The aim of the CLAY-project is that all participating partners examine some of their regional and global problems, exchange information and ideas and disseminate their results in order to learn from one another and to create a sense of awareness which will lead to a different attitude towards environmental issues.

In addition, CLAY will promote the partners examining traditional and long established methods of dealing with everyday problems and altering their habits by applying newer technologies and modern approaches. It is not the aim of the project to solve these problems but to expose them and to learn from the endeavours of the partners to solve them.

The long term aim is also to hold courses at schools and institutions of adult education in order to interest people in environmental issues and to promote changes in their attitude. These changes should include the use of modern technologies as well as the reuse of historic but effective methods. Hence the name of the project CLAY: Cooperative Learning by Ambient Activity.

For a long time the development of our existence and its effects on the environment have been neglected, leading to a fast deterioration of our quality of life. Nowadays we have to live with the global consequences of these irrational and uncontrolled human activities, such as pollution of the air, the water, the soil and the groundwater table, all sorts of radiation, deforestation, the greenhouse effect, changes of the climate or the reduction of the ozone-layer.

The pollution of our environment because of human activities has been established through the centuries and is nowadays looked at in so many different ways that even today many people do not know about it or do not want to know about it. If these people were informed about this delicate subject, they would treat their environment differently and with more care.

Looking at these problems in various European countries it is obvious that some take great effort to tackle environmental issues whilst in others not enough is happening to inform the population and to promote a sense of environmental awareness.

The aim of the CLAY Project is that all participating partners examine some of their regional and global problems, exchange information and ideas and disseminate their results in order to learn from one another and to create a sense of awareness which will lead to a different attitude towards environmental issues. In addition, CLAY will promote the partners examining traditional and long established methods of dealing with everyday problems and altering their habits by applying newer technologies and modern approaches. It is not the aim of the project to solve these problems but to expose them and to learn from the endeavours of the partners to solve them. The long-term aim is also to hold courses at schools and institutions of adult edu-cation in order to interest people in environmental issues and to promote changes in their attitude. These changes should include the use of modern technologies as well as the re-use of historic but effective meth-ods. Hence the name of the project CLAY: Cooperative Learning by Ambient Activity.

Summary:
1. The Learning Partnership should link European countries and their institutions, the countries should come from different parts of Europe.
2. The subjects of the Learning Partnership are issues of environmental protection and ecological building methods. The following issues are agreed on, others may follow:
2.1 Floods, examples of flood-protection
2.2 Renewable energies (laws and applications, emphasis on Photovoltaic, exchange of Know-how, construction of a functioning model for demonstrations)
2.3 Clay as an ecological building material, going back to traditional, environmentally friendly methods
2.4 Energy-saving construction methods, according to the climate
2.5 Waste-water treatment (traditional, also with purification via plant filter beds)
2.6 Avoiding refuse via separation and recycling of materials
2.7 Air-pollution: Promoting public transport
2.8 Laying out cycling paths, promotion of cycling
2.9 Organisation of events for the environment (guided tours, camping)
2.10 Laying out hiking trails
2.11 Nature Parks
3. The project aims at members of participating clubs, administrative authorities and institutions of adult education. It will provide activities and courses within the European context for one or more of the issues.
4. The project will last three years and start on 01.08.2005.
5. The general aim is to learn from one another and to disseminate results.
6. Further products of the project are: Publications on a website, on CD-ROM and on paper that describe environmental problems and possible solutions and report from the activities of the partners.