Eco Future: One Planet, Many Schools, Shared Actions

Eco Future: Many Hands, One Greener Planet

Description of the International Action

The international environmental initiative “Eco Future: Many Hands, One Greener Planet” is implemented within the framework of the European eTwinning project “Eco Future”, connecting school communities from different countries through a shared commitment to environmental protection, waste prevention, material reuse, composting, creativity and cooperation.

The eTwinning project was founded by Charitini Petridou (Project Founder), from the Special Vocational Education Workshops of Komotini (E.E.E.EK. Komotini), Greece, with Sevgi ERGAN (Project Co-founder), from Ahmet Kutsi Tecer Special Education Vocational School, Sivas, Türkiye.

The two schools cooperate in coordinating the project and supporting communication, the exchange of ideas and collaboration among the international partners.

The partnership brings together six schools, 13 teachers and their students from four countries: Greece, Türkiye, Jordan and Spain.

A distinctive feature of the project is the diversity of its student participants. The partnership includes students with intellectual disabilities, students on the autism spectrum, and students from mainstream education. This combination of different educational experiences, learning needs and abilities highlights the importance of inclusion, equal participation and cooperation without barriers.

Students take part in activities adapted to their abilities, needs and interests, allowing them to express themselves creatively, work together and contribute to shared environmental goals.

For the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR 2026), 21–29 November 2026, the participating schools are connecting their individual environmental activities through a shared international awareness-raising effort.

Although the activities differ in their materials, methods and educational contexts, they share a common goal: to demonstrate that discarded materials can be given a new purpose and that every student, regardless of ability, can make a meaningful contribution to protecting the environment.

Participating Schools and Environmental Actions

1. Greece – Special Vocational Education Workshops of Komotini (E.E.E.EK. Komotini)

Project Founder and Coordinator: Charitini Petridou.

Four teachers have developed four distinct environmental actions.

Second Wind: When Sails Become Art

Responsible teacher: Charitini Petridou.

Used sailing sails are transformed into original artworks through the creative participation of students with disabilities.

The school has received 150 kilograms of used sails donated by sailing organisations. The sails are used as alternative surfaces for artistic expression, giving students opportunities to experiment with colours, designs and creative techniques.

The action combines material reuse, artistic expression, environmental awareness and social inclusion.

The artworks are planned to be exhibited at the school during EWWR 2026, with the possibility of further presentations in the local community, subject to the necessary agreements and approvals.

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/second-wind-when-sails-become-art/

Turning Organic Waste into Life for Our Plants!

Responsible teacher: Anastasia Pylarinou.

Students explore the collection and composting of organic waste, learning how plant-based residues can become a valuable resource for plants and the school environment.

The activity promotes experiential learning and an understanding of the natural cycle of organic materials.

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/turning-organic-waste-into-life-for-our-plants/

The Tremble Clef – A Key to Reuse

Responsible teacher: Theodosia Deli.

Students collect and sort used plastic bottle caps by colour and size to create a large treble clef on a reused backing.

The activity combines music, rhythm games, environmental awareness and inclusive artistic expression. Tasks are adapted to each student’s abilities and support needs.

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/the-tremble-clef-a-key-to-reuse/

Composting Together, Bringing Soil to Life

Responsible teacher: Konstantinos Demiris.

Students with intellectual disabilities collect leaves and plant waste and learn about composting through accessible, hands-on activities adapted to their abilities and support needs.

The action promotes teamwork, active participation and an understanding of the environmental value of organic materials.

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/composting-together-bringing-soil-to-life/

2. Türkiye – Ahmet Kutsi Tecer Special Education Vocational School, Sivas

Project Co-founder and Coordinator: Sevgi ERGAN.

The Turkish school is one of the two coordinating schools of the eTwinning project “Eco Future”, together with E.E.E.EK. Komotini.

Two teachers participate from the school.

Atık İpleri Dönüştürüyorum

Responsible teacher: Sevgi ERGAN.

Students reuse waste yarn to create new products, including bandanas, keychains and other handmade items.

The activity highlights how discarded materials can be transformed into useful objects while developing creativity and practical skills.

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/atik-ipleri-donusturuyorum/

Decorations with Lids

Responsible teacher: Muhammed Sefa Kılınç.

Students repurpose everyday plastic bottle caps of different colours and sizes to create original decorative wall designs.

The caps are combined with fabric scraps, strings, beads and other decorative materials, encouraging creative expression and the reuse of everyday objects.

