“Always New” project from Türkiye wins the Second Prize at the Green Skills 2024 Award

Türkiye: Nilufer Günay's 'Always New' project - Promoting sustainable fashion in an all-female vocational high school (2^nd winner)

Turkish fashion and design teacher, Nilüfer Günay, leads the 'Always New ' project at an all-female vocational high school in Zonguldak, northern Türkiye. This initiative addresses the environmental impact of the fashion industry by repurposing old clothing and promoting eco-friendly fashion practices. Günay's project not only reduces textile waste but also educates the community on sustainable consumption. Through seminars and workshops, the project has inspired many women to make environmentally conscious choices in fashion, highlighting the potential for broader application and impact. "Always New is about repurposing clothing destined for landfill sites, reducing the footprint of fast fashion on the environment," Günay declared. "But it is also about sharing our knowledge to inspire others to make eco-friendly choices."

The ETF Green Skills Award

The ETF Green Skills Award is a global initiative that was first introduced in 2021. It provides ideas and inspiration from all over the world about innovation happening thanks to individuals and institutions. The initiative has become a source of good practice that can inspire people everywhere to make real change in creating circular and carbon-neutral economies and societies.

Past winners: 2023: (1) Lebanon: Zero Waste project; (2) Morocco with Spain: Bouregreg Med-O-Med Gardening School by FUNCI; (3) Kenya: E-waste management. 2022(1) Croatia (with Armenia and Türkiye):The Green Changemakers; (2) Nigeria: Operation Skill Them Up; (3) Kenya: Don Bosco Tech Africa. 2021 (1) Palestine: Ghada Krayem, Gaza Training Centre; (2) Türkiye: Selcuk Arslan, Ataturk Vocational and Technical High School; (3) India: PSS Central Institute of Vocational Education

Past finalists per country: Albania: City of my Dreams; Albania: Shipmentt; Armenia: TUMO Labs; Azerbaijan: Inkoel; Belarus: Volma; Belgium (with France): Label Emmaüs;Croatia (with Armenia and Türkiye): The Green Changemakers; Georgia: Agriculture education in school; Georgia: Sustainable Development Academy K4S; Georgia: Construct2; India: PSS Central Institute of Vocational Education;Indonesia: Carbon Addons; Ireland: Fifty Shades Greener; Italy: Atelier Riforma; Jordan: Creating Green Land; Kenya: Don Bosco Tech Africa;Kenya: E-waste management;Lebanon: Zero Waste project; Moldova: Training the Green Trainers; Morocco with Spain: Bouregreg Med-O-Med Gardening School by FUNCI; Netherlands: Blue Hotspot Dordrecht; Netherlands (with Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Romania, and Spain): European Platform Urban Greening; Nigeria: Operation Skill Them Up; Palestine: Ghada Krayem, Gaza Training Centre;Serbia: The Green Art Incubator; Türkiye: Selcuk Arslan, Ataturk Vocational and Technical High School; Ukraine: Emau; Ukraine: Professional Qualifications in Energy Efficiency Project; Ukraine: Taras Shevchenko National University; USA with Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zimbabwe: WeCareSolar.

Background

The European Training Foundation is the EU agency supporting the countries neighbouring the EU to reform their education, training, and labour market systems. In line with the objectives of the EU Green Deal and the European Year of Skills, it actively supports progress towards sustainable, carbon-neutral, and circular economies and societies through skills development.

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