About Build Green
The areas where citizens can take part in the transition to a more sustainable, environmentally conscious future are many, and in this project we want to focus on the building of sustainable spaces using six main themes: the use of recycled materials for building, small-scale and low-cost passive houses that use low levels of energy for heating and cooling, spaces for permaculture, green walls, roof gardens and indoor agriculture, all of which reduce the amount of energy and resources both in the building stage and during their maintenance thereafter. The project also will offer participants the techniques to build sustainably in a more affordable way so to reach to expand opportunities for more people to join. The project will develop methodologies using Online Digital Technologies to implement project activities with the main target groups: participants and professionals from higher education institutions, SMEs, VET schools and people working and volunteering for community groups, organisations and associations interested in the subject.
The consortium believes these opportunities offer a significant chance for participants and stakeholders to engage in the circular economy in a meaningful yet practical way. The consortium also envisions creating a network of practitioners in Spain, Hungary and Greece where the Applicant ABRAZOHOUSE and project partners KÖVET and IFIKE are based. ABRAZOHOUSE will lead activities related to the first 3 themes of sustainable building, while KÖVET will lead activities related to the last 3, and IFIKE will lead activities in the use of ODTs that turn these themes into learning pedagogies and methodologies within the adult education sector. These networks will allow participants to continue developing methodologies in the field, including in adult education, but also for youth and schools. The transnational nature of the project will strengthen project outcomes because sustainability, climate change, and the overconsumption of energy and resources is a global issue by nature, and it places a particular onus on international co-operation and collective action.
The transnational cooperation in this field is particularly relevant because some of the main themes of this project are practices that are innovative and are still not developed widely yet. The setting up of indoor agriculture is, for example, an innovative practice in its infancy. Partners in Spain, Hungary and Greece therefore would benefit from an international project where they can have access to curriculums that teach adults in the use of this project’s technologies and techniques.
Moreover, the building of sustainable practices is local by definition and needs to take into consideration local needs that are often unique to the regions and countries where the partners are based. Taking into account these different circumstances is essential to develop a comprehensive programme of theory and practice. For example, partners will need to consider the ambient environment where they live to build passive houses in a certain way considering heating and cooling conditions. Partners must also consider what local recycled materials are available; how to build a green wall over existing local constructions; what local skills are available, including those of more traditional crafts and those being lost between generations.
This project will enable different approaches to learning about biodiversity and different strategies for taking action to be shared across borders, between communities, thus fostering a sense of collective endeavour and mutual solidarity and support. This is particularly valuable in climate change because the scale of the crisis can often feel overwhelming. This opportunity will also provide the means for participants to think about policy and policy change related to sustainability issues, the European approach to the circular economy and the reduction of energy and conservation in the design and building of spaces.
Activities
The project will focus on two main outputs: the creation of an online, interactive Toolkit that will enable participants to learn about the theory of sustainable building and case studies from Spain, Hungary and Greece. Case studies will also come from other selected countries from Erasmus+ Programme Countries to make it more inclusive of other options at the European level that are also relevant for the development of green practices in the content in the next decades.
The IO1 output will have the following objectives: 1) Exploring and systematising relevant theories, techniques and best practices in the field of sustainable building as a way to address environmental problems and climate change (project priority number 1) through improving the availability of high quality learning opportunities for adults in this field of knowledge and expertise, both used or of interest to the consortium for the project objectives; 2) Exchanging best practices and promoting mutual learning, based on partners’ experiences and best practices; 3) Building a shared consensus on the reference framework that will be used in the further steps of the project in the development of the Build Green Curriculum (IO2); 3) Exchanging best practices and promoting mutual learning, based on partners’ experiences and best practices; 4) Promoting low-cost, local sustainable building as a tool to engage in sustainability-oriented solutions with a much broader audience and address climate change in the field in adult education, its efficacy and relevance for adults in the establishment of a low-carbon, circular economy.
