12 Years Erasmus Project

Project Title

12 Years

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Energy and resources; Environment and climate change; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

According to the latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), we only have 12 years to mitigate the effects of climate change. If we do not act now, temperatures will rise beyond the threshold of 1.5°C, which will result in increasing extreme weather events, with catastrophic consequences. Following the example of Greta Thunberg, young people across Europe are organising school strikes. Without wanting to prevent young people from demonstrating, we would like to give them the possibility to channel their engagement into positive actions, with a measurable impact on the environment. Our project, called 12 Years, aims at reducing the carbon footprint of our schools by all possible means and encourage and teach the maximum amount of people to do the same. It targets four key areas : consumption of electricity through light and heating, carbon footprint of the food we consume, impact of the journeys to and from school and consumption of consumables. Instead of walking the streets of Paris or Cottbus, students will be encouraged to engage their energy into tackling burning issues and finding solutions that can also be implemented elsewhere. They will have to find the means to enthuse their whole school community about the project, as well as their parents and the citizens of their towns. We want to reach people who cannot care (because they do not know how to tackle climate change) and people who do not care (because they do not know when and how climate change will affect them). Students will liaise with the other secondary schools in their region to share good practice.
60 French students aged between 16 and 18, who take the baccalauréat where sustainable development is a major theme of their curriculum, will work on the technical aspect of the project (measuring data, collecting ideas, designing the website and implementing ideas to reduce our carbon footprint). 15 students who specialise in literature will be in charge of the communication around the project. They will work together with their … German counterparts. Six teachers and the two chefs of the canteens will help and assist students.
All planned activities aim at reducing the carbon footprint of our schools, communicating and implementing our ideas among the wider community and sharing good practice with them. Students will find how much electricity is used in the schools, through light and heating. They will install electronic devices and redesign windows and doors to limit our consumption. They will calculate the environmental impact of the menus at the canteen and reduce it by changing the menus, minimising and recycling waste. They will compile a survey to find out how people travel to school and measure the impact and the cost of the chosen means of transport. They will find out what prevents people from walking, cycling or taking public transport to school. They will participate in clubs to learn how to fix bicycles and cycle safely. They will design a page on their website to facilitate car sharing among teachers. Students will work out how much paper and single-use plastic is consumed each year. They will test and find the most efficient solutions to reduce it. They will calculate the money that the project will have saved and spend it on herbs and trees to make our schools greener and more pleasant place to be. They will design and implement an automatic watering system to ensure the survival of the plants, particularly during school holidays. They will participate in a workshop to learn about eco-friendly actions. They will take part in the environmental week in Cottbus when German schools present their ideas to reduce their carbon footprint. They will analyse the results of the energy consumption of each school and share ideas about solutions. They will design and launch a communication campaign in English, French and German to reach and change the behaviours of a maximum amount of people, starting from their own school communities to then reach the least engaged people.
Students will work in groups on parts of the project. By mixing different cultures and abilities, we hope to come up with innovative solutions. We will collect data then design solutions. They will be presented to the whole school community. Gaining the support of people is key to the success of the project. It is imperative that the 12 Years message is communicated and understood by as many people as possible, leading to tangible changes.
We hope to achieve a significant reduction of the energy we consume. We also would like our project to reach people who cannot or will not care about climate change, persuading them that they can save money, as well as contributing to the preservation of our world as we know it.
Participants in the project will become eco-ambassadors, particularly in their future workplace, where we spend 25% of our time.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 65979 Eur

Project Coordinator

LYCEE CONDORCET DE MONTREUIL & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Oberstufenzentrum Cottbus