Sustainability Hacks To Go: How Our PERETO Project is Promoting Sustainable Consumption in Kyrgyzstan Studies suggest that consumers are responsible for as much as 60-70 % of all direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions*, pointing to an urgent need to change consumption habits and endorse more sustainable lifestyles. Through an awareness-raising campaign, our PERETO project is inspiring Kyrgyz citizens as well as international tourists to consume in more sustainable ways. PERETO, which stands for ‘Promotion of Energy Security and Sustainable Growth Through Increased Energy and Resource Efficiency (ERE) in Tourism SMEs in Kyrgyzstan,‘ aims to support the advancement of sustainable production and consumption (SCP) practices and energy and resource efficiency (ERE) among SMEs in Kyrgyzstan’s tourism sector. To achieve this, PERETO engages not only with SMEs but also their business associations, public authorities, financial institutions, ERE solutions and service providers, as well as universities, tourists and local residents. In 2021, together with the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) in Kyrgyzstan, the CSCP launched the SAKTA movement, meaning ‘To Save’. The campaign invited young adults to support domestic tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic, switch to more sustainable consumption habits, and engage in protecting and preserving the environment. The campaign includes online and offline activities such as monthly clean-ups near popular sites such as the Issyk-Ata waterfall or the Alamedin gorge. By combining clean-ups with recreational activities, the PERETO project wants to inspire younger generations to rediscover Kyrgyzstan’s natural beauty and take an active role in promoting and preserving it. In order to reach out to larger audiences, in summer 2022 the CSCP and AUCA launched a social media campaign with easy but efficient sustainable lifestyle hacks targeting Kyrgyz citizens as well as international travellers. Individual hacks are shared on PERETO’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook channels, containing messages that are both relatable to local target groups (in Kyrgyz) as well as international tourists (in English). The PERETO project works closely with relevant local stakeholders, including consumers, to promote production and consumption practices that lead to a sustainable tourism sector in Kyrgyzstan. *Druckman & Jackson, 2016 For further questions, please contact Kartika Angraaeni.