Drafting this project in 2017/18, we started in a world waking up to a plastic pandemic while in 2020 we have to finish our project in a world fighting a real pandemic with the help of the material we wanted to fight. In short, that’s the CONTEXT of our project.In 3 years from first draft to final report, our 4 schools have seen sweeping changes that have sometimes overtaken us: In 2018+19, there was so much reporting about the plastic problem that it was hard to keep track of the news. Avoiding plastic came into vogue + we were part of it! We saw friends, colleagues+supermarkets look for sometimes doubtful alternatives so learning about waste disposal, recycling + alternatives to plastic gave our students an edge in discussions. We visited companies, experimented ourselves + shared our experiences. And just when we were preparing to travel to Rome where we wanted to plan how to make our schools plastic-free, our plans became obsolete! The world hunkered down behind plexiglas + disposable facemasks + bought takeaway food in polystyrene. If we returned to school in May at all, we had to wrap computer keyboards in cling film.So, we helped raised students’ + our whole school communities’ awareness of the risk posed by plastic + then learned about its doubtful value, returning to the thought + still following the motto that “we rely on it too much + value it too little” (Guardian, 6 Sept.2017). This ambivalence was not only expressed in the title of our project but shaped its course.In all of that, we have been critical observers + active European citizens working towards our project’s OBJECTIVES: Environmental awareness + a sense of responsibility among our students has increased so that they are more apt to use critical thinking not only to choose more sustainable options as consumers but also to engage in civic life. We have made attempts to foster their employability + have developed as institutions that strengthen environmental + intercultural learning + are more innovative.Learning centred on three areas: the environment, economics, ICT. It took place at school, in our local communities + on a European level when we came together to learn more about the extent of the problem in different countries but also about the solutions that can be found once we look beyond national borders.To do so, we engaged in numerous ACTIVITIES both locally + across Europe: At all schools we had a week without waste disposal to assess how much + which types of waste we produce as an institution + to raise environmental awareness. Similarly, our students monitored plastic consumption at home by compiling a plastic diary + we prepared a meal together in local groups to compare different shopping habits across Europe. Our LiP Clubs took part in local clean-up activities + fundraisers to promote civic engagement. To learn about plastic + alternatives, we had workshops + special chemistry lessons, carried out experiments to learn about the properties of different kinds of plastic + discussed with our students. To gain insight into different branches of the economy, we went on outings to waste treatment + recycling facilities; we met innovative entrepreneurs + talked with them about their business ideas, touched their yarn made from plastic bottles, ate their bran plates or tried to set fire to inflammable cloth used in protective wear. To document our activities, some students developed + showed off their talents as writers, quizmasters or directors of videos that turned into little pieces of art. Via TwinSpace + YouTube we shared impressions of our local activities. To spread the word further, we gave presentations during OpenDay + organised educational events at kindergarten + primary school. Finally, we also had 2 students develop our app “SmartPlastic” for us.This app is one of the most tangible + complex RESULTS of LiP. It can be downloaded from both Playstore + Appstore. Further results can be seen by visiting our TwinSpace + YouTube channel where our students present findings + give advice. Main achievements, however, are what our students have taken home with them in terms of reflecting their own (plastic)consumption, knowledge enabling them to be critical consumers, willingness to be active European citizens, academic + soft skills preparing them for the world of work.This points towards the expected LONGER-TERM BENEFITS: From the outset, we knew that we alone are not going to turn the “vision for Europe’s new plastics economy” into reality. We have learned that institutional change takes much longer but we are underway to become eco-schools. We learned what it takes to develop an app + what it takes to cooperate across Europe. Taking a critical look at the “Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy”, we have learned about the power the EU has to set standards but we also had to learn that Europe will continue to disappoint its citizens by aiming at the lowest common denominator.