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A sea of change is just many tiny drops. That’s why the EEA and Norway Grants have funded over 1000 projects in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics to protect the environment and combat climate change. Some of them are small community initiatives; others are large international projects.
All of them are drops that create greener Europe.
Do you have an idea for a greener Europe?
Then, make sure to apply for EEA and Norway Grants.
Not long ago, 90% of the Azores’ energy was based on imported fossil fuels. That was not just bad news for the environment but also for the economy. With Iceland’s help, the Portuguese Archipelago started producing energy that’s green and local. How? Well, they tapped into one of the earth’s most explosive resources: magma!
Watch out video to discover the results of this sizzling collaboration.
Imagine digging a deep hole, straight down to the earth’s core. The deeper you go, the hotter it would get. This heat can be turned into so-called geothermal energy, which can be used to heat buildings and generate electricity. Geothermal energy is a powerful source of green energy. It can be extracted without burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas or oil. And when exploited sustainably, geothermal energy is entirely renewable.
Each year, 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean. Such large-scale plastic pollution has a damaging impact on marine life as well as human health. Tackling this problem all starts with informing people of the impact their habits have on our oceans and the animals that live in them. In Portugal, the Ocean Action Campaign found an artful way of teaching children about the effects of ocean plastics: by using science as well as scissors and paint brushes.
Watch the video to discover how!
By 2050, there will likely be more plastic in our oceans than fishes. That is not good news, since plastic pollution is extremely damaging to marine life. Animals easily get caught up in bits of plastic or suffocate when they eat them by accident. And marine pollution is not just a problem for turtles and seagulls. It also affects human health.
In the 1970s, the Ljubljana Marsh was still home to healthy populations of foxes, wolves, pheasants and bears. Then, only the bears were left. Bird numbers declined. And then the butterflies started disappearing. Something needed to be done. Wetlands are a critical part of our natural environment. They reduce the impact of floods, improve water quality and store greenhouse gases. They are also some of the most biodiverse areas in the world. But they are fast disappearing. Ljubljansko barje, the Ljubljana Marsh, has long been amongst Slovenia’s most biodiverse areas. But the once sprawling natural area has been turned into a mosaic of villages, fields, pastures, intensively cultivated meadows, hedges, tree plantations and small forests, interwoven with a dense network of roads and paths.
In the 1970s, the Ljubljana Marsh was still home to healthy populations of foxes, wolves, pheasants and bears. Then, only the bears were left. Bird numbers declined. And then the butterflies started disappearing. Something had to be done.
With only 40 cubic metres of freshwater resources per person per year, Malta is in the top 10 of water-scarce countries in the world. The country's natural water resources cover only about half of the population needs.
Watch the video to find out how the Ghajn teaches children to become water heroes.
Malta has to make each drop count. Effective and efficient water policies help, but a lot comes down to clever everyday water use. That's why the Ghajn Water Conservation Awareness Centre focuses on educating 'the next generation'. The Centre is giving children smart small tips, like washing fruit and veggies in a bowl. They also teach them about the big stuff though, like the unseen water footprint of something as simple as a slice of pizza.
How do we teach children to care for the planet? To know about climate change and to respect the environment? To answer that question, the Maximiliána Hella School in Slovakia sought expert help. From the EEA and Norway Grants and from falcons...
Watch the video to discover the Blue School’s unique approach.
Climate change is making everyone think differently. This is also the case in Slovakia, where the facts on the ground were certainly hard to ignore. The country faced severe drought in 2015 and record-breaking summer temperatures in the years following. The Slovakian government responded with the ‘Value of H2O in the country’ (H2odnota je voda) action plan, but some local initiatives had already anticipated these water-related problems. Even in the most remote areas of Slovakia, small projects were leading the way in climate change adaptation.
Here are just some of the more than 1000 green projects that the EEA and Norway Grants have funded over the past years.
The EEA and Norway Grants are launching new funding opportunities for green projects in 15 countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics. Do you want to propose a project that can protect the environment, create or promote renewable energy, improve energy efficiency or security, help Europe curb climate change …? Make sure to visit our online application guide to find out how to apply.
Apply now!
The EEA and Norway Grants do not just try to make Europe greener by the drop. Through the grants, we fund a wide range of projects in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics. Whether they focus on innovation and education, social equality, justice and good government or culture, all of those projects work together for a green, competitive and more inclusive Europe
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