Project planning

Planning the green way

Planning is key for a successful youth project – especially if you want to make it eco-friendly! Green project planning is about decisions and actions that prioritise sustainability throughout all phases of the project.

Find out more!

Test your knowledge

Project planning quiz

Do you know how to organise projects in a sustainable way? Try to answer our 5 questions!

1 / 5

1. Implementing youth activities in a sustainable way is not always easy. What do you think is the biggest challenge perceived by the participants of our ECOrasmus survey?

a) Lack of interest in sustainability

b) Lack of information

c) Lack of financial resources

d) Lack of skills and knowledge

2 / 5

2. When choosing partners, what would be good advice to make your project an eco-friendly success?

a) Select partners only based on their financial contributions to the project.

b) Prioritise partners who have the largest social media following.

c) Seek partners who share your project's sustainability goals and values.

d) Try to find partners from the most far away countries as possible.

3 / 5

3. What does "People Planet Profit" represent?

a) A new fitness mantra for project managers

b) The triple bottom line concept emphasising social, environmental, and economic sustainability

c) A dance routine for eco-conscious co-workers

d) A neoliberal concept based on exploiting the people and the planet for profit

4 / 5

4. What is "sustainability criteria" in the context of project planning?

a) The financial budget for a project

b) A list of environmental regulations that need to be followed

c) The set of objectives and standards used to evaluate project options and select the most sustainable one

d) The timeline for completing the project

5 / 5

5. When you apply for funding for Erasmus+ youth projects, you can receive an extra budget for…

a) Green project management

b) Green office supplies and materials

c) Green travel

d) Green smoothies

Your score is

The average score is 0%

Best practices

Check out some of our best practices – and find even more in our free to download handbook!

Find like-minded partners

Choose partners that broadly share your values on sustainability. Agree to organise the project in an eco-friendly way.

Be aware of different points of view

Organisations with environmental goals often have higher eco-standards than organisations focusing on other topics.

Manage eco-expectations

Wasting water, eco-friendly meals can be perceived very differently. Explore differences in the planning phase to avoid frustration. Clarify what all partners expect to achieve.

Celebrate little successes

Do not end up embittered. Seeing the topic as too hard or too big can result in disengagement or avoidance. Handle frustrations positively, celebrate achievements.

Assess how you are doing and strategize

Develop a strategy based on your findings. Adopt a sustainability standard.

Consider a partnership formula

For example, 75% of the partners are on a distance of 0-999 km which allows for train or bus travel, 20 % on a distance of 1000-1500 km and 5% on a distance of 1500 km or further. Of course as a rule of thumb.

Involve local actors in your project

Create a connection to the place and the people where you are implementing the project. Support the locals.

Communicate eco-practices right away

Inform participants about eco-friendly practices beforehand (like you expect them to travel green, you offer a meat-free diet, etc).

Incorporate environmental education

Including activities around the topic of sustainability in your activities can inspire participants to take action.

Create a sustainability checklist

List your projects’ eco-measures and check regularly if you keep implementing them.

“It is important to state our values to our partners before starting a project. To state that it is important for us to focus on sustainability, also on the impact of our project on the climate.”

Helena Tovarková, director of Eco-NGO Nadace Veronica