The second project meeting as part of the project “Shaping the future together – shaping the world sustainably and driving change” took place from February 9 to February 15, 2025 in Slovakia at the vocational school of the Zlaté Moravce Polytechnic. All project partners took part in the event: students and teachers from Hungary, students and teachers from Italy and students and teachers from Greece. The coordinator of the project in Slovakia is English teacher Jana Palajová, who organized the entire meeting in cooperation with school principal Zuzana Čižmáriková and another English teacher Viera Krajčiová.

All participants met in the school auditorium, where they were addressed by the school principal Zuzana Čižmáriková, who spoke about the importance of sustainability and how important this topic is right now. The participants listened to the anthem of the European Union, a typical Slovak folk song and the anthem of the Slovak Republic. All teachers and students received caps with the Erasmus+ logo, which stands for unity and cooperation within Erasmus Plus projects. This was followed by the presentation of the teams and a tour of the school. Later, the focus was on the joint work of all participants and these were presentations on the topic of “What we have done to make our school sustainable”. The theme of the meeting in Slovakia focused on sustainable sport and recycling. The participants worked in workshops on the above-mentioned topic of sustainable sport, recycling and waste separation and created podcasts, posters and videos on this topic.

The visit to the Bystrá Cave was very interesting. Bystrianska jaskyňa is the largest cave on the southern side of the Low Tatras. It is located in the Bystrian Karst in the southern part of the Low Tatras National Park, near the village of Bystrá. It was discovered on June 29, 1923. The winding corridors of the Old and New Caves were formed by the widening of fissures with groundwater from the Bystrianka River in three stages of development. An underground stream flows through the lowest of them, which appears as a well after 4 km in the village of Valaská. The special feature of the cave is the jagged character of the passages with decoration on one side of the passage. All forms of sinter decoration and erosion are represented. A special feature are the sintered pebbles of granite from the Low Tatras in the upper parts of the corridors. Drop formations in the Klenotnica are mostly in the form of stalactites, stalagmites and curtains. All of them are bright yellow-white and have a high gloss. Among the most beautiful are the bell stalactites in the catacombs, Baldachýn nad Riečišťom and Kováčska vyhňa in front of Hell. In other places, wall waterfalls stand out, under which lakes can be sintered.

The participants also had the opportunity to admire the beauty of the Low Tatras, where they visited the spa town of Jasná and took the cable car from the Krúpová boarding station to the top, where they could admire beautiful views and one of the Tatra peaks – Chopok, which lies at an altitude of 2024 meters. As part of the topic of sustainable sport, we visited the biathlon complex in Osrblie. It is the only biathlon complex in Slovakia that has a license of the highest category and thus the right to host national and international biathlon competitions. Conditions have been created for year-round training for active athletes, amateurs and the general sporting public. This is also made possible by a special technique for storing artificial snow. The technical snow that accumulates in the cold months of the winter season is stored in them for the next season so that it can be started as quickly as possible, even if there is not enough snow or the temperatures are unsuitable for snowmaking. n Osrblí, attention was also paid to nature and sustainability, as wood chips leave a lower carbon footprint and outperform polystyrene, which is also used for this purpose. Snow cannons are a very important part of the snowmaking system. They are mobile and there are seven of them available in the region. They also have four snowmaking poles. Each has a submersible pump and a mobile pressure station. Very importantly in terms of sustainability, one of these machines uses 60 kW of electricity per hour, which is a great help in these times of expensive energy.

We also visited the bison zoo, where there are protected bison species. Species conservation is crucial for sustainability, as the diversity of life (biodiversity) forms the basis for the earth’s ecological balance. Different species play a critical role in the functioning of ecosystems. Species conservation is essential for sustainable development, as respect for nature has a direct impact on the quality of life and survival of people. Reversing the losses caused by human activities – such as deforestation, pollution and overfishing – is therefore a fundamental task for achieving sustainability.

Species conservation is crucial to sustainability as the diversity of life (biodiversity) forms the basis of the Earth’s ecological balance. The different species play a critical role in the functioning of ecosystems. Species conservation is essential for sustainable development, as respect for nature has a direct impact on the quality of life and survival of people. Reversing the losses caused by human activities – such as deforestation, pollution and overfishing – is therefore a fundamental task in achieving sustainability.

The popular Podhájska thermal spa is also known as the “small Slovakian sea”. Its salty water is suitable for treating rheumatic diseases, back pain, joint problems, vascular and skin diseases as well as respiratory disorders. Thermal water is a natural resource that must be used responsibly in order to maintain the ecological balance. The extraction of the water is sustainable, ensuring the long-term operation of the spa and the medical benefits while protecting the natural environment.

The thermal spa contributes to the development of local tourism, creates jobs and supports the local economy. The use of thermal water offers an alternative, natural solution for the treatment of various diseases, which can reduce dependence on drugs and modern medical technologies. This in turn reduces the environmental impact caused by the production and transportation of medicines.

The spa can also use geothermal energy to heat the facilities or generate electricity. This is a significant step towards sustainable energy sources, as it reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases.

The Podhájska Thermal Spa can therefore not only have a positive impact on people’s health, but can also be a good example of how tourism, health promotion and sustainable development can be combined.

The theme of the Slovakian meeting was also recycling and waste separation, which is why we visited the sustainable company General Plastik Kolárovo. Here they recycle PET bottles and produce new materials, processing 16,000 tons of plastic waste every year. The result is PET flakes and food-safe PET regranulate. This material is used for reuse in new PET bottles. The company is the only producer of food-safe PET regranulate in Slovakia. They also produce HDPE caps and LDPE films. Their activities promote recycling and the circular economy. Modern technologies enable sustainable and environmentally friendly processing of plastics. This conserves natural resources. General Plastic makes an important contribution to sustainability in the packaging industry.

The conference participants also found the visit to the capital Bratislava interesting, where they had the opportunity to learn more about the history of the capital. The participants visited Bratislava Castle, St. Michael’s Gate and many interesting places in the old town. The last evening was dedicated to handing over certificates, exchanging experiences and entertainment. The next day, the participants presented all their activities – posters, podcasts and videos.

The second project meeting in Slovakia definitely served its purpose, not only because the participants learned a lot of new information about sustainable sports, recycling and waste separation, but also because new and strong friendships were formed between the students, which will be continued at the next project meetings. We also visited the bison zoo, where there are protected bison species.Species conservation is crucial for sustainability as the diversity of life (biodiversity) is the basis for the ecological balance of the earth.