Since a few weeks Network Web2Class is online. It is a Ning Network and open only for members regarding Comenius Project Web2Class. Later on we will discuss to open it to all interested educators and institutions.
On the 15 January 2009 Gareth Davies from Aquatera Ltd and Inga Burton from IAB Sustainability Consultants facilitated a workshop on Climate Change for students involved in the Comenius School Project Web2Class in Thessaloniki, Greece.This report has been developed by the facilitators to enable staff and students take forward some of the lessons learned.It also includes links to information and resources that could help students and staff throughout their project.
The web2class project is a 2 year EU funded programme involving schools from 8 different European countries.It aims to use web tools such as blogging and wiki to share information relating to research and projects undertaken by students on the topic of climate change (in the first year) and migration (in the second year).
The purpose of the workshop was to help the students understand the issues associated with climate change and to encourage them to consider the impact of their own project and how they could take action to reduce it.The workshop was interactive involving a mixture of presentations, open discussion and group work.Due to changes in event times it was not possible to incorporate all aspects of the planned workshop.Table 1 describes the format of the sessions is as it happened on the day.The presentations given to students and to staff during the feedback session are both available in powerpoint.
Throughout the workshop students were asked to contribute in a number of ways and as a result key outcomes were achieved.These are summarised in Table 2 with more detail behind each in the following sections of this report.
Table 2Key outcomes of the climate change workshop
Task
Description of task/discussion
Outcome
1
What does sustainable development mean?
A list of definitions were obtained from students on the meaning of sustainable development
Preferred definition voted on by students and staff
2
What action have you taken to reduce your impact on climate change?
A list of actions that students have already undertaken to reduce their impact on climate change
3
Why might different places use different types or levels of energy?
A list of examples of how energy is used in different areas.
4
What can you do to improve your school/project’s carbon footprint?
A list of different ways in which schools could reduce the carbon footprint of their school or project
The following is a selection of some of the definitions given by pupils on what they thought sustainable development is about.A full list is given in Annex 1.
1.Sustainable development is for us, the tool to protect our planet from ultimate disaster caused by pollution, greenhouse effect and their consequences
2.Sustainable development is about keeping the sea, rivers, and lakes clean, saving energy in our house and protecting nature and our forests.Everyone should help to save the environment and not wait for the government.
3.Sustainable development is about people changing their attitude /opinion to value nature more.It is not important if someone can’t do huge things at least they want to do something for a better environment and try to convince others to improve the environment
4.Imagine the world after 50 years if we continue to pollute it in the way we do now.Now imagine it again with us using alternative and renewable resources of energy, using less oil than we do today and generally pollute environment in a much lower rate.Which of the two worlds is better?We can achieve the second world but why don’t we do it?
5.When you use something use it with caution the next generation needs it!
6.Walk more drive less
7.You cut down a tree and you plant a new one – balance
The following definition was suggested as one that staff and students could use as part of their project:
Use things with caution the next generation also needs it!
The formal definition of sustainable development is:
Development that meets the needs of today’s generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
World Commission on Environment and Development 1987
Table 3 gives examples of the types of actions that students had taken to reduce their impact on climate change:
Table 3Individual actions by students
Individual actions by students
Avoid turning on lights
Saving water
Turning off computer
Using bus
Low energy light-bulbs
Collecting rainwater
Cooler washing of clothes
Reducing heating
Solar panels
Not using cell-phone
Turning off at plug not standby
Walking to school
Only having one TV switched on in the house
Not using a lighter
Not using plastic bags
Riding bike
Recycling batteries
Eating vegetables instead of meat
Separating rubbish for recycling/reuse
Not using High CO2 items
Watering plants with non drinkable water
Recycling paper glass plastic etc
Not using quad bike as much
Eco-friendly products (cleaning)
Not using elevator
Staff members were also asked to give examples of how they had taken action to reduce their impact on climate change.Here are some of the examples given (Table 4):
The concept of a ‘carbon footprint’ was discussed with students and an example presented on the amount of carbon produced for the flights associated with representatives from one of the schools participating.
The message being conveyed was the need for the schools participating in the Web2Class project to understand that by meeting together in different countries meant that they were probably emitting more carbon than their projects would save.It was therefore proposed that they should consider identifying ways in which their project or schools could reduce carbon emissions.Students came back with a number of suggestions as described below.Further examples of ways to reduce carbon footprint are included in Annex 2.
