Izabela participated in the Training Course “One Earth, One Chance” organized by PROJUVEN in Benalmádena, Spain
Hello Izabela! Can you give us your opinion about the project “One Earth, One Chance“ and Erasmus + experience?
I am very happy that I had the chance to participate in such an interesting project. I think it was a very important and valid topic. I learned a lot during this one week in Benalmadena. I met many great people who were as passionate about this topic as I was and we had a lot of discussions together. Workshops were diverse, we worked both in national and international teams which allowed us to see different perspectives and opinions motivated by the country where we are from, our social background, culture, education and expectations. Project was built around group works, brainstorms, workshops, outside activities and lectures. I think participating in such a project was a very valuable experience for me.
What are some of the biggest challenges you see in addressing climate change, and how do you think we can overcome them?
Personally I think that the biggest challenge is to persuade people that climate change already happens and affects our everyday life even if we don’t notice it. That this is not a problem that concerns only Africa or Pacific Islands but also us living in Europe. Even though people hear about climate related issues every day, some of them still find it hard to actually believe that this is a real problem. I think that if people will realize that that is our common problem they will become more active and they will simply care more. Of course to overcome this challenge the most important is education, talking to young people around us about the situation and trying to raise their awareness about this topic by for example organizing projects like this one but also using modern media such as social media and posting about climate changes and pollution.
What are some specific actions you plan to take to reduce your own carbon footprint and contribute to the fight against climate change?
During the project everyone did their own test about carbon footprint in their lives. In my test the thing that contributed the most to my result was my food choices which was very unexpected for me. In my everyday life I mostly use public transport as I live in a big city, I ride a bike or walk, I don’t have a car. When I shop I always use my own tote bag, I have LED lightbulbs in my apartment and I try to save energy. When it comes to food I try to eat vegetarian food, I usually eat meat a few times per month. I usually buy basic products produced in my home country such as milk, cheese, butter apples, tomatoes or potatoes.
To reduce my carbon footprint I plan to continue my good habits but also implement a few new ideas that I learned during the project. From now on I am going to check certificates that are put on food and cosmetics to check if they are real. I am going to replace brands that I usually use to be more eco-friendly and read more about them and their policy. I am going to be more careful about what I eat and if possible replace some of my food choices with more sustainable and locally produced ones.
