Over 900 students from Romania and Norway will seek solutions for environmental problems in their living areas and will try to convince the mayors from the town halls to implement them, as part of the "Greenovation Challenge" project.

The project is implemented in mountain communities from Romania and Norway, in partnership with Romontana and Ungt Entreprenørskap Sogn og Fjordane (UESoF) and aims to improve the environment quality by forming responsible behavior among high school students and to guide them towards careers in the field of sustainable development.

Over two years, students will propose sustainable development projects, create communication campaigns and mobilize community members to persuade local authorities to support or implement their ideas.
Projects will focus on the main environmental issues that communities in mountain areas are facing, such as unsustainable consumption, population exodus, lack of jobs, linked to illicit activities harmful to the environment.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in experience exchange with their colleagues in Norway and will learn how environmental issues are managed in Scandinavia. Young people will take part in educational activities on smart and sustainable resource management, will learn how they can be involved in the community and how they can gain knowledge and skills for a future career in environmental protection.
 
"It is important that students develop concrete skills in sustainable development, which means that they have the opportunity to understand the relationship between economy, environment and society. Without this understanding, their choices as consumers and professionals cannot become sustainable and mountain areas in Romania, we have chosen as special interest in this project would benefit greatly if young people would realize the opportunities they have locally," said Lucian Grămescu, Senior Program Manager, Junior Achievement Romania.

Students' ideas will be recorded in Greenovation Challenge, a competition for innovation in environmental sustainability, which will run locally, nationally and internationally. At the end of the competition, Romanian students will work in mixed teams with students from Norway. More details on sign-up steps, the mechanism for ongoing work and theme are available on www.greenovationchallenge.jaromania.org
 
The project "Greenovation Challenge: youth skills development for innovation in sustainable development" is financed by  EEA grants 2009-2014, under the NGO Fund in Romania and benefits from a grant of 140,890 Euro.
 
In this project are participating high schools from the following cities: Cugir (Alba), Campulung (Arges), Nasaud (Bistrita Nasaud), Brasov (Brasov), Teregova (Caras Severin), Intorsura Buzaului (Covasna), Toplita (Harghita), Petrila (Hunedoara), Baia Mare (Maramures), Piatra Neamt (Neamt), Campulung Moldovenesc (Suceava).