Sustainability – a European way Erasmus Project

Project Title

Sustainability – a European way

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 : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Energy and resources

Project Summary

Climate changes and rising need in energy and water are only some of the challenges to which present and future generations have to face up. At the same time the process of the globalisation which can make global ones from local ecological or economic problems accelerates with increasing technical possibilities of the digital world. An approach to solve the called problems is the principle of sustainability which can be knew as a form of an ecological and economic action to protect comparable or better living conditions for the present and future generations. Sustainability involves environment, economic and social aspects. By realisation of the project “Sustainability – an European way” the schools of I. T. I. S. VOLTA from Perugia (Italy), the Agrupamento de Escolas de Álvaro Velho from Lavradio (Portugal) and the Oberschule an der Ronzelenstrasse as well as the Kippenberg Gymnasium from Bremen rise the awareness for the need of a sustainable life-style and make clear by concrete experiences in other countries that problems or challenges won’t be hold by borders.
Approx. 100 students (age 13-17) from Italy, protugal and Germany took part in thist project.The project participants were divided in – according to project phase – national or transnational teams which had been
complemented by other members of the local working groups. These teams worked together on theoretical and practical duties and afterwards presented their results to all partners. Impulse-giving inputs of experts from colleges or economy as well as excursions in the respective regions completed the project programme.Theoretical and practical works within and beyond the four planned short-term exchanges have been part of the central activities. The project participants built models of wind mills, carried out experiments to plastics from growing raw materials, constructed solar energy cars and supported the advancement of their schools to more sustainable schools with the help of the self-provided guide “on the way to eco school”. In addition they did research and created presentations on the subjects “Power demand in Europe” and “alternative forms of energy”. Beside the global perception on this topic, quite concrete measures were also investigated at the respective schools and were initiated to develop the schools to “sustainable schools”. For example at the Oberschule an der Ronzelenstraße from this Erasmus Plus project a group was founded which is working out a concept for a more sustainable handling of garbage. Another group develops the project “natural and sustainable school garden”. So not only the people involved in the project benefit from the experience, but the whole school beyond the end of the project. The students are promoted by this project individually and they are prepared for future demands. Cooperation and team ability, interdisciplinary thinking, reflected contact with digital media and not at least foreign languages are key competences of the 21st century. Beside the support of the European thought of tolerance and cultural diversity, we provided all immediate and indirect project partners with the help of the project “Sustainability – a European way” the opporunity to develop these key competences. The project “Sustainabilty – an European way” raised the quality of learning and teaching at the respective schools. The transnational cooperation delivered important impulses for the development of a cooperation culture at the schools and strengthend at the same time the individual competences of the involved students and teachers in the area of project realisation and project organisation. The project contributed to a higher intercultural awareness and with it allowed to understand the cultural diversity in Europe as a chance for their own advancement.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 81450 Eur

Project Coordinator

Oberschule an der Ronzelenstraße & Country: DE

Project Partners

• ISTITUTO TECNICO INDUSTRIALE STATALE ALESSANDRO VOLTA
• Agrupamento de Escolas de Álvaro Velho
• Kippenberg Gymnasium