Background Public awareness of the environmental issues surrounding food production and food sustainability is not sufficient for effectively participating in decision-making on agri-environmental and integrated product policy and general environmental policy. The public lacks knowledge of food production and the food chain (from raw produce to food and the return of nutrients through waste material to nature). Furthermore, consumers do not receive sufficient information concerning the impact of the food industry on the environment. Therefore, the relationship between food production and the natural resources, and the rural-urban interaction, is becoming more and more obscure as the majority of citizens lose direct contact with the production process. Objectives The aim of the ECO LEARN project is to create a management plan for rural-based environmental education which will clarify the links between the environment, the food chain and sustainable development. A series of tools will be developed, including agri-environmental educational programmes, materials and thematic actions for schools, training for teachers, advisors and other stakeholders, experiential learning, networks of service providers and an IT portal for connecting customers and providers. Agropolis Oy, a development company operating in the agricultural and food sectors, is leading the “ECO-LEARN” project. Results Stakeholders, including teachers, farm advisors and farmers, were involved in the project, and special attention was made to coordinate their efforts. The project achieved its aims by: - Educating the public about the environmental challenges that Finland faces. - Spreading understanding of the concepts involved. - Implementing collaborative and experiential learning initiatives. Lessons in rural-urban interaction were introduced into environmental classes in schools in both city and rural environments. Classes strongly emphasised the link between the two key components of sustainability: ecological and social issues. The project took a participatory approach, using training methods based on active learning techniques. In line with this approach, an innovative IT portal was constructed to support agri-environmental education.