Newsroom
Most people in Cyprus have the same problem every Sunday after a big fry-up: What on earth do you do with the used cooking oil?
Well, a Cypriot initiative built around that very question has now gone far beyond kitchen sinks. It has just been named one of six finalists in the 2026 Green Skills Award by the European Training Foundation (ETF), beating out hundreds of projects from nearly 100 countries.
The project is called “Tiganokinisi” (The Frying Pan Movement), and it’s as practical as it sounds. Instead of throwing away used cooking oil, schools collect it, and it is then converted into biodiesel. The money generated doesn’t just disappear either; it goes straight back into environmental education programs in schools across Cyprus.
In other words, your leftover oil from halloumi fries might actually end up funding a school recycling project.
The idea was first launched back in 2011 as a small pilot in just 10 schools in Aglantzia. Since 2013, it has expanded across the island, and today it is estimated to reach more than 100,000 students every year, a big number for a small island that loves a good fried meal.
Now it’s competing against projects from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jordan, Nepal, Peru and Uzbekistan, all focusing on different climate and sustainability ideas, from fashion recycling to glacier protection.
The European jury said finalists were chosen based on how original the ideas are, how much impact they have, and whether they can realistically be copied elsewhere. Public voting is now open until 30 June, which means Cyprus’ entry is still very much in the running for the top spot.
ETF Director Pilvi Torsti said the huge number of entries, 369 from 94 countries, shows how central skills and education have become in tackling climate change, especially when it comes to getting everyday people involved.
In Cyprus’ case, that “everyday” part is exactly the point: turning something as ordinary as used cooking oil into a lesson in sustainability.
And perhaps more importantly, turning schoolchildren into the kind of adults who think twice before pouring it down the sink.
