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Environment & sustainability

Work concretely on climate issues, biodiversity and sustainable communities.

About the area

Environment and sustainability is the fastest growing area within ESC β€” and for good reason. The climate crisis demands action now, and the EU sees volunteers as a vital force in the green transition underway. Projects range from conservation work in national parks to urban gardening, from climate communication to waste management in local communities. What they share is the will to see change β€” and to actually bring it about.

Great for

  • Natural science & biology students
  • Environmental activists
  • Anyone who loves the outdoors
  • Sustainability enthusiasts

No experience in environmental science required

ESC welcomes motivated young people regardless of background. You learn on the job β€” what matters most is your willingness to contribute.

Tasks

What do you do as a volunteer?

β†’Maintain and restore nature reserves, national parks and coastal areas
β†’Work with urban gardening, composting and local food systems
β†’Organise environmental education for children, schools and local communities
β†’Document biodiversity β€” bird surveys, flora, water samples
β†’Run campaigns for recycling, reduced waste and sustainable consumption
β†’Contribute to climate adaptation projects in vulnerable regions
β†’Work with renewable energy, energy efficiency and green buildings
A typical day

What might it look like?

01

Morning in the national park

You are out in the field with a ranger, mapping breeding bird species along an 8 km transect. Silence, field guide and binoculars. Real conservation work.

02

Environmental day with the school class

You have taken 25 primary school children to the shoreline to clean up litter. They find a whole bag of plastic bottles and start discussing how they got there. You have ignited something.

03

Circular economy workshop

You facilitate a workshop for local restaurants on food waste. You have prepared the statistics β€” they contribute the solutions.

What you take home

Skills you develop

βœ“

Practical conservation and ecosystem knowledge

βœ“

Environmental communication and behaviour change

βœ“

Project planning for sustainability initiatives

βœ“

Biodiversity and species identification

βœ“

The EU's green framework and climate policy in practice

Real projects

Example projects in Europe

These are examples of real types of ESC projects. Current vacancies can be found on the European Youth Portal.

Croatia

Zelena Akcija / Friends of the Earth

Conservation and biodiversity monitoring in Plitvice Lakes National Park. Tourism management and beach restoration.

Ireland

An Taisce

Marine environment project on Ireland's west coast. Monitoring marine biodiversity, beach cleaning and educating local communities.

Latvia

Zaļā Brīvība

Urban sustainability in Riga β€” composting, growing projects, neighbourhood dialogue and climate education for young people.

Does this sound like you?

Search for projects in environment & sustainability directly on the European Youth Portal.

Search projects β†’See other areas