5MEL: Five Matters of Eco-Love

About the project

Five Matters of Eco-Love (5MEL) was an Erasmus+ project that aimed to develop adults’ environmental education skills and encourage participation in sustainable practices. As the partner from Türkiye, NATURELDER worked on creative recycling and learning through nature, art and science.

Project objectives

• Training 10 environmental education experts across 5 partner countries to enhance their skills in recycling, upcycling, and sustainable environmental practices.
• Engaging 150 adults in 5 countries to identify and address local environmental challenges through practical knowledge.
• Conducting regional workshops in Slovakia, Portugal, Poland, Turkey, and Romania to strengthen community-based environmental education.
• Creating the Eco-Love Guide, which documents best practices, research findings, and experiences from the project workshops.
• Integrating nature photography, creative recycling, STEAM-based environmental education, and scientific methods to promote sustainability.

Completed activities and results

At the workshop in Nitra, Slovakia, on 27–31 May 2024, we explored environmental education methods for adults. NATURELDER led the science and nature section of the programme. On 16–18 September 2024, we met our partners in Lublin, Poland, to work on the Eco-Love Guide and preparations for the regional workshops.

The regional workshops were completed in all five partner countries, reaching more than 150 adults in total. At the final partners’ meeting in Oeiras, Portugal, on 11–13 February 2025, the partners reviewed the workshop results and the project’s dissemination activities.

The workshop in Türkiye

At our national workshop at Mersin Metropolitan Municipality’s Tömük Women’s Education Center, we shared sustainable everyday practices and project resources. Sewing workshop participants presented bags they had made from recycled materials. Together, we explored the Eco-Love Guide and examples from partner countries, and distributed information leaflets.

The Eco-Love Guide

The project’s Eco-Love Guide was published in six languages. It covers nature photography, creative recycling, nature and art, STEAM in nature, and science and nature. You can download the Turkish and English PDFs from the project outputs section below.

5MEL was delivered through the Erasmus+ KA210-ADU Small-Scale Partnerships in Adult Education Programme, with a budget of €60,000, under project number 2023-2-SK01-KA210-ADU-000176244.

More information: www.5mel.eu