals / Development and use of Sustainable Methods of Environmental Protection

Development and use of Sustainable Methods of Environmental Protection

The whole project is based on the concept: Think, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The first term should encourage thinking about the resources around us, their renewability and rational use. Reduce refers to a smart purchase and consumption. Reuse is about multiple usage of some things and objects. Finally, term Recycle is about techniques of recycling, sorting waste and many useful things that we can get by its processing. The project also includes lectures about the facts concerning energy, air, water, waste, sustainability and biodiversity. This project was based on several activities: Preparation of educational materials that were used during the school; Administrative part which consisted of reaching biology teachers or other responsible persons in primary schools; Realization of the workshop, which consisted of educational games and presentations and Final activity included cleaning and planting of the area within the campus. To encourage the use of sustainable energy sources through educational content; To introduce the principles of permaculture and its use in everyday life. Using the knowledge and experience in real life and their transfer to the children and young people are the objectives of the project.

Project Short Description

The project includes the implementation of two units – creation of multimedia educational materials, which are used in non-formal education, and implementation of interactive creative workshops with children and youth, with a focus on the development and use of sustainable methods of environmental protection.

The whole project is based on the concept: Think, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The first term should encourage thinking about the resources around us, their renewability and rational use. Reduce refers to a smart purchase and consumption. Reuse is about multiple usage of some things and objects. Finally, term Recycle is about techniques of recycling, sorting waste and many useful things that we can get by its processing. The project also includes lectures about the facts concerning energy, air, water, waste, sustainability and biodiversity.

This project was based on several activities:

  • Preparation of educational materials that were used during the school;
  • Administrative part which consisted of reaching biology teachers or other responsible persons in primary schools in the Sarajevo Canton and arranging the date of the individual workshops;
  • Realization of the workshop, which consisted of educational games and presentations, as well as the creative part in which children have learned how to make things from already used items and materials;
  • Final activity included cleaning and planting of the area within the campus of the University of Sarajevo.

Project Objectives

General goal of the project: to contribute to the worldwide efforts to preserve nature and the environment.

Some other objectives were:

  • Education and animation of the younger generations about the needs of sustainable waste management and nature protection, with particular emphasis on the endemic and rare species;
  • To encourage the use of sustainable energy sources through educational content:
  • To introduce the principles of permaculture and its use in everyday life;
  • Using the knowledge and experience in real life and their transfer to the children and young people.

Project Result

The project started with participation in the European project named „European Week of Waste Reduction “through implementation of a series of activities, under the motto “Waste reduction is a way of life, not a week”. Within these activities members of our society have collected a significant amount of cardboard and plastic packaging, bottles, organic and construction waste, that was later used in a workshop called „Do not recycle yet – reinvent! “. Using the collected “waste” as material we made objects of a new use-value (ornaments, toys, etc; Fig 1-2).

Presentation of the results from this part of our activities was held in the multimedia hall of the Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (INGEB), Sarajevo. Pictures from the presentation were published on the official website of the EWWR project. The presentation was attended also by representatives of the Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development.

Input materials for workshops within the project „Atra’s Mini School of Ecology “were collected during this part of activities.

During the period of realization of this project, it was involved more than 100 children from fourth to ninth grades of primary education. Among them were two children with behavioural disorders, as well as one child with special needs who have successfully participated in all parts of the workshop. This fact proves that this project is very adaptable not only to different age groups, but to children with developmental disabilities as well.

Workshops were held on Saturday in the facility of XXXXXX or in the premises of primary schools. On average, the workshop lasted for four hours, so the students were provided with a meal consisting of a sandwich, fruit, juice and candy. Ensuring equal instalments for all, we avoided the impact of possible social differences between the participants, which allowed children to relax and enjoy participating in all activities.

Every workshop was divided into three parts in order to maintain the level of children’s’ attention: educational games, presentations and creative part of the workshops.

