Eco-Schools is an international environmental education programme developed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1994 and run in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy.
Eco-Schools is one of a kind – it’s student led which means young people drive the programme (with a little help from their Eco-Coordinator, of course!)
It’s designed to empower and inspire young people to make positive environmental changes to their school and wider community, while building on their key skills, including numeracy and literacy, and encompassing Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship.
The programme is funded by Welsh Government and free for Local Authority schools.
Best practices related to the theme of sustainability that are related to business ideas, productive activities that could create a value that is not only economic.
Describe the BEST PRACTICE
Proposer Country : Italy
To which subject of the Sustainibility does it refer?
15 – Life on Land
Who does it practise ?
This best practise has been started by the ‘’WWF Taranto’’ group.
Where? (If it belongs to B type, please indicate the geographic place)
In Taranto City – in Apulian Region – in the second bosom of Mar Piccolo.
When?
In 1987.
Why do you think that this best practice can be exported?
I think that this best practice can be exported because it is an essential place for animals and plants and it can also be an important resource for the economy.
Describe the activity
The natural reserve “Palude La Vela” is a protected area where you can find particular animals and plants.
La Vela oasis is a treasure for the natural heritage of the city of Taranto. Rich flora mainly halophyte type (species adapted to live in brackish environments) and even more rich and interesting fauna characterized by both sedentary species (herons, egrets, cormorants etc.) and migration (flamingos, knights of Italy , shelduck, avocets, spoonbills and many others). This natural jewel needs all of us to resist degradation and to be accessible to as many people as possible: we all learn to know in order to love and defend it!
Every week the WWF guides takes families and students to discover the place. It is now called ‘’Oasi la Vela’’ because it is located near the sea.
The students of the Primary School in Taranto have studied the environmental questions proposed by the Erasmus+ Project “G.R.E.E.N IN EUROPE” starting from the discussion of what they think environment is! Working in pair or in group they have immediately shown great interest towards the environmental education and the activities proposed by their teachers.
All the subjects have been involved in this training period: science, foreign languages , geography as well as the study of the ICT have been instruments to lead the students to think about the environmental questions. Looking around their own territory they found out what are the “environmental problems” of their town and which “GOOD PRACTICES” the town and its citizens can improve to solve its own environmental problems.
At the moment they are focusing the “best practices” linked to the exploitation of TARANTO SEA and its treasures (the benefit of aquatic plants, the mussils collectors ,dolphins safe, tortoise health).
At the same time , in order to get a “green lifestyle” ,they started finding real “green actions” to do every day at school and at home (recycle of water and plastic bottles, clean up of their classrooms…, bedrooms…)!
Best practices related to the theme of sustainability that are related to business ideas, productive activities that could create a value that is not only economic.
Describe the BEST PRACTICE
Proposer Country : Italy
To which subject of the Sustainibility does it refer?
11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
15 – Life on Land
Who does it practise ?
The Trisolini Family.
Where? (If it belongs to B type, please indicate the geographic place)
In the Apulia Region, more in detail in Martina Franca (Itria Valley) in Southern Italy.
When?
The activity has been starting around 1800, three generations ago.
Why do you think that this best practice can be exported?
We think that this best practice can be exported because it helps the tourism of the Apulia region to grow up. And it is a good practice even at company level. Infact, Masseria Cappella makes you taste its dairy and bakery products made in a natural and biological way in the farm.
Describe the activity
Masseria Cappella offers a unique experience ranging from gastronomy to discover beautiful landscapes, culture, relaxation involving schools, too. Masseria’s educational activity makes the farming practice accountable and endowed with pedagogic role ensuring value and devotion to the environment through the fostering of the land, giving it the chance of “schooling”.
Moreover, holiday farm offers a warm welcome to all the guests that come to this old structure, surrounded by wide open spaces, woodland, carefully cultivated crops and animals free to graze into the nature; the ideal spot for those who appreciate the peace and quiet of the countryside and at the same time the proximity of the wonderful tourist sites of Puglia. Finally, it makes bakery and dairy products made in a natural and biological way in our farm where you can find horses, cows and goats.
Best practices related to the theme of sustainability that are related to business ideas, productive activities that could create a value that is not only economic.
Describe the BEST PRACTICE
Proposer Country : Italy
To which aspect of Sustainability does it refer?
11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
15 – Life on Land
Who does the practise ?
