Teachers play a pivotal role in educating children and youth about the urgent need to address the ongoing climate crisis. Recognizing this, the EUKI-funded project „Classroom for Life“ aims to empower primary and secondary school teachers in Slovenia by developing and implementing educational training, conferences, and tools focused on ecosocial education.

In 2024 the training for teachers  „From Teacher to Facilitator of Learning for Climate and Sustainability“  was successfully implemented with two groups of teachers from primary and secondary schools.  

Second International Conference about ecosocial education, entitled „Education and Training for Climate Justice“ 

On the first day of the conference 26th of September 2024, we will host two distinguished international experts: Dr. Daniel Christian Wahl and Dr. Mirela Sertić Perić.

– Dr. Daniel C. Wahl is a leading figure in the reGeneration movement and author of Designing Regenerative Cultures,   translated into seven languages. His session, titled  Bioregional Regeneration as an Implementation Pathway of Climate Justice will explore conventional sustainability approaches and propose bioregional regeneration as a more effective solution.

– Dr. Mirela Sertić Perić is an Associate Professor at the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Science, Department of Biology. Her presentation, Nurturing Sustainable Futures: Exploring Education for Sustainable Development, will emphasize the critical need to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into education systems. She will discuss how ESD aligns with global Sustainable Development Goals and national curricula, and its essential role in addressing global challenges.

The international part of the conference will take place online on September 26th 2024, from 9.00 to 11.30 CET.   You can register for the conference here.

Day two, 27 September 2024, will take place on-site in Koper, Slovenia, at the University of Primorska Faculty of education, and will be dedicated to empowering primary and secondary school teachers from Slovenia. We will host two Slovenian experts, Dr. Tomaž Grušovnik who will lead a session entitled „Philosophy for children and environmental ethics“, and Dr. Dejan Meh Savić who will explain how and why climate justice is key to solving and overcoming the climate crisis. A roundtable with decision-makers and stakeholders of the Slovenian school system will follow the two sessions. The guests will discuss how to integrate sustainability and climate literacy into the Slovenian education system. The conference will conclude with six different parallel workshops which will be facilitated by sustainability, climate and education experts from various Slovenian organisations.

Learn more about the second International Conference on ecosocial education here. 

The „Classroom for Life“ project was launched in December 2022 with study groups that brought together teachers from primary and secondary schools to develop interdisciplinary learning scenarios using the facilitated learning method as an innovative teaching approach. 

In September 2023 the scenarios were presented at the first International Conference on Ecosocial Education. The theme of the conference was  „place-based learning.“  

After successfully hosting the largest community energy conference – the European Energy Communities Forum 2024 – Czechia has crossed another exciting milestone. In early September, electricity sharing became a reality, with pioneering projects testing the waters. We’re watching closely, eager to channel this newfound know-how into the next phases of the COMMENCE project – Community Energy in Central Europe.

For a long time, community energy in Czechia was overlooked, but since 2022, progress has accelerated with the founding of the Community Energy Union (UKEN) by Frank Bold. This coalition of cities, municipalities, businesses, and NGOs has been driving change.

Since the beginning of 2024, Czech law recognizes community energy, but practical implementation required the launch of the Electroenergy Data Center to manage shared electricity data.

In September 2024, the first projects initiated electricity sharing. One of these is the municipality of Brumovice in South Moravia, with which we collaborate. Although small at first, Brumovice plans to expand electricity sharing to citizens by early 2025, with interest from both homes and businesses.

At Frank Bold, we‘re eager to use this experience to develop national guidelines for the COMMENCE project. As the European Energy Communities Forum demonstrated, although still in its early stages, Czechia’s approach to community energy can inspire countries across Europe. However, we are equally looking forward to the guidelines that SAPI in Slovakia, Friends of the Earth Hungary, and WiseEuropa in Poland will provide.

This autumn and winter, we’re looking forward to workshops with our COMMENCE partners. The first one will take place in Slovakia on September 18, 2024, followed by Hungary on October 16, 2024, and we’ll be delighted to host one in Czechia on December 3, 2024.

