Learning Green Skills to make a change

Nowadays we are living in a critical time in history where we cannot ignore the topics of climate change and environmental sustainability. Because the consequences of the state of the environment will be mainly faced by the future generations, it is essential that teachers learn how to bring out these matters inside the classroom. Moreover, it is even more important to learn how to address these topics, encouraging a sense of possibility of change rather than despair.

This new course “Green skills for education: promoting environmental awareness and sustainable actions in the classroom”, took place in Bologna from 10/09/2023 to 16/09/2023, with 14 participants from 4 different countries: Mariola Czuba, Dorota Sudol and Sylwia Szafarz- Zakrzewska from Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 1 in Poland, Petra Schwartz, Alice Nicolson, Renate Rothfischer and Stefanie Steible from Bayerischer Volkshochschulverband e.V. in Germany, Danijela Stanković and Ana Šuman from OŠ Jordanovac in Croatia and Helen Louise Morgan, Eirwyn John Griffiths, Claire Louise Jones, Llinos Jones and Margaret Lynne Kelleher from Carmarthenshire County Council in Wales (UK).

At the beginning of the week we focused on what are considered to be Green Skills and why they are vital in nowadays society. During the first day the goal was to reflect on the words that make up the green vocabulary and this is why we also discussed the concept of Sustainability and sustainable development. The following day we also discussed the topic of Greenwashing and the participants had the chance to do their own research on brands from their countries to recognize legit sustainable products from unethical productions advertised as “green”.
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Another focus of the week was the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants discussed in groups about the 7 goals that are related to environmental sustainability. They also learnt that every activity, game or theoretical topic of the course was specifically related to different SDGs. 

The participants personally experienced how to make a difference starting from small steps, as well as ways to engage young students and adults in sustainable development. The activities they performed allowed them to reflect on global warming, carbon footprint, tipping points, consumerism and other aspects related to climate change.

Two days of the course were dedicated to using non-formal methods to talk about climate change. In particular the participants practiced outdoor activities to foster a greater love for nature in their students, methods to encourage creativity and engagement and Project Based Learning as a tool that can help teachers promote a greener mindset.
A significant aspect of the course was the use of ICT tools to support the activities. In this way teachers can create more engagement while also reducing waste, as part of our daily green practices.

Finally, one of the most enriching aspects of this course was for sure the sharing of best practices that allowed the participants to tell about their experiences in the field of sustainability and to gain inspiration from projects and activities implemented by fellow colleagues. We are glad our participants left Bologna with a big smile on their faces, lots of new knowledge in their brain and a heart full of new experiences!
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Discover more about this course in: https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/green-skills.html