Green Take-Off (GTOFF) aims to make paragliding and hang-gliding more environmentally sustainable by turning environmental awareness into practical, everyday habits.
Although free-flight itself produces virtually no direct emissions, the way pilots access flying sites, use launch and landing areas, and interact with fragile natural environments can create significant environmental pressure. The project addresses the gap between general environmental principles and their practical implementation in grassroots clubs and flight schools.
Through cooperation between partners from Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia, GTOFF will develop and test a practical training module that helps instructors integrate environmental responsibility into regular pilot training. The module will cover topics such as protecting sensitive habitats, respecting wildlife, preventing the spread of invasive species, and reducing the impact of activities around flying sites.
The project will train 15 instructors, evaluate the results through pilot activities, and make its training materials and recommendations freely available. Its long-term ambition is to establish a practical, transferable approach that clubs and federations can adopt across Europe and potentially adapt to other outdoor sports.
The key idea is simple: protecting the natural environments we fly in should become a normal part of how we teach, fly and manage our sport — not just a matter of good intentions.
Paragliding Take-off Sites – Sports Infrastructure and Local Resource Support
Designated paragliding take-off sites used for project-related sporting, educational and awareness-raising activities. Local support may include access to the site, maintenance and improvement of the launch area, safety-related arrangements, logistical assistance and support for project events, where appropriate and permitted by the relevant authorities or site managers.
EU Grant: €60,000
Slovenia
Coordinator
DJP Albatros Celje coordinates the overall implementation of the Green Take-Off project, including project management, financial administration, quality assurance, monitoring, and reporting. The organisation leads the Slovenian needs analysis and contributes expertise on environmental challenges in Alpine flying environments. It also leads the coordination of pilot workshops, final validation of the training module, and quality control of the project outputs.
Croatia
Partner
Paradigma Krapina leads the pedagogical design and development of the Green Take-Off training module. Its activities include analysing training needs in Croatia, designing the curriculum structure and practical decision-making scenarios, and developing instructor guidelines, briefing scripts, checklists, and digital learning materials. The organisation also coordinates the Croatian pilot workshop and engages national paragliding stakeholders to support the adoption of sustainable practices.
Serbia
Partner
Sport Union “Extreme Sports” leads the Serbian implementation of the project, including national needs analysis, the organisation of the Serbian pilot workshop, and engagement with local instructors and paragliding clubs. The organisation leads the development of evaluation instruments, instructor follow-up, and the consolidation of evidence from pilot activities across all three countries. It also coordinates project dissemination, national outreach, and activities supporting the long-term use of the training module.
Budget: €16,000
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