Vincenzo Fornaro is a Tarantino entrepreneur and farmer who manages Masseria Carmine: a place where he had grown food for his flocks until, over time, it had become polluted.
Where? (If it belongs to B type, please indicate the geographic place)
Apulia, specifically Taranto, a city in southern Italy. The best practice has developed in a particular area in Taranto: between the district of Paolo VI and Ilva, one of the the largest Italian steelworks. Just to let you know, “Masseria” is a set of rural buildings used for typical farms in southern Italy and in particular in Apulia region, which takes its name from “household” (furnishings, furniture, peasant and pastoral use tools, food stores for people and animals) that they were stored and protected within large stone buildings where peasants, shepherds and owners lived.
When?
The first seeding (that is the beginning of the best practice) was on 5th April 2014 and thanks to it, Vincenzo Fornaro has demonstrated the importance of not giving up. That day was the first one of rebirth of Masseria Carmine, because Fornaro had,a few time before seeding hemp, been forced to abandon his crop because it was found full of dioxins.
Why do you think that this best practice can be exported?
This best practice should be exported because it is a good example of Green Economy and it has allowed a place to rebirth using well an environmental resource to eliminate pollutants. This best practice is a good example of job opportunity, too because hemp, as well as cleaning up the area, allows work in many areas. In fact, hemp is used to make food, glasses, clothes, cars cover and even houses.
Describe the activity
Every year, since 2014, at the end of winter season (end of March) Vincenzo Fornaro uses seeding hemp to clean the pollution from his ground. The plant cleans-up the ground in a natural way, thanks to Phytodepuration, a natural system that allows it to absorb the harmful substances. The climate is wet and in 3-4 weeks the seedlings already reach 30 cm in height. After that is is collected and used for different purposes.
The main use for the hemp cultivated by Vincenzo Fornaro is to build a boat which will transport passengers around Mar Piccolo (Small Sea that surrounds Taranto) to let them admire the spectacle that the sea offers. Promotion of the region, environmental protection, agricultural production, development of tourism: four goals achieved in the name of Green Economy!
Finally we know the winner’s name of “A Common Logo Contest”.
We thank all participants for bringing in their creativeness and for designing several interesting logos. But only one of them could be voted as the most representative logo of The Erasmus+ G.R.E.E.N in Europe project.
All 6-14 aged students of all partner schools (Italian, Bulgarian, Basque and Welsh) could take part to the contest. They had to design a logo representing all countries involved in the project and the green and eco-friendly development idea for the environmental safeguard of all countries.
The logo had to show, at least, a symbol representing the countries involved and to make reference to the Erasmus+ project. It had to be creative and colorful and focus on the positive aspects of each country. Furthermore, the participants could refer to the following tags to get inspired: green, Europe, environment, nature, research, action, eco-friendly development.
We can describe it as a great success if we consider the following figures: more than one thousand proposed logos, more than three thousand hits and 300 likes
Erasmus+ Team working
I.C. “R. Moro” – Taranto
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Finalmente abbiamo il vincitore del concorso “Un Logo Comune – “Concorso per la scelta di un logo per il Progetto Erasmus+ G.R.E.E.N in Europe “ . Molti sono stati i logo realizzati dagli allievi di tutte le scuole partner del progetto e ringraziamo tutti i partecipanti per aver messo in gioco la loro creatività per rendere più bello il nostro percorso Erasmus+!
Solo un logo, però, poteva aggiudicarsi il podio come logo rappresentativo del progetto “G.R.E.E.N in Europe” .
Ricordiamo che il concorso vedeva coinvolti tutti gli alunni della fascia d’età compresa dai 6 ai 14 anni dei quattro Istituti dei paesi presenti nel progetto (Italia ,Bulgaria, Spagna, Galles) che dovevano ideare e disegnare un logo raffigurando tutti i paesi coinvolti e che simboleggi l’idea dello sviluppo “green” ecosostenibile per la salvaguardia dell’ambiente di tutti i paesi.
Il logo doveva riportare almeno un simbolo che rappresenti i paesi coinvolti con dei riferimenti al progetto Erasmus +. A tal proposito si poteva far riferimento ai seguenti “tag” che potevano ispirare l’ideazione del logo stesso: green – Europe – ambiente – natura – ricerca – azioni – sviluppo ecosostenibile. Il logo doveva essere colorato, creativo e doveva mettere in evidenza i particolari positivi di ogni paese.
