We all know, in theory, that we need to take care of nature. But how do we turn “green thinking” into “green doing”? The new Handbook about Green Practices in ESC Team RISE projects, published by Associazione Joint APS, answers this question with simple, low-cost and replicable practices tested by young volunteers in three European Solidarity Corps Teams in Italy.
The handbook is a result of RISE – Road to Inclusion and Solidarity in Europe, a project that promotes solidarity and a more inclusive society across the EU. Its core idea is that environmentalism should not be an elite hobby, but a bridge to inclusion. For this reason, it focuses on the impact of involving Highly Vulnerable Young People (HVYP) – volunteers who may face fewer opportunities but have immense potential – in projects that put them in direct contact with nature and animals.
Learning by doing, in three different settings
Volunteers did not just study sustainability: they lived it. The handbook presents the results of three Team mobilities, each with its own perspective on green living:
- Cascina EUtopia (Casaleggio Boiro, Piedmont) – a rural setting focused on wellbeing and the connection between nature and the body. Volunteers harvested lavender and distilled it into essential oil, and made natural shampoos from bananas, aquafaba and even old bread.
- Ostello Monte Barro (Galbiate, Lecco) – a wilder environment inside a protected regional park, focused on circularity and upcycling. Volunteers turned old fruit crates into shelves for the hostel, protected local amphibians and learned foraging and vegan cooking with a local expert, with recipes such as wild garlic pesto and “peacamole”.
- Cooperativa One (Crotone, Calabria) – an urban project showing that sustainability is possible in town too. Volunteers made handmade recycled paper and ran a street and radio campaign on separate waste collection in the historic centre. In the following months, the municipality introduced separate collection there.
Ready to try at home, at school or in your youth centre
Every practice comes with materials, step-by-step instructions and learning outcomes. The handbook intentionally avoids methods that need big investments or extreme time commitments: everything can be adapted to schools, youth centres, community spaces or your own kitchen.
Beyond the techniques, the handbook shows that green practices are also pathways to empowerment. For the young people involved, foraging, upcycling or speaking to residents about recycling became a way to contribute meaningfully to their community – proof that social inclusion and environmental care go hand in hand.
Who is it for?
The handbook is for youth workers, volunteers, educators and curious citizens who want to reduce their environmental impact while strengthening the values of solidarity. As the authors put it: sustainability is not a destination, it is a road.
Download the Handbook about Green Practices in ESC Team RISE projects (PDF)
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
