Strengthen young people’s environmental awareness by teaching them how to reduce waste, recycle and use sustainable materials.
The Project
About Zero-Waste Festivals
The “Zero-Waste Festivals” project aims to transform a traditional Greek practice, the summer village festival (panigiri), into a sustainable and creative experience, showcasing both local cultural heritage and a modern approach to environmental sustainability.
Our core goal is to create a dynamic framework that engages young people in a shared effort to upgrade local tradition, turning it into a modern form of art and cultural expression.
Goals
What the project wants to achieve
Revive interest in the cultural heritage of Laconia, showing that traditional dances and songs can become a living workshop of coexistence and innovation.
Empower young people to develop creative and practical skills and become ambassadors of local cultural identity at a European level.
Promote cultural exchange and cooperation between young people from different European countries, broadening their horizons.
Create a model of sustainable tradition that can be reproduced and applied in other regions of Greece and Europe.
Activities
What we will do together
Creative art workshops
Working with traditional and modern materials, many of them recycled or collected locally, to create artworks and decorations for the festival. A highlight is the “Trash to Treasure Musical Instruments Workshop”, where participants build improvised instruments from recyclable materials.
Theatre & music events
Combining Spanish flamenco with traditional Greek music and Balkan rhythms from Serbia. Together we compose “Green Kalamatianos”, a song that unites different cultural elements, and we stage “Musical Dialogues in Residents’ Homes” and flash mob happenings in public spaces.
Environmental sustainability actions
Recycling workshops and creative activities with natural materials. This includes the “Grandmothers’ Kitchen” (traditional recipes and reducing food waste) and an “Eco Corner at the Festival” with interactive stands and QR guides for sustainable behaviour.
Idea-exchange & dialogue
Participants meet to share experiences, discuss challenges and plan future actions, building a lasting network of cooperation.
Public events & presentations
Showcasing the young people’s work and informing the local community and European stakeholders about the value of art as a means of social change.
Who takes part
Participants & partners
30participants
4countries
9days
🇬🇷
Greece
6 participants · 1 team leader · 1 organiser
🇪🇸
Spain
6 participants · 1 team leader
🇷🇸
Serbia
6 participants · 1 team leader
🇷🇴
Romania
6 participants · 1 team leader · 1 organiser
Partner organisations
- Lakwn-texnes 🇬🇷 · Coordinating organisation · green travel
- EUROMOVE Spain 🇪🇸 · Partner · travel
- ARTVOCADES 🇷🇸 · Partner · green travel
- Asociația Euroactive NGO 🇷🇴 · Partner · green travel
Before you come
Practical information
The activity runs from 1 to 9 September. The 31st of August and the 10th of September are the arrival and departure days, so they count as travel days.
- Participants from Romania, Serbia and Greece travel directly by van from their countries to the venue.
- Participants from Spain should book their flights to arrive at Athens airport by 14:00 on 31 August at the latest, and to depart from Athens to Spain after 15:00 on 10 September. This is because there is a specific ferry to Elafonisos and we do not want to miss it.
- Spanish participants who land at Athens airport will be transferred to Elafonisos by van, together with the Greek participants travelling from Athens, all together.
Can I arrive earlier and leave later than the specified dates?
Only after consultation can you arrive up to two days before the program and leave up to two days after it, to stay in Athens.
Requirements:
- The tickets you find are cheaper
- The costs of accommodation and meals for the extra days are borne by you
- The organizers have agreed to this decision
- Accommodation, meals and local transfers during the project are fully covered.
- International travel is reimbursed up to your Erasmus+ distance band cap (economy fares).
- Keep and submit all originals: electronic tickets, boarding passes (both ways), receipts for buses or trains, and any baggage receipts.
- Use taxis only when public transport is unavailable (keep a justification + receipt).
- Reimbursements are processed after we receive complete documents.
Travel reimbursement per participant
- 🇪🇸 Spain · €395 · travel *
- 🇷🇸 Serbia · €417 · green travel
- 🇷🇴 Romania · €417 · green travel
- 🇬🇷 Greece · €56 · green travel
* For Spain: the Athens to Elafonisos transfer costs €70 per participant, so your flight tickets should not exceed €325 to stay within the €395 budget.
Calculate your Erasmus+ distance band ↗- Bell tents with 2 participants per tent, each on their own mattress.
- Sanitary blocks: 4 large shared buildings, separate areas for men and women, cleaned 24/7.
- Sheets, pillows and a sleeping bag are provided, so you do not need to bring any bedding with you.
- On site: a dedicated activity space, supermarket, restaurant, shared kitchens with fridges, tennis court and an outdoor gym.
- Beach: the famous Simos beach is about 4 minutes on foot, and we will have a shaded area there.
- Town: the Chora is about 5 minutes by car; we will visit it at least twice on free afternoons.
Greece is typically around 25°C and sunny in the daytime; nights can be cooler (we sleep in tents).
- Summer clothes, swimsuit & flip-flops
- Hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, reusable water bottle, towel
- Comfortable closed shoes for activities
- 2 warm hoodies or jackets for the evenings
- Personal medication
- Passport/ID and (if applicable) EHIC or insurance
Get in touch
Contact
Have a question about the exchange? Reach out to the coordinating team.
Lakwn-texnes · Coordinating organisation, Greece