Il logo è stato realizzato da Claudia Bulli della scuola secondaria di primo grado dell‘Istituto Renato Moro di Taranto della scuola capofila del progetto (Italia).
Il progetto G.R.E.E.N. inEUROPE scaturisce dal bisogno di scambiare e divulgare, tra docenti della scuola primaria e secondaria di 1°grado dei diversi paesi della Comunità Europea, buone prassi che sviluppino e diffondano iniziative didattiche che mirino a far acquisire agli allievi competenze e conoscenze fondamentali per far crescere in loro uno spirito imprenditoriale ed un comportamento rispettoso dell’ambiente. Le difficoltà per la gestione del progetto, dovute alle distanze fisiche tra le varie scuole e al numero elevato degli attori coinvolti, potranno essere superate grazie all’utilizzo di strumenti di collaborazione online. E da questi strumenti che parte il progetto, questa è la prima competenza che i docenti devono acquisire attraverso un percorso di formazione che si completa con una certificazione riconosciuta dal programma ECDL. Acquisite le conoscenze per attivare un flusso di comunicazione di buone prassi e metodologie, i docenti si attiveranno per testare le competenze acquisite direttamente su un progetto didattico di respiro europeo. Essi guideranno i propri allievi , verso lo scambio e la divulgazione di buone prassi che siano portatrici di abitudini, soluzioni, prodotti e idee imprenditoriali che ruotino intorno ai principi di una vita sana ed uno sviluppo economico ecosostenibile. Ogni scuola sarà portatrice di soluzioni verso un reale sviluppo green, sociale ed economico, ma al tempo stesso mostrerà le proprie criticità locali. Proprio su queste criticità gli studenti potranno elaborare proposte creative per un piano di comunicazione o un’ idea d’impresa partendo dallo studio di soluzioni reali acquisite on site grazie allo scambio transnazionale. Per ogni abitudine, soluzione o prodotto, che ogni scuola deciderà di importare da una diversa realtà nazionale verso il proprio territorio, team di allievi potranno scegliere di intervenire con una delle seguenti azioni:
• sviluppare un progetto di comunicazione per una campagna pubblicitaria che miri alla divulgazione di processi/abitudini o
commercializzazione di prodotti appartenenti alla sfera del Green Lifestyle; .
. sviluppare uno schematico business plan per quelle soluzioni green che possano tradursi in idee imprenditoriali nel proprio
territorio.
Lo scambio di queste buone prassi non potrà prescindere :
– dall’utilizzo delle moderne Tecnologie;
– dall’uso di competenze linguistiche;
– dal possesso dei fondamenti della comunicazione pubblicitaria;
– dal possesso dei fondamenti per la stesura di un semplice business plan.
Il progetto prevede inizialmente una ricerca da parte dei ragazzi ciascuno nel proprio Paese, di cosa sia uno stile di vita Green. Si tratterà di una ricerca-attiva, una scoperta su quali siano le giuste strategie per una vita sana, su quale sia la giusta alimentazione, sull’importanza dello sport, sull’abitudine al rispetto dell’ambiente, al riciclo dei prodotti, alla riduzione dei consumi, alla rigenerazione delle risorse, all’uso di energia pulite. Da queste osservazioni e riflessioni scaturirà un GREEN LIFESTYLE caratteristico del proprio paese di appartenenza (con soluzioni, abitudini e proposte ecologiche) che sarà schematizzato e condiviso virtualmente con tutti gli altri studenti dei paesi partecipanti attraverso strumenti dell’ Online Collaboration. Sarà un primo momento di confronto e analisi “a distanza” delle buone prassi proposte dai vari paesi. Seguirà poi, uno scambio culturale sul posto, con i viaggi degli alunni nelle diverse nazioni , durante i quali potranno acquisire una documentazione fotografica, fare dei video, ricerche testuali, fare interviste e persino prendere dei campioni di prodotto. Questo scambio culturale sarà certificato utilizzando il sistema di certificazione dei crediti formativi previsti dal piano EUROPASS per la mobilità.
