Jesús Lizana, PhD – Researcher, Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Ricardo Chacartegui, PhD – Professor, Energy Engineering Department, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
Susana Marta Almeida, PhD – Researcher, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Vítor José Freira Manteigas, MSc – Professor, Environmental Health, H&TRC – Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL – Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Portugal
Series: Education in a Competitive and Globalizing World
BISAC: EDU029030; ARC018000
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52305/XVSQ6757
“The Pathway Towards Low Carbon Schools is a relevant publication in current times when we need to help schools to reduce their carbon footprints. The publication not only provides a list of the technological or infrastructural solutions but also explains the project-based learning approach involving students in this transformative process of learning for a low-carbon economy. The areas identified for interventions are relevant for most schools and adequately supported by tools to take decisions with suggested Key Performance Indicators. The publication will help any school to identify and prioritize actions to improve its performance. Chapter 5.1 is an important section that explains the role teachers and students play in this transformation. The identified actions no doubt requires an investment that can range from almost zero to some thousand Euros, the methodology presented will help schools to identify some low-hanging fruits and have a vision for the long term to be a net zero institution.” – Dr. Pramod Kumar Sharma, Senior Director of Education, Foundation for Environmental Education, Eco Schools Global
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This publication summarizes a long period of research on the environmental performance of schools inside the framework of the ClimACT project (2016-2019). It proposes a methodological approach towards a low-carbon economy based on two main actions for environmental education in schools: measuring the environmental performance of school communities through a school sustainability index based on measurable indicators in the areas of transport, procurement, green spaces, indoor air quality, energy, water and waste; and encouraging students, teachers, and families towards an energy-efficient and low-carbon pathway through a structural procedure based on roles, activities and progress evaluation. The book includes the results of 39 pilot schools in Europe before and after implementing the methodology and the catalog of low-carbon activities and solutions proposed and implemented to empower school communities towards a low-carbon economy.
