The multilateral youth exchange "Use it and keep it - what can we do for our planet" will take place in the city of Nova Gorica and its surroundings from 22nd to 30th of August 2009. The youth exchange will be coordinated by the host organization Mladinski center Nova Gorica. Co-partners are 20 youngsters from Latvia, Austria, Portugal and Italy together with 5 youngsters from Slovenia. For reasons of increasing environmental problems caused by the pollution, ecology is one of the most important subjects today. In this youth exchange the participants will get to know and explore the importance of preserving nature, recycling of waste and implementation of renewable energy sources. The participants will visit and cooperate with the laboratory in The School of Environmental Sciences of the University of Nova Gorica, the company Pipistrel and its Scientific Institute for Aircraft Design & Applicable Technologies with the Slovenia's largest private solar power plant in combination with gas cogeneration, the refuse dump in the local area and the biodynamic garden of the Biotechnical secondary school. We will also organise an environment cleaning campaign on the outskirts of Nova Gorica. Beside that we will have daily afternoon workshops in the Cultural centre Mostovna where we are going to make objects from waste materials, placards and brochures (to promote the environmental consciousness) and have discussions about environmental problems - how to regain consciousness about the importance of dividing waste for recycling, what can individuals do to help the preservation of Earth (air, water, soil,…) and possible solutions in the field of renewable energy sources. The participants will also make an analysis of the environmental issues and challenges and try to find solutions for them. At the conclusion of the exchange the results will be presented on an exhibition of the objects, made in the workshops, followed by public discussions on environmental issues.