On Wednesday 12 December 2023 an interesting training seminar on the transition to the green economy was held. The moderator of the discussion was the Professor of the Department of International and European Studies and Academic Coordinator of the Jean Monnet project “Motivating Teachers 4 Europe” Mrs. Fotini Asderaki. Mrs. Asderaki referred to the Green Deal, the roadmap for the transition to a greener society, to a climate neutral Europe by 2050 and the link to the European Education Area. Referring to education, she pointed out that “the European Union encourages the education and training sector to take action to contribute to the green transition and to enhance the sustainability skills of all learners”. Therefore, green education is important because learners of all ages need to be able to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to live more sustainably, change consumption patterns and contribute to a greener future.
Mrs Vera Dilari, ERDIC Laboratory Research Associate, spoke about achieving the Green Transition through education. Education and training are included in the Green Deal (paragraph 2.2.4) as they play a key role in supporting individuals to move from environmental awareness to individual and collective action. She presented some of the EU’s Green Education initiatives such as: Climate Education Alliance, European Sustainability Competences Framework, Researchers in Schools, Learning for Environmental Sustainability. She highlighted the Whole School Approach as the most appropriate way towards Green Education/Sustainability Education. This approach is supported by the EU Working Group “Learning for Sustainability” and by international organisations such as UNESCO and UNECE.
Mrs Hara Bouta, Education Advisor, spoke about green education in relation to Climate Change. The cooperation of schools with schools from countries beyond the European Union either through European or international programmes. This experience enables students to understand that issues such as climate change have a different impact depending on the country you live in. The example of the 5th Primary School of Agia Paraskevi CHELMEIO, of which she was Director, proves that participation in European programmes such as ERASMUS+ and international programmes such as ASPnet UNESCO opens up horizons even if these programmes take place in pandemic conditions.
Environmental Education Officers Maria Demopoulou, Eleni Niarchou, Alexandra Tsigou presented a collaborative initiative of three local networks entitled: “Schools for Climate – Islands of Resilience and Change” which aims to provide members of educational groups and the wider society with the necessary knowledge, skills, competences regarding the global issue of climate change focusing on the consequences for Greece in the near future. In order to achieve this goal, thematic campaigns are planned, such as the recent one on the climate crisis on the occasion of the United Nations Conference – COP28. Particularly impressive was the “Green Christmas” campaign, in which students and their parents are encouraged to celebrate Christmas in a way that is friendly to the environment and the planet. The culmination of the network’s activities was the three-day “Student Conference on the Transition to a Climate Neutral Future”, which took place in the framework of the “2023 ELEUSIS CULTURAL HERO OF EUROPE”, with the participation of students from many countries. The conference was followed by a march of 350 students (aged 10-15 years old) of Primary and Secondary Education, climate change education, visioning for climate neutrality and designing a roadmap for the climate transition of the school, the neighbourhood, the city, with participatory methods of empowerment, democratic consultation, and cultivation of collective spirit.