We have exciting news from the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF)!
The FIAP and our project partners from Greece, Spain, and Slovakia will be presenting the GreenVOCnet project at the fair. We are delighted to announce that on 11 September, the project will be showcased on the main stage as part of the EUKI Academy Session. The GreenVOCnet team is pleased to announce the presentation of the project at the Thessaloniki International Fair from 11 to 13 September.

And there’s more to come:
On 12 September, we will be holding a GreenVOCnet workshop in the Leipzig conference room at the German Pavilion. The agenda includes presentations regarding the general GreenVOCnet project, European VET concepts for green hydrogen and heat pumps, and how to use AI to adapt the curriculum to suit regional needs. A roundtable discussion will explore the significant potential of vocational training as a driving force in regional, national, and international transition processes, with representatives from GIZ, DYPA, and partners from all participating countries.

A second, more in-depth workshop will be held on 13 September and will cover detailed results of the GreenVOCnet survey on green technologies. These results will form the basis for the development of new umbrella training programmes for heat pumps in combination with renewable energies and green hydrogen. We’ll also be presenting the concept of the corresponding MOOC courses and discussing the AI-supported adaptation of the courses to local networks and target groups.

The FIAP will also be launching the new printed edition of its publication series, „Transition“ (Issue 1/2024), at the fair. Among the featured articles is one on the GreenVOCnet survey, which highlights transnational collaboration to advance the hydrogen economy and the vital impetus for skills development and vocational education and training. For those who prefer to read on the go, the digital version of the publication is already available here.

During the first half of 2024, three online web seminars were organised, gathering more than 70 participants from the project countries and beyond. These events brought together stakeholders from the research community, municipalities, and the private sector. The sessions united experts from various fields to share their experiences, insights, and strategies for implementing and managing Urban Resource Centres (URCs).

The CURE+ web seminars provided a rich tapestry of knowledge, weaving together the experiences of diverse experts dedicated to advancing urban sustainability. Through engaging presentations and interactive discussions, participants gained valuable insights into the operational, financial, and regulatory aspects of URCs. These webinars not only highlighted successful models but also underscored the importance of adaptive strategies and community involvement in fostering a circular economy. The knowledge gained during these sessions will be used to create pilot URCs in each CURE+ project municipality.

During the web seminars, we learned a great deal from pioneering initiatives. I found the Rotor-case from Brussels particularly inspiring—a private initiative to re-use construction material on a large scale. The Rotterdam case also stood out, where a URC was established in a building that was itself 100% circular!

Dr Willem van Winden, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Centre for Economic Transformation (CET)

The experience and information shared by the CURE+ project experts and representatives of Urban Resource Circulation Centres is invaluable when working on circular economy implementation tasks that are on the Latvian Construction Association’s to-do list within the EU LIFE programme’s integrated project “Waste To Resources Latvia—boosting regional sustainability and circularity.” It also helps to understand the broader picture of bringing circular principles to life in construction in Latvia and the common challenges faced by the EU on this journey.

Brigita Vīksne, DGNB Consultant of the Latvian Construction Association

Here’s a glimpse into the enriching journey of these web seminars, featuring brief descriptions of the speakers, topics, main features, and challenges discussed.

Webinar 1: Pioneering Urban Resource Centres

The first web seminar laid the foundation by introducing the CURE+ project, which involves four cities—Riga, Tartu, Kavala, and Barcelona—learning about and piloting URCs.

Frazen Tolentino-Zondervan presented the findings from a comprehensive study on how the four cities handle Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) and bulky waste. The study, based on data from local authorities and interviews with relevant actors, highlighted current practices and areas for improvement.

Arjan Nihot shared the success story of De Terugwinning (the Netherlands), a social enterprise that integrates material reuse and remanufacturing with work training programmes and a subsidised bike leasing scheme. The centre exemplifies how social objectives can align with sustainability goals.

