Buy Less, Choose Well, Make It Last - A Lasting Commitment to Sustainable Living

Black Wood Environmental Biedrība participated as a partner in the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange project "Buy Less, Choose Well, Make It Last" (Project No: 2022-3-HU01-KA152-YOU-000094019), coordinated by Young Nature Volunteers in Debrecen, Hungary, between 1–8 October 2023. The project brought together participants from Czechia, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye to encourage responsible consumption, reduce waste, and promote sustainable lifestyles through non-formal education and intercultural cooperation.

The project aimed to raise awareness of the environmental consequences of excessive consumption while encouraging young people to adopt more conscious and sustainable lifestyles. Through a combination of interactive workshops, discussions, practical activities, field observations, and intercultural exchange, participants explored the importance of reducing waste, reusing resources, recycling effectively, and making environmentally responsible consumer choices. These learning experiences demonstrated that sustainability begins with everyday decisions and collective responsibility.

An important achievement of the mobility was the development of participants' personal and professional competences. Working in international teams strengthened communication, teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and intercultural understanding. By comparing environmental practices from different countries and collaborating on common challenges, participants gained valuable experience in international cooperation while building confidence in expressing their ideas and contributing to group solutions.

The project also provided practical knowledge that participants could transfer to their own communities after returning home. They learned to evaluate waste management systems, design environmentally friendly initiatives, promote zero-waste habits, and encourage responsible consumption through awareness-raising activities. The Youthpass reflection process further supported participants in recognising the competences they had developed, reinforcing the value of non-formal learning and lifelong personal development.

Beyond environmental education, the mobility fostered lasting international friendships, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to protecting the planet. Participants left the project with greater environmental awareness, stronger intercultural connections, and the motivation to act as ambassadors for sustainable living within their schools, organisations, and local communities. The experience demonstrated that meaningful change begins with informed individuals working together toward a common goal of creating a more sustainable future.