The first type of educational game was a memory game, which consisted of two sets with 16 cards with images of endemic animal and plant species of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Children were divided into two teams, “Lilies” (based on endemic flower – Lilium bosniacum) and “Atra” (based on previously mentioned – Salamandra atra prenjensisi). They competed in finding a greater number of pairs of identical images. Due to the competitive nature of this game, children showed additional motivation for participation. It is important to mention that the cards for this game were made of recycled cardboard cereal boxes.

The second game included pictures with different types of waste, which should be sorted on the board in the appropriate column for organic and inorganic waste. During the game it was explained the difference between these two categories of waste, the danger of its irresponsible disposal, and presented some interesting facts regarding the break-down time of different materials that could be found in discarded garbage.

Finally, for the third game children competed in tossing rings. The goal of the game was to put on as many rings on the bars made of old cardboard box. The point of this game was to physically activate the young ones and to show them how it is possible to make fun games at no cost, at the same time contributing to the environmental protection through the reduction of waste production.

As it was expected, children reacted very well to the games which additionally motivated them to follow the educational thematic presentations. After the memory game, first presentation that was shown introduced children to the names of endemic plants and animals whose images they have seen through the game. Also, they learned interesting and fun facts regarding those species.

The second presentation is used to connect endemic flora and fauna (fragile ecosystems) with the disastrous consequences of inadequate waste disposal and environmental impact. This story was adjusted with text and pictures for younger age.

Through this presentation children were introduced to the concepts of caves, their types and the most famous cave systems in B&H. An example of cave ecosystem, as the most sensitive and at the same time extremely rich in endemic species, has been used to explain the water cycle in nature and its path and processes from the moment of falling to the mainland. Explanation was given on how the disposal of waste in a cave at the end affects man himself given that the water we drink originates mostly from the very caves. The success of the presentation is proven by the fact that many teachers, who also attended the workshops, requested copies of the presentation and expressed their intention to include them in regular classes or work of the ecology clubs.

Creative workshop was the part of the project to which children responded with great enthusiasm and interest. They were showed how anyone can make new and useful things out of something that is considered waste, with just a little imagination and will. As input resources we used materials collected by members of XXXXXX, as well as raw materials that were collected by the children themselves through small ecological actions for which we asked teachers to implement in their schools. Also, from the approved funds we bought all other necessary equipment and materials so that participants did not have any material costs. In this way, children of different financial situation once again were given an equal chance, so that the only difference present was the extent of imagination and ideas. It should be noted that, when purchasing materials and equipment for creative workshop, we made sure that these items (crayons, glue, etc.) were clearly declared as non-toxic for children and safe for the environment.

The project was concluded with the activities of cleaning and gardening of the area of 30 m2 within the University Campus. On the selected area members of the Society removed the topsoil, dug up and aerate the soil, enriched by manure and poured a new layer of quality soil. Then they planted perennial and annual plants, planted grass, put a wooden fence and decorative stone paths that allow access to plants for watering. The pictures will say more than words would. The last activity within this project was the planting of rose and petunia seedlings in brick planters next to new “Atra’s garden” with help from the pupils of “Vladislav Skarić” primary school and residents of orphanage “Bjelave”, which symbolically completed the project.

To evaluate the project itself among the children and teachers, we had an anonymous questionnaire so that participants could grade the project and its individual parts. It contained the following questions:

  • Give general grade to „Atra’s Mini School of Ecology “:
    • very bad
    • bad
    • good
    • very good
    • excellent
  • Using grades from 1 to 5 (bad-excellent) please rate:
    • Games_____            Presentations _____           Workshop_____
  • Will you try to apply the things you’ve learned in the workshop:
    • YES,               NO                  I DON’T KNOW
  • What did you like the most about “Atra’s Mini School of Ecology “?

The children rated the entire project with a high average score of 4.96. Below are the results of the questionnaire from children, and the results of the poll conducted among teachers.

Average grades for the individual segments of the project are shown in the table:

The table shows that the creative workshop received the highest score, which was consistent with our impressions. Children, regardless of age and gender, made a remarkable response to creative workshop and showed great commitment and imagination in the work. Items made during the workshops were used in the schools for making small ecological exhibitions.