Table 6Carbon footprint – examples of measuring reductions
Ref
Description
1
Awareness campaign for 2400 people followed up by student survey to quantify improvements
2
Use low energy light-bulbs – switch off 400 lights in school
3
Cold wash cycle – Saves 20% energy = 0.53kW if x 300 people = 1059kW/wash x 52weeks = 55068kWh
4
Low energy light-bulbs – could correlate to 2440 individual bulbs
5
Batteries – could recycle 500/year
6
Reduce outside lighting and plant trees in school grounds – each tree = 250kg carbon per year
7
Spend to save initiative using solar heating (5-10yrpayback)
8
Buy/operate energy efficient computers – 117 computers x 350w x 8 = 327kWh x 0.43kgCO2 = 140kg Carbon/day x 200days = 28tonnes carbon
9
Avoid taking bus to school – bus travels 4 miles x 5 x 12 = 780miles/year 78 pounds/year for students
10
Saving paper – recycle 10 sheets every day – 300 students – over the year save 25 trees
Throughout the workshop there was a focus on encouraging students and staff to think about the legacy of their project in terms of its impact on climate change.Students have identified a number of ideas as to how they as individuals and schools could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide they produce by reducing energy use and using renewable energy sources.A number of suggestions were made as to what the next steps could be.These included:
1.Each student and staff member taking action at home
2.Each student and staff member encouraging their friends and families to take action
3.Staff and students to agree ways to reduce the carbon footprint of their project e.g. using video conferencing
4.Each school take forward a project
5.Establishing ways to use the Web2Class Tools to encourage people to reduce energy use and use renewable energy resources
6.Encouraging schools to educate staff and students about the importance of taking action
EcoSchools – Eco-Schools is an international award programme that guides schools on their sustainable journey, providing a framework to help embed these principles into the heart of school life.The website has case studies and examples of resources for staff and students.
Schools Global Footprint – provides resources for students and teachers wanting to calculate their schools footprint looking at waste, food, buildings, water, transport and energy
Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC)
With a membership of over 260 universities and colleges, the EAUC is the environmental and sustainability champion within Further and Higher Education in the UK.
1.a tool to protect our planet from ultimate disaster caused by pollution, greenhouse effect and their consequences
2.About keeping the sea, rivers, and lakes clean, saving energy in our house and protecting nature and our forests.Everyone should help to save the environment and not wait for the government.
3.About reduction
4.About having to use renewable sources of energy, like solar energy, tides, waves, wind instead of oil and nuclear energy.
5.Is about a balance in natures resources, development and progress
6.Is about recycling paper, plastic, glass and aluminium to save our planet
7.Saving carbon dioxide is very important for global warming
8.Reducing global warming if we use our bike instead of a car
9.Taking responsibility – we strongly believe that it is our duty to prevent the shortage of water and oil and gas because for example they are useful for human beings
10.About people changing their attitude /opinion to value the nature more.It is not important if they do huge things at least they want to do something for a better environment and try to convince others to improve the environment
11.A really important issue.You must find ways to take advantage of things that last forever.
12.About Solar Power, Wind power, waterpower, bioethanol atomic energy!
13.Thinking when you use something use it with caution the next generation needs it!
14.Imagine the world after 50 years if we continue to pollute it in the way we do now.Now imagine it again with us using alternative and renewable resources of energy, using less oil than we do today and generally pollute environment in a much lower rate.Which of the two worlds is better?We can achieve the second world but why don’t we do it?
15.By using hydrogen cars we don’t pollute the atmosphere and so we reduce the world’s temperature
16.Walk more drive less
17.You cut down a tree and you plant a new one – balance
Buy energy efficient computers and electrical equipment
3
Don’t start the computers automatically at 8am but shut down computers automatically at 4pm
4
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle as much as possible
5
Open the curtains in classrooms to get natural light in
6
Have some classes outside
7
Hydrogen powered buses
8
Paper rather than plastic (e.g. bags)
9
Use video conference
10
Save money by using natural resources
11
Plant trees in school grounds
12
Encourage people to change their behaviour – e.g. have school climate change campaigns and measure amount of energy used from school energy bills before and after to see the difference
13
Educate staff and students on climate change
14
Use movement sensor lights for outside security
15
Reduce thermostat settings
16
Remove unnecessary lights/decorative lights
17
Buses for student/staff instead of their own cars
18
Don’t use stand by
19
Control heating of schools better so it isn’t too hot or too cold – turn heating off before opening a window
20
Turn off water when not in use and fix dripping taps
Presentation to Students during the morning session.
Greeting from Orkney………. This is just a quick hello to tell you about latest extravaganzas experienced recently in our Web2class Comenius project.
Thessaloniki…….What an experience!
My colleague Fraser and I along with our pupils Matthew, Scott had a great time and received a tremendous welcome and consideration from our Greek hosts.
All our 8 other schools were present ,and like KGS, the schools brought students with them. Although most of the other students were older that Matthew and Scott, the boys, once they gained their confidence began to enjoy working with and talking to the students from Greece, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Denmark, Hungary and Austria
Our trip consisted of development planning, Web 2.0 tools workshops, interactive workshops presented by Aquatera from Stromness re our Climate Change project, site seeing and veritable feast’s of everlasting Greek meals, music and dancing.
