Acting for the transition to a low carbon economy in schools - development of support tools

The main objective of the ClimACT Project is to promote the transition to a Low Carbon Economy in the Educational Sector. - The development of tools, specific for schools, will play a great role in monitoring and optimizing their energy and environmental performance. Innovative methodologies that will internalize the environment, safety and health costs, along schools whole life cycle, will allow the identification of the most sustainable solutions for schools, based on smart managment of energy, renewable energy and behaviours, among others. - The development of new business models for schools will ensure cost-efficiency and significantly reduced payback periods for Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and Energy Performance Contracts (EPC) projects, allowing the creation of an environment friendly business. - Educational sector has enormous raise awareness potential. This project will develop and deliver holistic, comprehensive and technology-assisted educational tools for active learning towards educating schoolchildren in low carbon-awareness. - The Innovative project solutions will be validated in real-life conditions in 35 pilot schools from Portugal, Spain, France and Gibraltar. - A thematic networking in SUDOE region and a Living Lab methodology will be employed to potentiate the transition to a low carbon economy in schools across the SUDOE region over the life of the project and to build strong foundations for further implementation of the project products after the project officially ends. The project gathers partners with complementary roles from all SUDOE countries that will coordinate sharing of good practice and implementation of joint solutions to common challenges affecting effective energy and environment management in schools. The roles of the partners are complementary and the impact would not be possible if there was not such transnationality of the partners. After the end of the project, the awareness-raising activities and tools deployed in the educational sector could be transferred to a wider number of schools and even more to other environments like public buildings, hotels or homes.

L'objectif principal du projet Climact est de promouvoir la transition vers une économie à faible carbone dans le secteur de l'éducation. -Le développement d'outils,spécifiques pour les écoles,va jouer un grand rôle dans le suivi et l'optimisation de leur performance énergétique et environnementale.Des méthodologies innovantes qui internaliser les coûts environnementaux, de sécurité et de santé, ainsi que les écoles,pendants leurs cycle de vie, permettront l'identification des solutions plus durables pour les écoles. -Le développement de nouveaux modèles d'affaires pour les écoles permettra d'assurer la rentabilité et les périodes de récupération considérablement réduits pour les sociétés de services énergétiques et EPC de projets,permettant la création d'une entreprise respectueuse de l'environnement. -Le secteur de l'éducation a un énorme potentiel de sensibilisation à la relance.Ce projet développera et fournira des outils éducatifs complets et assistées par des technologies holistiques pour l'apprentissage actif à éduquer les écoliers en bas carbone conscience. -Les solutions de projets innovants seront validés en conditions réelles dans 35 écoles pilotes du PT, SP, FR et GI. -Un réseau thématique dans la région SUDOE et une méthodologie de Living Lab seront utilisés pour potentialiser la transition vers une économie faible en carbone dans les écoles de la région SUDOE pendant toute la durée du projet et de construire des bases solides pour poursuivre l'application des produits du projet après le projet se termine officiellement. Le projet rassemble des partenaires avec des rôles complémentaires de tous les pays SUDOE qui coordonneront le partage des bonnes pratiques et la mise en euvre des solutions communes aux défis communs touchant l'énergie et la gestion efficace de l'environnement dans les écoles. Les rôles des partenaires sont complémentaires et l'impact ne serait pas possible s'il n'y avait pas une telle transnationalité des partenaires. Après la fin du projet, les activités et les outils de sensibilisation déployés dans le secteur de l'éducation pourraient être transférés à un plus grand nombre d'écoles et plus encore à d'autres environnements.

El objetivo principal del Proyecto Climact es promover la transición hacia una economía baja en carbono en el sector educativo. El desarrollo de herramientas específicas para las escuelas, jugará un gran papel en el control y la optimización de su rendimiento energético y medioambiental. El uso de metodologías innovadoras que internalizarán los costes medioambientales, de seguridad y de salud, a lo largo del ciclo de vida de las escuelas, permitirán la identificación de las soluciones más sostenibles para las escuelas, basándose, entre otras, en una gestión energética inteligente, energía renovables y conductas. El desarrollo de nuevos modelos de negocio para las escuelas asegurará la rentabilidad y reducirá significativamente los períodos de recuperación de las inversiones para las empresas de servicios energéticos (ESCOs) y los proyectos de contratos de rendimiento energéticos (EPC) que permite la creación de un negocio respetuoso con el medio ambiente. El sector educativo tiene un potencial enorme de concienciación. Este proyecto va a desarrollar y proporcionar herramientas educativas holísticas, integrales y tecnológicamente asistidas para el aprendizaje activo de cara a educar y sensibilizar a los escolares en una economía de bajo contenido de carbono. Las soluciones innovadoras del proyecto serán validadas en condiciones reales en 35 escuelas piloto de Portugal, España, Francia y Gibraltar. Se empleará una red temática en la región SUDOE y una metodología Living Lab para potenciar la transición hacia una economía baja en carbono en las escuelas de la región SUDOE durante la vida del proyecto y para construir una base sólida para la aplicación posterior de los productos del proyecto después de la finalización oficial del mismo. El proyecto reúne a socios con funciones complementarias de todos los países SUDOE que coordinarán el intercambio de buenas prácticas y la aplicación de soluciones conjuntas a los desafíos comunes que afectan a una gestión eficaz energética y medioambiental en los colegios. Las funciones de los socios son complementarias y el impacto no sería posible si no hubiera tal transnacionalidad en los socios.

a series of audits were carried out in 39 pilot schools, monitoring their energy and water consumption, air quality, waste management, mobility, green spaces and sustainable purchases. Starting from there, a series of tools were developed to optimize their consumption and identify the measures to be implemented, with the support of a benchmarking platform that allows visualizing the environmental impact of each centre and comparing it with the others and a support tool for taking decisions, based on the analysis of the life cycle and costs. To fill the lack of knowledge about financing and legislation, methodological guidance guides were created for business models and energy management strategies as well as a platform on existing resources. Another of the great pillars of the project has been the training of students on environmental issues for which an educational platform was developed. It includes educational tools based on active learning and gamification techniques. There is also the CLIMACT academy that offers training actions for all the value chain actors. Finally, a thematic network on low carbon economy was promoted in schools, built through the LivingLab methodology. The CLIMACT project has enjoyed great success with the training of at least 1887 teachers, 14193 students and 6214 members of the school community. Over the three years of the project, a total of 356 actions were promoted, with the participation of some 23781 participants, leading to the environmental improvement of 95% of the participating schools. On the other hand, the project has participated in 3 European awards: Regiostars 2018 (shortlisted), Slam of Interact 2018 (second prize winner) and EU Sustainable Energy Award 2019 (prize winner). The project counts on several publications in scientific journals and a LAYMAN report. Regarding the continuity of the project, sensors were installed in each of the schools that will allow the energy monitoring of the centres to continue. Each centre had a low carbon structure composed of a coordinator, a commission and a brigade whose roles were assumed by teachers and students and will be maintained in the future. The pilot products have been institutionalized in Portugal by ABAE, responsible for the ECO-Escolas program. Likewise, the Government of Gibraltar has institutionalized the entire process by creating the Gibraltar Sustainable Schools Program, based on the CLIMACT methodology.