Andreas Hadzikostas discussed Återbruket (Gothenburg, Sweden), a centre that sells secondary construction elements, electronics, and furniture from 15 recycling centres. Operating with stable income and growth since 2007, Återbruket is a beacon of sustainability and economic viability.

The discussion round explored what made these centres successful, how they measure success, and the main challenges they have overcome. The speakers also shared recommendations for setting up successful URCs in other locations, emphasising the importance of community engagement and innovative business models.

Webinar 2: Non-Municipal URCs and Study Visits

The second session began with a summary of study visits conducted within the CURE+ project, providing practical insights from existing URCs.

Corinna Vosse (Germany), managing director of Kunst-Stoffe and Ecological Centres, introduced Kunst-Stoffe, a Berlin-based centre for reusable materials. She highlighted how cultural and ecological initiatives can drive sustainability.

Marinka Vovk, Marin Zver, Lenka Puh, and Mojca Žganec Metelko (Slovenia) presented a holistic view of Slovenian resource centres. Marinka and Marin from CPU discussed material diagnostics and sales of reused products. Lenka from ETRI community focused on fostering circular habits, while Mojca from KNOF covered reuse on a semi-industrial level.

Victor Meesters (Belgium), an architect involved with Rotor, discussed reclamation operations and research projects in Brussels and Paris. He emphasised the role of reclaimed building elements in sustainable construction.

The speakers addressed business models, collaboration with local authorities, and operational activities. An interactive Q&A session with the audience delved into the practicalities of running non-municipal URCs, including financial sustainability and community engagement.

You can watch a recording of the Webinar 2.

Webinar 3: Policy Frameworks and Practical Examples

The final session provided an overview of the current policy framework around CDW in the project cities, setting the stage for discussions on regulatory challenges and opportunities.

Jurn Quadt (Rotterdam) introduced De HER, a combination of a waste recycling centre and a hotspot for circular designers in Rotterdam. The centre collaborates with entrepreneurs and educational organisations to utilise bulky household waste as raw materials, making the circular transition tangible.

Alfred Güell (Barcelona), a waste management consultant, discussed Recursos Urbanos, a private URC focused on CDW recycling. His work in advising public entities and developing recycling measures showcases the intersection of policy and practice.

The moderated discussion centred on policy challenges and their relationship to current and upcoming CDW policies. Audience questions via chat added depth to the conversation, addressing real-world implications and strategies for overcoming regulatory hurdles.

You can watch a recording of the Webinar 3.

Further information about the webinars (agendas and presentations) is available here.

The training sessions took place within the framework of the project “Centres for Urban Resources, Reuse and Remanufacture (CURE+)”. Riga Energy Agency is implementing EUKI project CURE+ in cooperation with the Tartu City Government, Municipality of Kavala, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and Elisava Barcelona School of Engineering and Design. The project aims to improve the management of construction and demolition waste generated by households through reuse and repair respecting the principles of the circular economy. 

The award is part of the annual Urbanpromo event organised by the Istituto Nazionale di Urbanistica (INU; National Institute of Town Planning) in Italy. On the occasion of Urbanpromo, URBANISTICA, INU’s statutory magazine published since 1930, launches a competition to award the URBANISTICA Prize.

The Prize is awarded to the projects exhibited at the event, that the participants most appreciated with their votes. Online voting was held from 14 to 31 May 2024 by subscribers to the urbanpromo-website regarding all presentations made on 9th November 2023 event, which are also displayed in a multimedia gallery.

The voting categories correspond to the most important themes in contemporary urban planning:

– Environmental, Economic and Social Regeneration
– Technological Innovations for Urban Management
– New Modes of Living and Production

The HINGE Project, presented by the Province of Livorno, received significant online support and recognition for its contributions to integrated and sustainable transportation solutions across three European regions (Italy, Hungary, and Romania). The project emphasizes the shift towards holistic, regionally integrated mobility models, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for sustainable and accessible transportation options.

