Katarína Zvaríková (she/her)

How are you using education to build more sustainable and equitable communities? Tell us about your EE work and impact.

• I work on various international sustainability-oriented projects. I enjoy working with youth, adults, or any groups from every corner of the world or societal structures.  
• In cooperation with our consortium, I I helped create a Framework of Earth Competencies,, engaging the community in its creation and testing and making sure it is eligible for educators and youth to use on their path towards being Earth Competent.
• I am part of the gamification process of EU enviro-policies, to make them accessible and attractive for the masses. 
• Another project I lead connects EE and mental health, an important link to address with the youth, which is my primary target group. 
• I organize community workshops, community garden projects; I organize thematic periods or events  at a nearby elementary school (recently a Sustainable Fashion Month!); I take part in international training courses, leading sessions with young people and adults in sustainability topics; I organize SWAPs for books and clothes; and I facilitate sessions on specific topics in schools, like World Water Day and Earth Day.
• I am also part of a working group at the Slovak Environmental Agency, where we are piloting an EE certification system. Another initiative I am part of is the GenB ambassador group, which involves young bio-voices for a sustainable future.

Tell us about your journey to where you are today. What inspired you? What has your path been like?

I come from a humble, quite difficult personal background. I grew up in a small town in Slovakia, overcoming economical and family-capital-connected challenges. 

I started my volunteering journey when I was a teenager, and my path led me to the Foundation Land of Harmony (http://nkh.sk/) where I worked with people with and without disabilities. At the Foundation, we worked towards creating a more inclusive society by organizing workshops and debates and hosting a big festival of Inclusion called the JolieWorkshop. That was a very formative period of my life, and I return to the foundation to this day, to visit friends, hold a workshop, or share a cup of tea.  
I have been part of various small initiatives and environment-oriented projects. Then, I joined a 2.5 -year-long program at One World Institute Norway (https://www.oneworldinstitute.eu/) called Fighting with the Poor. I studied, volunteered, and worked as a development instructor in countries like India, Nepal, and Botswana. I contributed to sustainability-oriented efforts, supporting the local community, helping on eco-farms, teaching science and sustainability in mountain orphanages, creating a gardening guide for people with low literacy skills in rural areas of Botswana, building community and backyard gardens for malnourished families, upcycling trash into useful objects, and more.  

Now I am back in Slovakia, trying to combine my two passions—environment and education. I was lucky to be invited to work at Slovak Eco Quality (www.seq.sk) where everything has become real. I work here as the COO now, a project manager, and a sustainability educator. We are putting our hearts and efforts into sharing the sustainability message and engaging communities all around Europe.

How can people learn more about or support your work?

We share all our work on our website and socials – IG, FB, and TikTok! We are always happy to see new faces and join forces!

A Little More About Me

 If you could be any animal or plant, what would you be and why?

 I would be the entire forest or jungle! Buzzing and humming, dripping, and squeaking! 

What are you happiest doing?

Teaching kids. Dancing. Eating good food. Staying in good company. Visiting a forest! All winners.

What’s a passion project of yours outside of your work?

My garden! Growing, herbs, experimenting, upcycling, yay!