The exchange of information and knowledge on energy efficiency, energy saving, rational energy use and alternative energy – these were the key issues during the visit of Romanian students and teachers to Ukraine in the framework of exchange of experience between the school energy management teams (SEMT), which recently took place within the ‘’YES - Young Energy Specialists against energy waste in cross-border schools”, HUSKROUA/ 1101/104.  The project is aimed at increasing knowledge and skills on energy efficiency and energy saving among teachers and students in schools, and promoting change of behavior about saving energy use among young people.
For the first time Ukrainian and Romanian teachers and students met in this format on the 10-12 of December 2014 in Baya Mare (Romania) to exchange experiences between SEMT. At present, the second meeting was held in Ukraine,  and it brought together about 40 participants, including teachers and students from "Angela Salini" college and Pentekostal school (the city of Baia Mare), Mukachevo secondary schools №1 and № 16 and even the General Inspector and inspectors from the Inspectorate of Education of Baia Mare County.
The program was intense and it included acquaintance with two partner schools and the results of their work, interactive sessions on energy efficiency.
During the first day of the visit the Romanian students and teachers got acquainted with partner schools 1 and 16 in Mukachevo. Veronica Taihler, a student of secondary school 1 named after Pushkin, presented her own research work on energy efficiency technology in Transcarpathian schools, which caused a lively debates and interest of all participants as it directly linked to the project topic. School director Mykola Moreka hold an interesting excursion in the school, during which the Romanian colleagues were able to see a number of specialized classrooms of the school and discuss the specific features of the educational process and the practical implementation of the energy efficiency principles in schools.
Director of the Mukachevo specialized school 16 Vasyl Ilov welcomed all participants in the school and school pupils made the presentation in English on the topic "What do you know about Ukraine?". Although the Romanian youth and adults pleasantly impressed the audience with their knowledge of our country, Ukrainian students managed to find interesting and unknown facts about Ukraine. The visitors were impressed by the thoughtful and thorough preparation of the project upon energy saving measures in the school, designed and presented by school energy management team led by physics teacher Igor Almashii.
At free time, guests had the opportunity not only to see the show of young rescuers of the "School Safety", which is the pride of the school, but also to take part personally in competition of young rescuers, as well as to play soccer and volleyball in mixed Ukrainian-Romanian teams that contributed considerably into better relations between students.
The next day, students from Ukraine and Romania took part in the interactive sessions upon smart energy consumption. Thus, the head of inter-school department of physics and energy Vasile Pop (Romania) conducted with students the experiments on practical measurement of insulation and heat in order to illustrate heat losses in the absence of insulation, with the specific example of heating water for coffee cup on the road conditions. The experienced coach Katerina Miroshnichenko, Executive Director of NGO "Eremurus" (Kyiv), continued work with students with the exercise at which children learned about alternative energy sources as part of action to mitigate climate change and sustainable development component. During interactive exercises on energy efficiency, energy conservation and alternative energy sources, students not only gained new knowledge, but also actively participated in the discussion and offer their alternative energy efficiency solutions. In addition to the practical group and team classes, children also learned about the latest trends and achievements in the field of energy, such as: electric cars "Tesla" or the latest energy startups. They watched also the number of interesting cartoon called Eco Nevydal. At the end of the training the art – item "Energy Efficient Ukraine" was created by joint efforts, and it is the map Ukraine, which demonstrates the possibility of using alternative energy sources in different regions of the country - hydro, thermal, wind and solar energy. At summary part all participants received certificates and small gifts from the FORZA NGO and Romanian partner AMEMM in memory of the days spent in Transcarpathia.
Finally, during the third day of the visit, the hosts and guests visited the castle "Palanok" in Mukachevo and learned about the history, traditions and culture of Transcarpathia.
Lesya Loyko, the head of the FORZA NGO, Ukrainian project partner, noticed that the goal that had been set by the organizers of the visit - further strengthening of cooperation between border areas schools in the field of learning energy efficiency – as been achieved, and new knowledge about the smart energy consumption should be helpful for further promotion of the ideas of ​​saving energy and funds in both Romania and Ukraine. Moreover, during the visit the Inspector General of Inspectorate of Education of Baia Mare County Ms Anna Maria Lucrezia Moldovan had a meeting with Acting Head of Education Department of Mukachevo Ms Theresia Tiba. During the meeting the possibilities and ways of cooperation between the two institutions were discussed, and, in particular, preliminary agreement was achieved upon the preparation of the memorandum on cooperation and interaction between the departments of education of the two border regions.
 
Adina Dumitru, director of the Energy Management Agency of Maramures (АМЕММ) from Romania, lead project partner, has emphasized that education has the highest impact on the human thinking and action. Energy education is fundamental and is the long-term solution to cultivate people’s green living senses. As such, the exchange visits in the framework of this project offer an excellent opportunity for students in cross border regions to work as a team in the fight against climate change, learn from each other how to save energy, exchange ideas, compare results and prepare for future joint actions.
Remember, together we can find solutions to help save the natural resources and green-up  the planet!