The Babia Góra Mountain is the centre-piece and highest point (1725 metres) of the magnificent Beskidy mountains. Protected as a National Park and Biosphere Reserve, it contains some of the last fragments of the ancient Carpathian Primeval Forest, which once extended across the entire range. The Mountain itself has an extraordinary magnetism for local people. It acts as an icon, uniting communities on either side of the Polish-Slovak border. Protected area status could provide a focus for new initiatives to reconcile the imperatives of revitalizing the local economy and the need to conserve the rich natural and cultural heritage, as well as providing new impetus for cross-border co-operation. The newly established a Local Partnership called „Babia Góra Unites Us" coordinates an array of local projects initiated by civic groups and other stakeholders. The Local Partnership is nurturing a wide range of micro-projects seeking to capitalize on natural and cultural assets which link the old ways with the new and provide economic, social and environmental benefits for everyone.

The small community of Zawoja Przyslop, nestled at the foot of Babia Góra in Poland, has seized upon the idea of developing environmental projects as a way of revitalizing their local economy. By putting environmental concern at the heart of local affairs, the community has succeeded in maintaining the village's services and breathing new energy into the village. The local school was threatened by closure; instead of accepting its fate, local inhabitants decided to expand it into a tourist information and environmental education centre, thereby saving the school. The Przyslop centre now provides support for nature education, looking after the land, renewable energy and other activities. It also builds partnerships between local governments, community groups and the Babia Góra National Park. One of the main driving forces behind these activities is Father Wilk, a Carmelite monk, who has built a wind power plant and installed solar panels and heat pumps in his monastery. His actions have inspired the whole community and demonstrated that practical action for the environment is a real development option for rural areas.

The Elementary School No. 4 in Zawoja Przysłop, with the active involvement of teachers, parents and children, is developing a model Center for Environmental Education, which serves a variety of functions: educational, cultural, tourist and informational. The work done thus far has offered a chance for the survival of this small school (threatened with closing due to a shortage of local government funds).

By participating in the "Valuable Energy" program, the school was able to replace regular light bulbs with energy-efficient ones in the entire school building, put in 2 heat-insulated windows and install 11 heat-regulation valves on the heaters. This project marked the first step in the creation of a Center for Renewable Energy at the school. The next step toward this goal was the modernization of the heating system in the school and the nearby Barefoot Carmelite Monastery in Zawoja Zakamień and the installation of energy-efficient appliances e.g. replacement of a coal boiler with one powered by biomass, heat pumps and solar energy heat collectors. Next to actions related to renewable energy sources, the school has worked on expanding its institutional capacity through the set up of sanitary facilities, a kitchen, cafeteria, after-school program, and library. The school has also been working closely with the Babia Góra National Park, making an important contribution to building community support for protected areas. As a result of one of the projects realized, the inhabitants of the Przysłop hamlet founded the Association for Sustainable Development "Przysłop" and developed a tourist education path forming a section of the Amber Trail. The ultimate goal is to create a model environmentally-friendly hamlet, which will serve as an example for other such places in the Carpathian region.