Good Life and Sustainability. Contributions for a consumer education in the context of an emerging culture of sustainability and sufficiency in European regions Erasmus Project

Project Title

Good Life and Sustainability.

Contributions for a consumer education in the context of an emerging culture of sustainability and sufficiency in European regions

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 adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Environment and climate change; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The GLAS project aimed at supporting consumer education in the context of the „UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development“ and the multiple European Sustainable Development implementation processes. It identified factors of good life in different European regions, and it collected didactic material and examples of good practice in this field, thus also contributing to an emerging culture of sustainability. The basic platform for consumer education served well in realising these objectives.

The project focused in detail on the following contributions with a view to the specific contexts of project partners:
1. Support of professional qualifications of teachers and trainers
2. Empowerment of consumers as partners in the market
3. Contribution to the increase of knowledge and skills for participants/learners
4. Information about the importance of consumer education for sustainable development to policy makers and to the interested public (e.g. a Check List about sustainable goals achieved inside the organisations)

Special target groups like low income people were usually participating in the documented projects. The didactic tools were designed in such a way that they could also serve successfully the specific needs of these target groups.

Five organisations of four countries are partners in the GLAS project.
All of them are experienced institutions in fields like cultural education, adult education, youth education and vocational education/training. They cooperated very well as a team. More detailed information about the following partners can be found on their websites:
Siksali Arendusselts MTÜ: www.siksali.ee
Agentur Kultur e.V. (Coordinator): www.agentur-kultur.com
Verein Niedersächsischer Bildungsinitiativen e.V.: www.vnb.de
Amici del Centro Socio Culturale San Francesco: www.cscsanfrancesco.it
Eco Logic: www.ecologic.mk

At the beginning of the project the main focus was to reach a common understanding about goals and methods as documented and adopted in the „Basic Platform“. In spite of differences in backgrounds and contexts a consensus was reached in a very constructive manner. The chosen key-topics „mobility, nutrition, housing, environment“ are especially important for consumers and highly relevant for sustainable development. They also reflect the state of the emerging culture of sustainability in each region and country.
We also reached a shared understanding of the complexities and interdependences e.g. with regard to the importance of the project for the labour market, professional qualification as well as issues like raising the level of social and cultural competences. An additional focus was to explore the differences and varieties of consumer attitudes and consumer behaviour.

Key results of the GLAS project
1. Project design: Basic platform for consumer education suitable for adult education and schools as well
2. Tools: Triangle/Platform, Workshop design, Checklist for Institutions, Pedagogical Cards (draft version)
3. Didactic material for the key topics mobility, nutrition, housing, environment in the field of consumer education (including innovative
methods)
4. Essays: They are taking a closer look at didactic tools, workshop design and innovative approaches as
well as putting the GLAS project into perspective with regard to the main challenges facing the emerging culture of sustainability and looking at the contexts for long-term impacts of project results.

Main impact:
Participants developed their competences as informed consumers in the field of sustainable development and also improved their diversity skills as well as their personal, social and professional competences.
Additional impacts were realised with regards to the local and regional processes of achieving sustainability goals. The project partners also communicated in their local, regional and national networks the project materials and results.
Additional target groups will be reached by follow-up projects (e.g. workshops and courses using the materials and results of the GLAS project) and its impulses for an emerging culture of sustainability and sufficiency. This was also supported by the project homepage and the project newsletters. Positive effects were also realised by networking and the exchange between schools, adult education organisations, environmental initiatives, churches, religious groups and local communities.

The robust and flexible project design and the results attained will be also a useful platform for the intended/planned follow-up activities of project partners as well as for projects of other interested stakeholders. Detailed information concerning the key results are documented on the project website: https://glasproject.wordpress.com/ including the documentation in regular GLAS Newsletters.

The project results have the potential for some long-term benefits. The realisation of these benefits is very much needed, but hard to predict.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 55291 Eur

Project Coordinator

Agentur Kultur e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Amici del Centro socio culturale San Francesco
• Verein Niedersächsischer Bildungsinitiativen e.V.
• Siksali Arendusselts MTÜ
• Eco Logic