SUSTAINABLE ENERGY WEEK CLOSER TO YOUNG PEOPLE

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY WEEK CLOSER TO YOUNG PEOPLE

INTRODUCTION

In the past, progress and population growth contributed to the emergence of various environmental problems, endangering our planet and awakening in communities an ecological awareness and promoting the concept of sustainable development.

The transformation of a society's behavior is a formative procedure that is established, above all, from the teaching of knowledge acquired with a view to changing the existing reality and promoting greater awareness and analysis of a context that cannot be seen in an individualistic but rather in a globalized way.

Sustainable development is a type of development that requires intelligence to make human needs compatible with the sustainable use of resources, overcoming perverse effects such as the destruction of the environment and the maintenance or aggravation of poverty. This development takes into account a commitment of the present generation to the future by physically respecting the limits of the planet in the exploitation of resources, as well as avoiding pollution, so as to ensure the continuity of the "blue planet". The definition of ecological is in line with this and functions as an indicator to be taken into account for the reflection of a more sustainable environmental lifestyle.

Given that the development of the economy and the increase in population have led to the appearance of various environmental problems, and as a way to combat some of these problems, the concept of "Environmental Education" arose, in which the population is made aware of the need to change their behaviors and habits in order to change the current conditions of our planet.

Given this global context, the aim is to demonstrate the need to guarantee sustainable development as a fundamental right, demonstrating the important role of education in guaranteeing it.

Environmental education aims to ensure the maintenance of this aforementioned commitment in a global context and develops in human beings a participatory and committed citizenship. As contents that address social and global aspects are inserted in a cross-cutting manner from the basic education curriculum, it is possible to observe the massification of a more positive ideological thinking regarding sustainable development, both in the younger and older generations.

Education, by the way, is one of the most important components within the United Nations (UN) strategy, as it promotes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of achieving the 2030 Agenda that interpellates numerous dimensions of sustainable development (socio, economic and environmental). The Sustainable Development Goals are the result of the collective work of governments and citizens around the world. The 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the common vision of humanity, i.e. "a list of things to do on behalf of people and the planet".

Therefore, education for Sustainable Development is considered very important in several dimensions, such as improving consumer choices, improving the quality of information for decision makers and stimulating political will in promoting the Green Economy. Students need to know their environment to show interest in the need to improve the current reality. In this sense, it is important to develop projects that bring satisfaction to the subjects of the pedagogical process and develop debates on society and cultural, social, political and economic relations.

In short, the school must be one of the starting points for these changes, raising awareness of environmental issues among young people. It is urgent that environmental strategies create a link between young people and the adult generation, creating communication structures between citizens and the projects to be developed. The success of environmental education depends on a series of practices and strategies to make human action sustainable, given that these same actions have consequences for the planet in the near future.

PROPOSAL

The proposal is to carry out a EUSEW Day at the Colegio Entrenaranjos International School, aimed at children between the ages of 14 and 18. We would be partners of this program by organizing a Sustainable Energy Day 2023 at school. We thus join independently organized events around the world to share ideas and connect with other initiatives across Europe.

The European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) is an initiative of the European Commission that aims to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy in the European Union and other countries.

We propose to carry out in Entrenaranjos International School one day of information and awareness aimed at children from 14 to 18 years old.

Entrenaranjos International School is also currently participating in a European Erasmus + project, Wrapped in Colors, which aims to promote the emotional well-being of children.

With this proposal for Sustainable energy days, the school continues its commitment to an education for children based on the 2030 Agenda and linked to European projects and programs.

https://entrenaranjosinternationalschool.com/

AGENDA

JUNE 6th

10.30-11.30h Paren’s Day.  Explanation to parents of the 2030 Agenda and the EUSEW Speaker Lola Bordás CMO Finnova Foundation.

JUNE 7th.

10.00h Explanation of the sustainable energy week.

Lola Bordás CMO Finnova Foundation.

10.30h- 12.30h Practical workshop the climate mural (2 hours).

Jose M. Ferrer Carrasco

Europe Direct Comunitat Valenciana

Directorate General for Relations with the European Union and the State.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLIMATE MURAL WORKSHOP

The workshop, MURAL OF THE CLIMATE, is a pedagogical and collaborative game that allows to discover in a playful way and in a short time the functioning of the climate, as well as the causes and consequences of its imbalance, allowing the participants to become aware of the complexity of climate change.

Cédric Ringenbach is the creator of the Climate Mural game. He is an engineer from the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, former director of the think-tank The Shift Project and a lecturer on the energy-climate issue. All the data used in the Mural cards come from the reports of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), which have been agreed upon by the world scientific community. 

Like the IPCC, the Mural is not intended to give advice on solutions, but to provide objective and useful information for decision making.

The workshop lasts 2/3 hours and is based on collective intelligence.

The objective? To understand the climatic challenges in order to adapt your way of life consciously.

The tool is composed of 42 charts extracted from reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). "Melting of ice caps", "Additional greenhouse effect", "Freshwater resources", "Radiation forcing", "Human health", "Floods", "CO2 emissions", "Human activities"... The aim is to relate the charts to each other in order to bring to light the causes and consequences of climate change.

The first phase of "Reflection and linkage between the charts" aims to make the stakes understood and to create a shared scientific diagnosis. After a progressive distribution of the cards, the participants reflect and exchange with each other and then draw a mural of the causal links between the different cards, allowing the complexity of climate change to be brought to light.

The next phase is creative. Participants personalize or decorate their mural, an important phase in the learning process as it allows participants to take ownership of their work and "solidify their knowledge". By choosing a title for their mural, participants also begin to put into words their perception of what they have just learned about the climate. Other activities can be added: pitch or sketch, creation of slogans, competition among the murals, ...

In the third phase and once their mural is finished, participants are invited to share their perceptions and to accept their emotions in the face of these findings. "What did you discover?" "What "letter" or information surprised you the most"? "How do you feel after the completion of your mural?"

The last phase of "Post briefing and move to action" opens the debate on individual and collective solutions to bring to the climate crisis, with the exchanges adapting to the level of awareness and commitment of the participants on environmental issues (from the implementation of waste separation to the reduction of consumption, through the Carbonometer). It is an important part of the workshop, making the participants project themselves into action.