We met for the last time in our Climate Box project with a sense of fulfilment and joy. The final partners’ meeting took place in Gottingen on 15 September 2022. As we are closing up the project, looking back we have made one can say a small, but we will say a big positive impact through our project. Not only have we and our organisations learned a lot, the trainers involved in the pilot phase and the many learners in their courses have also learned in a practical and interactive way how to integrate climate-relevant topics into their teaching on the one hand and how to live a more climate-friendly life on the other. This was achieved through more than 60 learning activities and the accompanying mobile app. A guideline publication summarizes the results and provides tips for using the Climate Box learning offer. All materials developed are available in English, Spanish, German, Bulgarian, Italian and French language.
The planned final event as part of our project has generated a creative spark and triggered the discussion on how to present projects and products in an innovative and sustainable way. This led to the idea of creating an exhibition in which projects and products on the theme of sustainable and cultural development can be represented. Thereby, our motto was – we will talk less and experiment more! So we invited other products and projects to join together for the exhibition and conference under the umbrella of REVEAL – a European network that promotes open competence-based learning.
The result was an event attended by more than 100 European and local guests and an exhibition comprising 25 exhibits. Each project or product was represented in an on-site exhibition with an artefact – the Climate Box project of course featured boxes hiding small climate-related tasks – and was complemented by resources in the virtual exhibition space. These include among other things a factsheet, videos, interviews, a picture gallery, etc. The virtual exhibition can be visited here: https://reveal14.eu. The Climate Box space is here: https://reveal14.eu/learning-climate-box/
In addition to the exhibition, there were thematic workshops, panel discussions on climate change and sustainability, icebreakers and joint cultural activities.
The coordinator of the Climate Box project, Sabine Wiemann, said after the event: “I can only say that the event was an absolutely rewarding conclusion to our successful project. With the event, we have certainly also set an example of how conferences can become active and activating events that offers space for exchange and creative ideas. And in terms of sustainability, it also offers something to look at afterwards – the exhibition.”
The director of Out of the Box International, Marko Paunović: “Taking part in Climate Box project with diverse and profiled partners was a fruitful and enriching experience for the Out of the Box Team. Sometimes small initiatives can create an impact on a global scale, and this project definitely has a chance. Making positive steps towards climate-friendly education and promotion of sustainable lifestyles is the responsibility of expert and educational organisations”.
For more information on the Climate Box, please see the project website: https://climatebox.bupnet.eu/.
The Climate Box project has been implemented by six partners from Germany (BUPNET), Belgium (Out of the Box International), Spain (Caminos), Bulgaria (Catro), Austria (die Berater) and Italy (CESIE).