The URBANISTICA Prize is awarded to the top three projects in each of the three voting categories. The prize entails the following:

1. Each year the winning projects are published in URBANISTICA, the historic magazine of the National Institute of Urban Planning, available in all university architecture and engineering department libraries.
2. National visibility is given to the selected projects in an  award ceremony  (Livorno Province will receive this award certificate in a ceremony to be held during the next edition of Urbanpromo).

The award ceremony is held at the next edition of Urbanpromo in Florence from 5 to 8 November 2024.

Livorno Province recognizes the high added value of such a nationally-relevant visibility benefitting a second-level administrative institution comprised between municipalities and Regional/ Central Government, but actively engaged at European level in several  cooperation programmes including EUKI.

The 2020 pandemic and the resulting polarisation towards individual modes of transport have promoted infrastructure interventions for bicycles and financial incentives to support their increased use. Cyclists for work and/or leisure and students are a target group, along with local communities̀, transport operators and public authorities, tourists, cycling associations. The main expected impact is to facilitate decarbonization, protect the health of citizens and reduce pollution from public or private transport.

Thus, Livorno Province and the other European partners, with their HINGE Strategic Action Plan, are moving from isolated investment practices to a more holistic approach for regionally integrated mobility models, improving solutions to make last-mile destinations more accessible, especially in peripheral areas.  Towards project end in October 2023, partners also signed in Romania a Memorandum of Cooperation among the 3 regions to collaborate further in various fields of interest for the initial period of 5 years.

The INU, established in 1949, with headquarters in Rome and sections in the regions, promotes and coordinates studies in town planning and construction, disseminates and enhances its principles and encourages their application.

Creating a vision on where to go is very helpful for starting the path towards becoming a climate-neutral school. This way, the school community agrees on what this might involve and which measures they want to start with to make it possible.

In order to do so, the participating schools conduct their own vision workshops. These project day(s) bring together different stakeholders from the school community such as teaching staff, school and facility management, students from different grades, possibly parents and other stakeholders e.g. from the municipality. With their various insights and perspectives, they discuss which concrete goals they want to focus on to save greenhouse gas emissions and raise awareness. As a result, they are equipped with a roadmap to their climate-neutral school that states individual steps over the next years. Following this, they can plan each climate action in an organized manner, spreading responsibility across several shoulders.

Students and teachers from the Mikolaj Kopernik Primary School No. 1 and the Jozef Wybicki Primary School No. 5 in Minsk Mazowiecki joined efforts with parents, representatives of local institutions and experts to create an action plan to bring each school closer to achieving climate neutrality. The Orląt Lwowskich Primary School No. 8 and Primary School No. 10 with Integrated Branches in Zamość did the same. Their vision workshop was even attended by over 60 people, who had the opportunity to learn more about climate neutrality through interactive methods and exercises and to gather new ideas for climate-neutral actions in the school community by working together in small groups.

The schools analyzed their carbon footprint before the workshop to use it as a starting point for generating ideas. Knowing where they stand helps to identify the biggest levers and determine the targeted state in a better way. All participants showed a lot of commitment and discussed numerous interesting suggestions of taking action in five thematic areas:

• Energy efficiency and emission reduction in the school building
• Schoolyard and water resources
• Mobility and travel
• Consumption – food, waste and supplies
• Educational activities – building good habits

Some example ideas that came up:

• initiating a green roof on the school
• setting up a biogas plant next to the school
• marking switches/taps/trash bins with pictograms to remind the users of good habits
• setting up a school compost pile
• collecting and using rainwater on school grounds
• building a modern bike shed
• creating an app that would reward environmental activities and behaviors
• setting up student energy patrols
• regularly (e.g. monthly) celebrating a car free day
• …

It is worth noting that the schools are already taking climate actions, too – at SP No. 10, students initiated a zone of silence and sensory garden, and SP No. 8 installed photovoltaic panels and a heat pump.

