READY FOR THE GREEN CHALLENGE: EU-FUNDED GREEN TRIP IS STARTING

15 influencers visit over 70 green projects to promote a sustainable lifestyle in Europe.

On 29 October the Green Trip campaign sends 15 young influencers from five European countries to visit more than 70 sustainable projects to showcase existing green solutions and promote a climate friendly lifestyle. By travelling through Belgium, Germany, Greece, Lithuania and Portugal and taking three different routes, each of them will discover innovative ideas, present inspiring projects and talk to green change-makers in the field of mobility, food, housing, preservation, production chains.

“Ding-Dong” is the sound of someone ringing at your door, and that’s exactly what the influencers will do throughout their #DingDongEU journey. In Greece the influencers Angelo, Alexandra and Eutuxia will cross the country and ring at the door of a variety of local sustainable projects and green ambassadors to get inspired by their climate friendly actions. The followers are invited to jump on various adventures and promote ground-breaking green initiatives together with the influencers. Each influencer’s trip culminates in the organisation of a Big Green Challenge that showcases a specific sustainable initiative enabled by the EU.

“Like a fish in the water!” is the theme of Angelo. He will explore both the destructive and the healing power of water. You will learn about the impact of climate change on marine life and coastal communities and what we can all do to protect our aquatic ecosystems.

His Big Green Challenge will be linked to Lake Kerkini, which is the central part of the EU supported National Park. This artificial lake is one of the 10 Greek Wetlands and offers the ideal conditions for bird watching. It is one of the best places in Europe for natural watching of about 300 rare and protected bird species that live and breed here.

Under the theme “Nothing goes to waste.”, Alexandra will take you on a journey to learn more about circular lifestyle and various recycling principles both from an individual perspective and from a perspective of a large-scale waste management facility.

Did you know that most of us do not do recycling correctly? The Big Green Challenge of Alexandra will tackle this. EU supported project Waste React is a facility for boosting recycling and composting. At the Waste React, we will see the behind-the-scenes of the recycling process and learn first-hand how and why we need to sort out trash correctly.

Under the theme “How to become a perfect eco-tourist in Crete?” Eutuxia discovers Crete. By following his green trip you will learn that attracting more visitors to the island is vital, since that will lead to a more robust economy. But it equally important to ensure that tourists are conscientious and their actions have a low impact on the region. This can be done mainly by promoting more sensitivity towards the local cultures and the biodiversity, as well as making sure that visitors can contribute to local conservation efforts.

Her Big Green Challenge will take place at Psiloritis geopark and is all about geotourism, you will embark on a rewarding journey where you will discover more about the importance of conserving the natural and cultural heritage of specific regions and the essential role that ecological and cultural awareness plays in this process. The Psiloritis and Sitia Geoparks is a geological heritage site included in the Network of European Geoparks and is officially recognised as a UNESCO geopark.

Discover the Big Green challenges and follow the Green Trip online and on Instagram

The Green Trip, run under the creative concept: The Ding-Dong! Ready for the Green Challenge?, is a campaign initiated by the European Commission’s Regional and Urban Policy Directorate-General (DG REGIO). The campaign promotes sustainable projects and lifestyles towards young Europeans (16-24 yo). The journeys of the influencers take place between October-November 2020 and the campaign will run until May 2021.

The European Commission is closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation on daily basis and the campaign and the influencers are strictly following all the precautions and measures in their respective countries. Therefore, some elements in the campaign might change according to the new rules and restrictions announced by authorities. All the Green Challenges have digital options in order to respect social distancing and to adapt to a quickly evolving situation in unprecedent times.

Contact details: dingdongpress@icfnext.com

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