L’ultima fase del progetto darà agli studenti una grande opportunità: i bambini della scuola primaria potranno sviluppare una campagna pubblicitaria per la produzione di prodotti ecosostenibili o di sensibilizzazione verso l’acquisizione di nuove pratiche green, oppure dei packaging di prodotti ecosostenibili; i ragazzi di scuola secondaria dovranno sviluppare un Business Plan semplificato, basato sull’emulazione di idee di impresa acquisite durante lo scambio culturale, ma contestualizzate nel loro territorio. La struttura del progetto è di facile conversione verso un percorso curriculare scolastico esportabile. Esso può essere esplicitato anche conservando la struttura di scambio internazionale. Il gruppo dei docenti di coordinamento del progetto elaborerà, al termine del percorso, un documento che sia formalmente una proposta curriculare ben dettagliata. Il percorso così testato sarà pubblicato sulla piattaforma web TES (http://www.tesguide.eu/it/web_article/IT_share-a-tool.htm) che raccoglie tutte le buone prassi attinenti all’insegnamento della competenza dell’imprenditorialità.
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The project G.R.E.E.N. in EUROPE -Green Entrepreneurial Education Network in Europe –
is based on two pillars: the professional training of teachers and innovation in the field of education with the introduction of entrepreneurial education from primary school through content that is part of the value and culture of the partner schools: environmental sustainability and active citizenship education. It also includes certifications for the skills acquired during the learning pathway both for teachers and for students.
The project is about exchanging the best practices to implement better Green Life Styles in fact it aims to create a network of good practices to deal with those environmental issues that are threatening our own local areas (air, water and soil pollution, garbage disposal, etc), but also with unhealthy behavior (eating junk food, sedentariness, use of chemical cleaning products, etc.).
As a first step in the development of the project, the students should acquire knowledge and be inspired by green good practices, already successfully implemented in each partner country. In the second year of the project activities, they should plan how “to import”, to replicate, that “green” idea/solution in their own local area (“green” products, technologies, sustainable alternatives etc.). In the end, 6-11year old students should be able to plan a “green” advertising campaign and 12-15 year old students should be able to draw up a simple “green” Business Plan to be submitted to the local organizations and institutions to support and “to sell” the chosen green idea.
The project and the study visits as well will be focused on experiential, environmental, and entrepreneurial learning expanding the students’ sense of global citizenship and environmental responsibility and fostering entrepreneurial, technological education.
The objectives of the project are in step with the common political priorities and transversal priorities established by the E.C. in the field of education and training (ET 2020) whose essential purpose is supporting the improvement of education systems, mutual learning, exchange of good practices and professional development of teachers as well.
All the educational activities expected in our project as:
providing training for teachers;
considering and appreciating the best practices of our partners’ countries in the field of sustainable lifestyles,
finding a way to ensure the exchange of information on best practices in this field (using English, modern technologies);
visiting our partners’ countries with surveys and on-site workshops;
mentoring young students to produce business ideas in order to “export” and / or “to import” the healthy /eco-friendly lifestyle which is efficacious and innovative in our partner’s country;
steering the students, future citizens of Europe, towards thinking and planning a Green Economy that can be on the basis of future production and consumption systems based on the sustainable use of resources and reduction of negative impacts on the environment, are widely in line not only with the Strategic Objectives set by the E.U. for 2020 but also with the strategic priorities redefined in COM (2015) 408 final del 26/08/2015 for European cooperation in education and training:
Strengthening the development of transversal skills and key competences, in line with the Reference Framework on Key Competences for lifelong learning, in particular digital, entrepreneurship and linguistic competences;
Promoting awareness and education in the environmental field developing skills reflecting growing sectors, such as the green economy;
Acquiring and mainstreaming innovative and active pedagogies such as inter-disciplinary teaching and collaborative methods, to enhance the development of relevant and high-level skills and competences;
Supporting continuing professional development of teachers especially to deal with work based learning, digital competences and innovative pedagogies, including through EU tools such as eTwinning;
Supporting the mobility of students, teachers and the development of strategic partnerships and joint courses by increasing internationalisation of education.
Dissemination is a very important phase in the project focused on two main aspects of it:
knowledge and dissemination processes, habits or products belonging to the sphere of Green lifestyles;
education of the students from primary school to the culture of entrepreneurship and business.
The outcomes of this transnational cooperation will be widely disseminated among all the relevant stakeholders through events, fairs, exhibitions and all the path and activities will be published on T.E.S. and Junior Achievement sites that collect all the good practices related to teaching entrepreneurial skills and shared with E-twinning community.
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