"Green(washing?)"

“Green(washing)?” is a project dedicated to consumption, green and social washing as well as actions we can take to live in a more environmentally-friendly and socially just world. We will approach the topic of greenwashing and more general green practices with our brain, heart and hands, getting to know facts, developing our skills of critical thinking, deep listening, empathy and connection as well as participating in hands-on activities in a permaculture farm and implementing social actions for our communities. Being aware of the challenging situation of the world today, we are ready to provide time, space and tools to reconnect to ourselves, to others and to nature and to find our inner balance, so crucial in the work of youth leaders, youth workers and more broadly - changemakers.

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, people in Europe start to be more and more aware, many choose eco and green options, are concerned about social and environmental issues as well as their own health and well-being. Businesses caught the trend and we can observe constant growth of ecological, green alternatives; every second product seems to save our planet, animals, people, being organic, natural, eco, etc. But is it really so? Together with partner organizations, during our collaboration in previous projects and daily discussions, we realized that today's challenge is not anymore to encourage young people to choose better products but to prepare them to be able to distinguish valuable products from green and social washing. Green and social washing refers to situations in which we are told that a certain product or service is good for us, for the society, the environment, etc, but in reality it is equally or sometimes even more harmful than traditional products.

During this training course we aim at equipping youth workers, youth activists, leaders and educators with information and skills which will help them to:

• understand how the process of producing goods looks like (where our clothes, food, cosmetics, electronics, etc. come from, in what conditions they are produced and what are the consequences of it)'
• realise where our natural resources come from, how do we use them today and what’s the potential danger in the future in relation to that;
• distinguish good, green solutions, products and services from green and social washing;
• critically analyse their daily consumption choices, noticing which of their habits could be improved to become more responsible toward people and the environment
• create their own solutions, social actions, campaigns, search for relevant information and share them in interesting and engaging ways;
• spread new skills and information, especially among young people by boosting motivation, giving specific tools and building a network of people interested in the topic.

GOALS AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES 

Knowledge - during the training participants will:

• Understand where our goods come from, in what conditions they are produced, who earns in the process, what are the consequences of all that at a local and a global level.
• Learn about natural resources - the way they were formed, the way we use them today and the potential consequences of it in the near future.
• Understand how tourism has become one of the main consumption businesses, what are the consequences of it, both for the environment and local communities.
• Gain basic knowledge about existing complex solutions like 5R concept, permaculture, circular economy, steady-state economy and social business.

Skills - during the training participants will develop:

• Skills of searching for valuable information about consumption and presenting them to others, especially to young people, in an interesting and engaging way
• Skills of planning, implementing and evaluating social action related to the topic of consumption
• Skills of giving and receiving valuable feedback
• Skills of critical thinking, research and data analysis, especially related to so called green and eco solutions
• Social skills such as: teamwork, creativity, empathy, communication, interacting with people representing different cultures, background and perspectives 

Attitudes and behaviour - during and after the training participants will:

• Make more careful consumer choices, taking into consideration not only price and quality of the products, but also in what conditions were they produced, how they influence the environment and the life of people 
• Be able to distinguish between real green and eco solutions versus green and social washing
• Reduce the amount of rubbish they produce, both at work and at home and consider them potential resources instead of waste
• Be more careful with choosing the means of transport, considering buses and in general public transport as first choice 
• Understand how their behavior influences other people and pay special attention to be coherent in their words and actions 
• Be able and willing to contribute to the collective good of our interconnected and interdependent world, taking real actions 

Participants will also get to know and receive different stories and case studies related to consumption which they can use in their daily work, for example the story of organic rice farmers from Thailand, the story of organic coffee producers from Peru, the stories of responsible clothes factories from Cambodia, etc. They will also explore new inspiring non-formal education methods.

PARTICIPANTS PROFILE

The participants of the training are youth leaders, youth workers and activists, teachers interested in developing their knowledge and skills in the field of consumption. 

People who participate in the training should be motivated and willing to share their new knowledge, skills and experiences gained during the project with other people, especially youth, and they should have the possibility to share results by leading workshops/sessions for young people. 

The participants of this project should fulfill the following criteria: 

• good understanding of the situation of young people in their community and / or in national context;
• good understanding of the needs in the field of youth;
• at least a basic understanding of non-formal education purposes, framework and educational approaches;
• motivation to take part in a mutual learning process and in an intercultural and challenging setting 
• a communicative level of English.

ACCOMMODATION:

The training takes place at Żywa Ziemia (Living Earth), located in Zakrzewo, close to Gdańsk, Poland. Żywa Ziemia is a natural farm promoting healthy living, permaculture and sustainability (https://www.facebook.com/ZywaZiemia/). They provide shared rooms, multiple training spaces (including beautiful outdoor spaces, presence of animals and other living beings as well as solitude and natural surroundings reducing “city” distractions) and vegetarian/vegan food, partly produced at their farm.

COVID SITUATION

As organizers, we will make sure to meet COVID restrictions and recommendations by the regulator, adjusting accordingly our program, accomodation, etc.