Water is life ! It is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well as its function as an indispensable resource for the economy. Water also plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle. Protection of water resources, of fresh and salt water ecosystems and of the water we drink and bathe in is therefore one of the cornerstones of environmental protection in Europe. The stakes are high, the issues transcend national boundaries, and concerted action at the level of the EU is necessary to ensure effective protection.The Union has set five ambitious objectives – on employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy – to be reached by 2020. Each Member State has adopted its own national targets in each of these areas. Concrete actions at EU and national levels underpin the strategy. The objective is to ensure that a sufficient quantity of good quality water is available for people’s needs, the economy and the environment throughout the EU. Water is essential for life and an indispensable resource for the economy. Accordingly, EU water policy focuses on protecting water resources. The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) is designed to protect European waters, achieve good ecological status and enable sustainable use. Planet Earth is called the Blue Planet because two thirds of the planet is covered with water – the wonder liquid of life . Yet, today the world is facing a water crisis which will only worsen with time as the freshwater resources around the world dwindle drop by drop. With more than a billion people around the world lacking access to safe drinking water and over two million children dying every year due to the lack of safe drinking water and diseases associated with it, it is vital that we save every drop of the freshwater available in the world. From now on saving every drop we can, is more important than ever. The main motivation of this project is to make young people aware of the water issue and to teach them how to find solutions for this problem. Starting from the slogan “Love Every Drop”, we want to change beliefs through different actions of informing and making young people and not only them aware of environmental issues in general and the water issues in particular. Our aims are as the following:
To make students understand the value of clean water in their local environment.
To develop their knowledge about the importance of water by analysing its role in the past, present and future.
To enhance responsible attitudes and effective key competences towards the respect of water and our environment.
To improve students’ language and intercultural knowledge.
To make the students from the target group and the community responsible about the problem of water management.
To identify solutions concerning the responsible management of environmental problems in general and water in particular.
To integrate students in the European society as active participants and potential future decision makers.
To promote cooperation between young people from different European countries.
Subjects and problems: 1. The main subject of the project is water preservation. The students will need to explain why water has become an endangered natural resource, they will find solutions and alternatives for reducing water consumption and they will identify alternative water resources. 2. The second main subject is providing European cooperation between students from different countries as active citizens in a common effort to resolve a general problem which will affect Europe in the years to come. Approach to achieve the objectives: The approach on this project is made through various strategies, deductive and inductive, focusing on the trainee. All the activities will be active and participative; we plan using modern methods and digital instruments, educational platforms, virtual work places. Starting with local geographical particularities, but concerning a common problem at a European level, the students will work in international teams with the purpose of harmonizing the suggested solutions. By using brainstorming and student‐centered methods, questioning problems, case studies and projects, the students will be able to offer concrete solutions to the identified problems. “Love Every Drop” project will provide an introduction to the importance of water on both local and global basis. It aims to raise awareness of how simple actions can substantially reduce water consumption. The opportunity to work in a European-wide multilateral project will probably be a unique and precious experience for everybody involved in this project which will inevitably make a difference in the participants’ lives. We are positive that the established contacts between participating schools, staff and young people all over Europe will outlive and enrich the project. That’s why LED should be carried out on transnational platform.