After developing concrete ideas, the participants voted on the ones they perceive as most impactful to save emissions, which could be prioritized. However, the vote also included selecting their favorite measures to pick up on this motivation.

Of course, schools should be supported in implementing their vision of a climate-neutral school. The workshop offered the chance to invite and connect with stakeholders that could be able to support, such as local organizations and especially the municipality. The roadmaps prepared during the workshop will work as a guide for their journey towards climate neutrality.

Overall, coming together for a vision workshop can motivate participants to be more involved in taking climate action, to demand changes supported by their local governments and to transform their school and school environment.

In April and May 2024, the Riga Energy Agency hosted a call for interior design ideas for the first Circular Economy Centre. The winning concepts and ideas have been incorporated into the ongoing design services procurement process.

In the meantime, the dedicated team at Riga Energy Agency has embraced „A Different Working Day“ for two consecutive Fridays in July 2024. The staff of the Agency came together to clean, paint, and renovate the premises, ensuring the Centre will have a welcoming appearance.

Ieva Kalniņa, Project Manager of Riga Energy Agency says: „As employees of the municipality, our daily responsibilities typically revolve around computer work and occasional interactions with citizens.

In Riga municipality, we have an opportunity to organise a „different working day“ when we – a municipal institution – are free to choose what we would like to do, whether it is planting trees, helping out in a zoo or anything else. We – Riga Energy Agency – decided to step out of our usual routines in the „different working day“ and refurbish the premises of the Circular Economy Centre, a centre that is about to be established in the frame of the CURE+ project.

This initiative demonstrates our commitment to our community and sends a positive message: 22 civil servants volunteered their time and effort to benefit our citizens. This event was significant for us, not only because of the physical transformation of the space but also because it was a learning process for everyone involved. None of us are professionals in refurbishment, so we embraced the challenge and gained valuable hands-on experience.

By this initiative, we hope to create a more welcoming environment for the citizens who will use the Centre. This effort underscores our dedication to improving our city and supporting sustainable practices through the CURE+ initiative.“

Riga Circular Economy Centre is being established within the framework of the project “Centres for Urban Resources, Reuse and Remanufacture (CURE+)”. Once fully renovated and redesigned, the Circular Economy Centre will be a multifunctional place where citizens will get acquainted with the principles of the circular economy, as well as repair and prolong the life of different goods in a woodwork workshop; it will also host events such as masterclasses, seminars and lectures.

Riga Energy Agency is implementing EUKI project CURE+ in cooperation with the Tartu City Government, Municipality of Kavala, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and Elisava Barcelona School of Engineering and Design. The project aims to improve the management of construction and demolition waste generated by households through reuse and repair respecting the principles of the circular economy.

Four city baseline reports are prepared to describe current state-of-the-art situation related to local waste streams and local policies/ initiatives/ programmes/ innovations regarding circular practices. Studies are based on the desk analysis and interviews with the key stakeholders. The goals of the interviews are threefold: 1) to gather and validate factual information about current waste streams and related policies; 2) to discuss possible bottlenecks, challenges, and room for improvements in the current situation; 3) to discuss knowledge/capacity gaps among staff and public. The baseline studies generate valuable input for further implementation of the project – creation of pilot urban resource centres and developing policy recommendations.

Baseline study: City of Riga, Latvia. Sara Rueda Raya, Frazen Tolentino-Zondervan, Willem van Winden, Patricia van Hemert

Baseline study: City of Tartu, Estonia. Sara Rueda Raya, Frazen Tolentino-Zondervan, Willem van Winden, Patricia van Hemert

Baseline study: City of Kavala, Greece. Sara Rueda Raya, Frazen Tolentino-Zondervan, Patricia van Hemert, Willem van Winden

Baseline study: City of Barcelona, Spain. Sara Rueda Raya, Frazen Tolentino-Zondervan, Willem van Winden

Riga Energy Agency is implementing EUKI project CURE+ in cooperation with the Tartu City Government, Municipality of Kavala, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and Elisava Barcelona School of Engineering and Design. The project aims to improve the management of construction and demolition waste generated by households through reuse and repair respecting the principles of the circular economy.