IO1 will be innovative in a number of ways. IO1 will put together a set of theories, sustainable building techniques and best practices adapted to the specific target groups of this project to be exploited within the adult learning context. IO1 will include techniques that are innovative in themselves, such as state-of-the-art research in the field, including green corners at the office or at home, as well as low-cost passive houses designed using local knowledge and built using recycled materials. IO1 will make use of ODTs to support learners to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies in the themes of the project. Participants from the target groups will train at two events, C1 and C2 to learn practically how to build sustainably. Partners will produce 36 videos, 2 per each of the six main themes and partner, where partner will show the “know-how” of sustainable building. These videos and other didactic materials that will be added to the Toolkit for others to use and build independently.
The second output of this project, IO2, will take the selection of the theory, practices and case studies from IO1 to develop an educational Curriculum for the building of sustainable spaces. The output will see the delivery of 1 pilot training in Spain and 3 trainings in each partner country with a total of 100 participants from the target groups who will learn to build sustainably. The Curriculum will also become an opportunity to discuss sustainability related issues, climate change, and the transition to a green, circular economy in the European Union.
IO2 will be innovative in that it will produce a unique set of resources, enabling participants to build sustainably in of the 6 main themes detailed in IO1. IO2 will make accessible how sustainable building can be used to implement adult education. Participants will be encouraged and guided to adapt the materials to the needs of their community, the activities of their local economy and the opportunities or challenges faced in their regions. For example, considering the ambient environment of where they live to build passive houses in a certain way; what local recycled materials are available; how to build a green wall over existing local constructions; what local skills are available, including those of more traditional crafts and those being lost between generations.
Impact
The results of the project will focus on the completion of the project Toolkit which will have a more theoretical emphasis and will be easily sharable through partners’ networks and online presence and a Curriculum where partners will interact with the target groups for a practical implementation of project objectives. 28 participants from the partner organisations and target groups will train at LTT Activities C1 and C2 in the six main themes of “Build Green: Breakthough in Sustainable Spaces”. ABRAZOHOUSE will then run one pilot training for 10 participants. Partners will then each run 3 trainings for 10 people each (total 90). Partners will invite 5 organisations (2 people each) to participate in a small-scale sustainable building set up programme comprised of an intensive 1-day training and 2 coaching sessions of a duration of 2 hours each where participants will be assisted in experientially carrying out the building of sustainable spaces. Trainings will be designed so that they can be run in-person or online, providing for any pandemic issues and for access for those in more remote locations.
Participants will be encouraged and guided to adapt the materials to the needs of their community, the activities of their local economy and the opportunities or challenges faced in their regions. For example, considering the ambient environment of where they live to build passive houses in a certain way; what local recycled materials are available; how to build a green wall over existing local constructions; what local skills are available, including those of more traditional crafts and those being lost between generations. It will make accessible how sustainable construction can be used to provide adult education. Information on how to run the workshops and trainings will be available to any group giving them the information necessary to run the training themselves.
The expected impact of this project is that learning to build following sustainability principles can provide participants with unique skills that will become increasingly more relevant as the European Union moves to a circular, green economy in the coming decades. This will be done in following EU’s principles regarding the reduction of waste and energy and resources use, which in turn also helps to address climate change issues. Participants will learn a way of generating an income through skills related to sustainability. These will be of particular importance to those facing disadvantages. New knowledge and skills also change participants’ mindsets from a non-circular economy one to a more sustainable lifestyle and future better for all.
Participating organisations and participants of higher education, VET schools, SMEs, and adults working in community groups and local associations will be able to adapt the materials and create bespoke programmes that suit their needs. The transnational level of the project will boost the transferability potential of IO1, in terms of adaptability to each local context. The Toolkit will be available in the 4 languages of this consortium to facilitate its dissemination to the relevant stakeholders. The Toolkit will be a key activity of C1 and C2. The Toolkit will be available in the partners’ websites and will be fundamental in the process of involving and engaging the target groups and stakeholders in other key activities and dissemination. The Curriculum will be an operational document, easy to read, that will support adults in navigating sustainable building themes and case studies with success. The Curriculum document, available online on all partners’ websites and social media channels will be in English. The brief, hands on, on-line format of this Output guarantees easier transferability to the adult education context and target groups.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
2021-1-ES01-KA220-ADU-000028308