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/decorations-with-lids/

3. Greece – Special Vocational Education Workshops of Kallithea

Responsible teacher: Ioanna Athanasopoulou.

Nothing Goes to Waste! RE–RE

The initiative aims to raise students’ awareness of waste reduction, material reuse and environmental protection through art and creativity.

Students from the Handicrafts and Ceramics workshop collect leftover items and materials from other school workshops, including Cooking and Gardening, and explore ways to give them a new purpose through creative activities.

The action promotes cooperation between workshops, experiential learning and responsible resource management.

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/nothing-goes-to-waste-re-re/

4. Greece – Unified Special Vocational Lower and Upper Secondary School of Aigaleo

Participating teachers: Nafsika Liatsou, Mary Vasilopoulou and Giorgos Tsotras.

The three teachers participate in the shared environmental action:

Our Earth Through Bottle Caps – Giving Plastic a Second Life

Students create a collaborative mosaic of the Earth using discarded plastic bottle caps.

Through collecting, sorting and creatively reusing the caps, students raise awareness of plastic waste reduction and discover how an everyday object can become a means of artistic expression.

The activity promotes teamwork, creativity and inclusive environmental education.

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/our-earth-through-bottle-caps-giving-plastic-a-second-life/

5. Jordan – Princess Haya Comprehensive Secondary School

Two teachers participate in a shared environmental action.

Students plan to create a school garden using stones, make waste collection bins from cardboard, reuse coloured plastic bottles in a pathway and transform old tyres into seating and planters.

The action demonstrates how everyday materials can be given new uses while improving the school environment.

Registered action: Jordan

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/jordan/

6. Spain – Ana María Matute School

Responsible teacher: Carmen Pastor Ros.

Give Life to Old Toys

The action focuses on reusing old toys, highlighting the possibility of extending the useful life of objects that might otherwise be discarded.

Through this theme, the activity promotes waste prevention, responsible consumption and a more sustainable approach to everyday objects.

https://ewwr.eu/actions/2026/give-old-toys-a-new-live/?preview=true

Environmental Education, Inclusion and International Cooperation

The distinctive value of “Eco Future: Many Hands, One Greener Planet” lies in bringing together students with different backgrounds, abilities and educational experiences.

The project involves students with intellectual disabilities, students on the autism spectrum, and students from mainstream education, connected through shared environmental values.

The participation of special education and mainstream schools provides an opportunity to demonstrate that environmental action belongs to everyone and that diversity can be a source of creativity, mutual respect and cooperation.

Activities are designed according to students’ individual needs and abilities. Artistic expression, collecting and sorting materials, composting, reusing toys and creating useful objects offer different ways to participate, allowing every student to contribute in their own way.

At the same time, cooperation among schools in Greece, Türkiye, Jordan and Spain creates opportunities to exchange experiences and good practices, promoting intercultural communication and shared environmental responsibility.

Through the reuse of sailing fabric, plastic bottle caps, waste yarn, organic materials, cardboard, plastic bottles, old tyres and toys, students explore different approaches to waste prevention and responsible resource use.

Joint Digital Presentation and Dissemination

As part of EWWR 2026, the partnership proposes to create a shared digital presentation of the participating schools’ environmental actions.

The presentation will bring together information about the partner schools, brief descriptions of their activities, appropriate photographic material and links to the available individual EWWR registrations.

Special emphasis will be placed on highlighting the active participation of students with different educational needs and abilities, as well as cooperation between students from special and mainstream education.

This shared resource will allow students and teachers to discover their international partners’ activities, exchange ideas and communicate their collective environmental effort to a wider audience.

The joint presentation is proposed to be organised through cooperation between the coordinating schools in Greece and Türkiye, with contributions from the other partner schools, subject to their agreement.

This international initiative complements rather than replaces the separate EWWR actions registered by the participating schools.

Expected Outcomes

The initiative aims to:

• Raise awareness of waste prevention and responsible resource use.
• Promote material reuse, extending the useful life of objects, and composting organic waste.
• Encourage creativity, teamwork and experiential environmental learning.
• Strengthen inclusion and equal participation among students with intellectual disabilities, students on the autism spectrum and students from mainstream education.
• Provide meaningful opportunities for expression and participation for students with different abilities and learning needs.
• Strengthen international cooperation among teachers and students.
• Share the environmental activities of the participating schools through a common international digital presentation.

Our Shared Message

Many Hands, One Greener Planet!

Different countries, different schools, different abilities — working together for a more sustainable and inclusive future.