Within EUKI project, Strategic Approach to Green Transition (SAGT) a workshop was conducted in the City of Tuzla, where the representatives of the municipality and their Business Incubator (BIT Centar) hosted the representatives of RDAPM. The two day workshop that took place on June 10 and 11 was attended by 8 participants from Tuzla.

RDAPM has been facilitating knowledge transfer within and beyond the Podravje region (Slovenia) for over 30 years. Currently, as the coordinator of the CCRI pilot region and a CSS demonstration within the Horizon project CircSyst, RDAPM is a key regional player in the field of green transition.

Its expertise and experience have not gone unnoticed. Due to the similarities between the regions, Maribor was selected as an exemplary case by the City of Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina) for preparing strategic documents for green transition.

The workshop was a result of successful screening interviews conducted using RDAPM’s methodology, which combines theoretical knowledge with practical experience.

As Borut Jurišić, the project leader at RDAPM, said: „Knowledge transfer is all about the small tricks that you cannot specify in the methodology, but need to apply in practice to get the job done. To teach those tricks, both sides need to develop mutual trust and understanding of the situation and, above all, conduct live sessions for the exchange of experience!“

Esmir Spahić, the head of development planning and management at the City of Tuzla, added: „We are now confident that Tuzla will become the first city in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a strategy for green transition by the end of the project.“

The EUKI project, Strategic Approach to Green Transition (SAGT), is enhancing the City of Tuzla’s capacity to prepare strategic documents that will facilitate the city’s green transition.

The 100 prozent erneuerbar stiftung has prepared a feasibility study in cooperation with the district (Powiat) of Hajnówka, Poland. This study investigates whether and how regional wind and solar plants can provide electricity for large-scale heat pumps that replace the combustion of coal in the existing district heating system in Hajnówka. The study was carried out during the project period from August 2021 to June 2023. The results show not only that a sustainable heat supply from renewables is technically feasible, but also that a conversion makes both economic and environmental sense in the long term.

Potential for a climate-friendly heating network

Reduction potential of greenhouse gases

The current district heating system in Hajnówka is largely based on a central coal-fired system. This system is very CO2-intensive, partly due to the use of low-grade coal in the furnace. The graphs show the actual state of the coal-fired boiler and various models with heat pumps, one with mains power, one with renewable energies and one with a storage tank. According to preliminary calculations, full implementation of the feasibility study would lead to a remarkable reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 84 percent, which means heat pumps are used that utilize renewable energies as an electricity supplier and a storage system is installed.

Heating costs with CO2 costs in €

At the same time, heat prices for consumers would remain largely stable over the operating period. The price difference between the scenarios is up to 90 euros per megawatt hour. In contrast, costs for customers would rise significantly if the existing fossil fuel system were to continue operating due to foreseeable increases in coal and CO2 prices. A price increase is to be expected from 2030 at the latest, when European CO2 certificate trading is extended to the heating sector.

The results not only illustrates the potential for decarbonization of the heating sector, but also emphasizes the importance of a sustainable and affordable heat supply for the city of Hajnówka.

The additional results are:

• Pricing is under regional „control“ and not dependent on external factors.
• Changes in global fossil fuel prices or the foreseeable increase in CO2 costs then have hardly any impact on the heat production costs.
• The concept guarantees a reliable, affordable renewable heat supply.
• Despite the high initial investment costs of around €25 million, the follow-up costs are calculable and a large part of the added value remains in the region.

The concept is basically transferable to other heating networks. Because of that this project was followed by a similar one with the same objectives: To create a feasibility study to decarbonize a city in a coal region. The only difference is that the city in the new project has three times as many inhabitants: Renewable Power-to-Heat in the Bitola Region. The GAUSS Institute is the lead partner there and the 100 prozent erneuerbar stiftung is the project partner. This allows the experience gained from this project to be incorporated.