The Erasmus + -AG project in the school year 2019/2020 at Kreisgymnasium St. Ursula in Haselünne is related to another project that was carried out a few years ago as part of the GeoWater program. At that time, a student company developed a concept focusing healthier nutrition by replacing soft drinks with water. As part of this project, a school drinking bottle was developed, produced and distributed. After a one-time sale, during which all of the bottles were sold, no more bottles were ordered due to organizational reasons.

The project relies on the evaluation and further development of a former Erasmus program that resulted in the idea that students of the KGH are provided reusable water bottles. Originally developed from the GeoWater program with the aim of encouraging schoolchildren to have healthier drinks, the project group of the GeoCircle program should evaluate the procedure and the bottle and submit suggestions for optimization.

They received this assignment from the student representatives in cooperation with the school management of the Kreisgymnasium St. Ursula Haselünne. In a work phase spanning several weeks, in which we set up a working group as a time window, the students worked on the approach and the benefits of the results of the previous project group in a reflective and critical manner.

On this basis, they then identified alternatives that went particularly towards circularity. As a top priority, the bottle used should be checked and optimized if necessary. The result of the original bottle was comparatively very negative, and the working group researched further options, in which they also considered different materials and manufacturing processes.

In the area of ​​finance, the calculation was viewed critically in addition to other aspects. Here, the GeoWater project focused on the application and distribution of the bottles, while the GeoCircle working group was now working on a proposal that focused on good, sustainable and, if possible, circular quality of the bottles. In order to generate the largest possible sphere of activity, funding should be made possible primarily through donations, initiatives and grants, so that the personal contribution is as low as possible.

A total of seven students from year 9 and one student from year 8 worked on the project for six months. The optimization results were presented to the school management and a representative of the student representatives. In the further course, the proposal will be carried into the committees and discussed in order to decide whether the recommended bottle and the lunch box developed in the course of the project can be combined into a starter package for the fifth graders coming to the school. This was also the final recommendation of the GeoCircle project group.