The “green economy & education for sustainable development” projects offer young people the opportunity to implement a sustainable project in a real business while still attending school.

During the project the participants gain a fundamental understanding of the responsibilities economic actors have for the environment and society. They learn about the real challenges of an enterprise in its day-to-day activities.

The participating businesses benefit from fresh insights of the students. In addition to the practical work in the company, students deepen their knowledge in the area of sustainable business by attending thematic workshops (e.g. sustainable accounting, resource efficiency). At the end of the project, the “Umweltprofis von morgen” receive a “sustainability qualification”, verifying their participation in the project and their sustainability knowledge

The projects are mainly funded by regional governments or foundations (Baden-Württemberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Berlin) and vary slightly in their conceptual implementation by the state. While in Baden-Württemberg and Nordrhein-Westfalen, students from secondary schools take part, participants in Berlin are in vocational training. In the first one, the project is carried out over the period of one year with students (ideally) visiting the company every week for one hour, while in the latter one the students carry out their projects during their obligatory internship.

So far, 150 independent projects have been realized, more than 90 companies have supported our educational projects and 500 trainees have received the “sustainability certificate”.