Press Release, Ogre, January 7, 2026

The association “Development and Innovation Learning Centre”, in cooperation with the association “Ota Dabā”, is launching the educational project “Small Choices – Big Paths”, which will help students understand the meaning of eco-labels and social responsibility labels and make more informed and environmentally friendly consumption choices. The “Small Choices – Big Paths” project is supported by the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund.

Why is this important? In their daily lives, children and young people see many “green” promises and symbols on products, but it is not always clear which ones can be trusted. The project will strengthen environmental literacy and critical thinking, reducing the risk of greenwashing.

Within the project, a cycle of 4 lessons will be developed and tested in practice for two age groups (6-10 and 11-16 years old), combining natural sciences/biology, visual art, and animation. Students will investigate labels in real-life situations (e.g., at home or in shops), creatively design their own “labels”, and, in conclusion, create short animations to educate their peers.

The project will run from January 1, 2026, to October 31, 2026. The prepared materials are planned to be piloted in five educational institutions: Salaspils 1st Secondary School, Ogre White Waldorf School, Matīši Primary School in Valmiera Municipality, Riga Catholic Gymnasium, and RBJC “Daugmale”. Simultaneously, the materials will also be available digitally so that they can be used by schools throughout Latvia.

The project will also produce a professional ~5-minute educational animation film, as well as digital interactive tasks for students. Plans include involving well-known creative personalities from the public sphere, including musicians Ēriks Zeps and Julgī Stalte, as well as artists and animators, to inspire young people to learn through art and stories.

Achievable results: at least 100 students across five institutions will test the materials practically, while at least 1,000 students across Latvia will use some part of the developed educational kit. The finished digital educational kit will be published in a format freely accessible to teachers.

The project’s total budget is EUR 38,888, including funding of EUR 34,999 from the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund (LVAF) and co-financing of EUR 3,889 from the project implementers. Registration number of the project “Small Choices – Big Paths”: LVAF/46/2025.

Media contacts:

Ieva Vītoliņa, Chairperson of the Board of the association “Development and Innovation Learning Centre”