EcoBusiness vol 1 in pictures


So you decide to take part on this creative recycling youth exchange. Awesome, but what does this mean, what will you have to do? So you start looking for ideas on the internet and you see how many great things people can do from plastic, cans, cork, paper and for some days you become obsessed with it.
The final moment has come and you find yourself in Iasi meeting new people from Romania, Hungary with Slovakia, and Portugal with Brazil. You start to get to know each other playing different games, you start to act like a team and the snow that is settling outside it helps a lot. Some have never seen snow so a snow fight and a snowman are mandatory. 










We found out how the situation of recycling in our countries is and what kinds of materials are more recycled. We also conducted a survey among the students in the surrounding dorms to see the recycling situation in Iasi, in the neighborhood and of course what they do regarding this.






And soon the creative days have come, and we started to play with paper and cork at first preparing folders for the press conference at Iasi City Hall that succeed the following day, where we impressed those present at the event with how less Romania recycles and how much the other countries. Being out in the city we all thought that will be a pleasant moment to know the surroundings and to visit some places like: Stefan cel Mare Street, Metropolitan Cathedral, National Theater and the Golia Monastery. Here we have also climbed to the top of the Golia Tower and had a great panorama of the city. Of course we couldn’t skip the Palace of Culture and the rink in front of it.














 













And a very important day was about to come, the day in which we showed to people of Iasi what great things you can do with recycling materials. In the morning we had a creative session using cans, plastic bottles and egg shells, building a Christmas tree out of cans. In the afternoon we went through a huge snow to Moldova Mall and we showed people how they can use the materials and we did together some nice accessories.













In the last day we tried to improve our business ideas, to create a marketing plan and to see the risks. This way our recycled glass workshop, sugar can plastic factory and cartoons toilet paper factory were just one step to be on the market.








Of course we cannot forget the nights: we presented our hobbies and passions, played traditional games, common games, we told legends of our countries, we shared hobbies, we saw movies and we searched every spot of a toilet while searching for the clues of a treasure hunt… and last but never the least we had a lot of fun.























The evaluation was sensible and full of emotions, sentiments that we took forward to a dancing night, because music is the best element to keep people together and to discover in the last moment things you have in common with the others… or that some can understand your language, might it be PT PT or PT BR :D





Creative Recycling Workshop

The Creative Recycling Workshop is scheduled for December 12, Wednesday at Moldova Mall -  Iasi starting at 17.00 until 19.00. 
 
The purpose of this workshop is to shop to the guests -  the clients of the shopping center -  how they can make objects out of recycling materials with their own hands. 
They will realize Christmas decorations, stamps, photo frames, gift bags from all kinds of recycled materials: paper, thin cans, corks, plastic bottles.
The workshop aims to promote “zero waste" philosophy and the idea that by recycling everyday household material, individuals can save money, repurpose the waste they generate and reduce the negative impact of that waste on our environment.

APV - Leaders first meeting

The Advance Planning Visit for Eco Business took place between the 5th to 7th of October 2012, in Iasi, Romania. The APV was rescheduled from September to October at the request of our partner from Portugal - Associação Hemisférios Solidários, whom due to some financial difficulties did not attend this meeting. 
At this meeting we had 4 participants: 2 from P.O.D. Association-Romania and 2 from Messzelátó Egyesület – Hungary. The leaders were accommodated at hall T8 (where usually are accommodated the Erasmus incoming students) from ”Tudor Vladimirescu” Campus at the “Gheorghe Asachi “Technical University. For our partners from Hungary we offered a tour of the rooms, the sanitary facilities, the dining-hall, the common room and other places at the disposition of the youngsters.

Throughout the three days we treated subjects according the preparation of the project:
  • Facilitating the activities
  • Ideas for the creatives workshops and what kind of resources are needed
  • Discussion on the daily plan
  • How to promote the project and the public event that will take place
  • Financial Payments
  • Risk and Safety Management
  • Food, meals for vegetarians


This meeting was crucial for the smooth running of the project because after some discussion regarding the financial difficulties to support 30 % of the travel cost of each participant, and due to the problems that youngsters from these countries are facing - like unemployment, we concluded that is best to rescheduled the project date for December (6-14.12.2012). In this way the 2 promoting partners will have more time to select the participants.
After we settled all the main financial and administrative points it was time to get some fun sooo…we have a small city tour to present the main attraction from Iasi. Attractions included Stefan cel Mare boulevard, admiring the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Copou Garden and the Palace of Culture. And to announced our great meeting we launched some fireworks ….or ….to be honest the fireworks were for the city of Iasi, to announce the National Opera 2012 seasoning opening..  
Thanks to this meeting the leaders had the opportunity to get to know each other and to get a lot of enthusiasm for the project  ! We are looking forward for December’s exchange, when more is to do and to see.
See you all soon !