Description (EN): The project is focused on programme strategic objective common challenges in environment and public health and thematic objectives - TO6 Environmental protection, climate change mitigation and adaption. The project involves two regional capitals of border areas - City of Pskov (Pskov Oblast, RU) and City of Võru (Võru County, EE). Both centres often face environmental challenges and need to tackle waste remediation on routine basis, there is also need for environmental protection and increase of biodiversity in urban areas. In cities people do not employ enough environment-friendly practices or acknowledge how littering or contaminating affects the living environment or that environmental pollution affects us all regardless of administrative borders. The project’s overall goal is to raise the people’s awareness of the importance of environmental protection and energy-efficient practices, and to create an attractive, biologically diverse and environmentally sustainable urban area in regional centres (Võru and Pskov) at the border areas. The project activities will help to shape people';s behaviour and raise their awareness about the need of environmental protection. Also, attractive biologically diverse study and recreation area will be created. The area got selected based on input from educational institutions and citizens. Cross-border cooperation is necessary because the capitals of the border areas face the same problems. There are regional centres on both sides of the border - City of Pskov is the centre of Pskov Oblast, and City of Võru is the centre of Võru County. Both regional centres (despite of the size) tackle waste problems on routine basis. International approach is needed to establish a cooperation network between local authorities, educational and environmental institutions in the border areas and share best practices in the field of environmental education. Experience sharing improves the quality of environmental education and harmonises the level of education on both sides of the border. The main target group is children, because working with children the whole family will be involved in one way or another. The focus of the project activities is planned with motto "people to people" - there will be many different events for students and families in which other citizens are also involved. There will be at least 18 different awareness raising events (approximately in total 800 people are involved) that will help to shape people';s behaviour about the need of environmental protection and the importance of sustainable and biologically diverse environment. 40 students are actively involved in environmental research or art project. Two urban areas (Võru (EE) 4,2 ha, Pskov (RU) 3,9 ha) will be reconstructed and will become attractive biologically diverse study and recreation areas. There are 4 parnters (Võru Town Government and Võru Upper Secondary School from Estonia and Pskov City Administration and Ecological-Biological Centre from Russia) and 6 associate partners (Võru Järve School, Võru Kreutzwald School, Võru Kesklinna School and Environmental Board from Estonia and Pskov Humanitarian Lyceum, Centre for special education No 1 from Russia) in the project. All partners and associate partners are specially selected to implement the project in most successful way and achieve set goals of the project and programme. Beneficiaries are: the citizens (especially children) - rise of awareness, attractive biologically diverse study and recreation area; educational institutions - networks between different organisations, teaching and learning methods and materials, exchange of best practises; local authorities - network between different organisations, exchange of best practises, improved urban area which becomes attractive biologically diverse study and recreation area, cleaner living environment. Establishing the environmental education area directly in city centre is a new approach. Traditionally, environmental education centres have been set up outside the cities whereas in this case, the innovative approach is to establish educational areas within cities - closer and more accessible to people. Also, the new aspect of the project is that people themselves are involved in creation of urban areas that have educational function. For instance in Võru (EE) there will be a park of willows (it';s unique in Europe) which is attractive and useful for many reasons: it helps to stop flooding of shores of Koreli; it gives biodiversity to the area; it will be a study base for students and dendrologists: the willows themselves can be material for handicraft lessons (basketry) and it supports sustainable management; and appearance of the park is attractive in every season due to seasonal changes in willows'; foliage and shape.
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Expected Outputs (EN): The project activities are consistent with programme strategic and thematic objectives in common challenges of in environment and environmental protection. All activities support increased awareness about environmental protection and energy efficiency among inhabitants and institutions in the Programme area. There are two caracteristics of the results - one is the creation of physical environment in aim to make formal and invormal teaching and studing environment attractive and the other is the activities that hep to get the target group attention, to make involve them into discussions and to do something together that change their habbits and understandings about the need of environmental protection in city centres.
The results of projects are:
1) increased awareness of citizens about environmental protection (especially children and their families), especially changes in children's behavior, also how to use resources (energy, different materials, etc) efficiently.
Through 18 different events (campaigns, environmental days, exchanges etc) approx. 800 people have taken part in different events, and estimately 400 students have understood the importance and need of environmental protection.
Approx. 40 children have actively taken part in environmental research or art projects.
Approx. 70 families (approx 280 people) have taken part in environmental actions (planting trees, etc).
Approx. 80 students have taken part in youth sience conference.
2) Educational materials for raising environmental awareness and the quality of education is improved and developed.
3) 2 attractive, biologically diverse and environmentally sustainable urban areas are created. 3,9 ha in Pskov, shore of river Mirozhka and 4,2 ha in Võru, shore of creek Koreli are reconstructed and established as an attractive open air teaching/study and recreation areas, including small scale purification water asset in Mirozhka.
4) The project activities and results are visible.
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