A new educational model for acquisition of sustainability competences through service-learning

In a global context marked by the Agenda 2030,sustainability is one of the values governing society and a key competency for graduate students in the upcoming decades.Food discipline graduates nee...

The five European universities of this project (Public University of Navarre -UPNA- in Spain, University of Pisa -UniPI- in Italy, TU Graz in Austria, TU Dublin in Ireland and ISARA-Lyon in France) have been pioneers in designing a new educational model based on how to effectively acquire sustainability competences, through SL. The graduates are better prepared to face the challenges of our global world. The project has also involved students from different disciplines, they had an international experience with all the values linked to it. The students have increased their awareness about sustainability and SL, the global challenges of humanity and the importance of integrating all this in their professional future. The importance of sustainable food innovation is reflected in the 17 SDGs; in particular, in Goal 2 (“end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture and farming”) and Goal 12 (“responsible production and consumption”). Education is a key change agent in catalyzing the achievement of the SDGs. In particular, SDG 4.7 requires all learners to acquire critical skills, essential knowledge and an ontological mindset for becoming deeply committed to building a sustainable future.

Within the framework of the project, a collaborative process was initiated to pool the knowledge and experience of the 5 Higher Education Institutions (HEI) working together to implement in practice new educational models to effectively acquire sustainability competences through Service-learning in food-based degrees. Each institution had a different educational food-based programme and started from a different baseline in terms of experience and practice in implementing sustainability through Service-learning (SL). The first part of the NEMOS project (PR1) consisted of two distinct parts: 1.-Analysis of the embeddedness of sustainability dimensions in the university degrees and master's degrees of the project partners. 2.- A community building methodology (both, quantitative and qualitative social research among the actors involved, students, professors and stakeholders) to determine what the sustainability profile of the students should be. An analysis of strategic documentation informing food sustainability was undertaken, providing a basis for mapping existing curricula to core sustainability concepts. Using these mappings as artefacts for interviews and expert-focus groups with key stakeholders (i.e. staff, students, sustainability experts and professional field) across the 6 project partners, an ideal Food Sustainability Profile (FSP) for students was developed, integrating the different skills and technical capacities that define a knowledgeable student in food sustainability. A series of pedagogical interventions (Service-Learning included) was designed and piloted to develop students’ FSPs. Both educators and learners were actively involved in this action-research process with the final set of methodologies (the Methodological Handbook -MH-) documented as guidelines for adoption and transferability to other disciplines. Assesssment tools of FSP and MH were developed to enhance validity and they acted as an auditing instrument for evaluating the integration of sustainability through SL within Food related degrees. The delivery of a Pedagogical strategy in HE (based on Green Pedagogy) was achieved by organising practical seminars, reflected in new questions on how SL supports sustainability. After the results obtained in the research work carried out by the different partners and the definition of the sustainability profile, the following activities were the implementation of pilot experiences in the different Bachelor´s and Master´s degrees. For these, the partners chose small working teams with lecturers involved in NEMOS to implement sustainability competences and transversal skills in their topics/modules. These competences and skills were taught using the Service-learning methodology. The learnings from these processes were informed and embedded within the NEMOS “Methodological handbook (MH) in food sustainability through service learning”, which will serve to train both lecturers and students in sustainability through service learning at any educational level. It is relevant to stress the activities that has taken place in the HE institutions which are already active in SDGs topics related to food, service learning and sustainability, and the project represents a step forward to integrate these subjects into curricula and teaching. Moreover, implementation of the project added both dissemination and exploitation activities to those listed on the NEMOS website (https://www.nemosproject.com/) (in the Events section) IGCAT, an EU-wide network and one of the NEMOS partners, played a leading role in the dissemination of project results and activities. The activities the Consortium implemented in the NEMOS project for dissemination of the project results were in chronological order: - NEMOS Webinar session (Multiplier Event 1). In the framework of the 9th Annual IGCAT Experts Meeting on Engaging Young Minds, the project NEMOS organised a free webinar session focused on: INTEGRATING SUSTAINIBILITY COMPETENCES IN EDUCATION. The webinar also stimulated debate on the challenges of effectively integrating those skills into students’ curricula. The multiplier event (ME) included a presentation by NEMOS Coordinator, Dr. María J. Cantalejo on the initial results of the project, followed by a dedicated webinar session inviting the students’ perspectives on sustainability and how to embed it into their educational path. The webinar took place on 20 October 2022. -The annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation – INTED is a renowned global educational conference which allows lecturers, researchers, technologists, and professionals from the educational sector to share their expertise about teaching and learning methodologies and to present their projects. INTED2023 brought together more than 700 delegates from 70 different countries (source:https://iated.org/inted/). Held on 7 March 2023 under the theme "Towards a New Educational Model of Sustainability (NEMOS)", the session gathered representatives from all the university partners in the project who offered an overview of their experiences and thetechniques adopted in their path towards integrating sustainability in food-related degrees. Chair of the session and main coordinator of the NEMOS project, María J. Cantalejo Díez from the Public University of Navarre (Spain) presented "A Practical Approach to Define the Sustainability Profile of Students: The Community Building Methodology", illustrating the collaborative process promoted by the NEMOS consortium to actively engage all the different actors in the food sector. Sami Ghnimi shared the study conducted at the Institut Supérieur d’Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Rhône-Alpes –ISARA (France) on the "Definition of the Sustainability Profile of the Students" that explored students’, lecturers’ andstakeholders’ perceptions and attitudes towards sustainability. Technological University Dublin’s "Pathway to Embedding Sustainability in Food Degrees, NEMOS and Beyond" presented by Julie Dunne, highlighted existing barriers to sustainability and key food-related sustainability concepts useful to inform a review of food degrees and as identified by TU Dublin (Ireland). Sabrina Tomasi’s contribution on "Promoting Interdisciplinarity and Sustainability Skills Development in Food-Related Degrees: The Case of the University of Pisa" (Italy) focused on the implementation of a challenge-based learning (CBL) approach for students to propose feasible solutions to their community stakeholders. Finally, Michael Murkovic from Graz University of Technology (Austria) explained how Service-Learning is a Chance forthe Students to Widen their Knowledge and Experience in Sustainable Technologies, and explored opportunities for community service in the food industry. - The 3 editions (2 in 2022) and one in 2023 of "How much do you know about sustainability?" activity was organised by the Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-environmental Sciences of the University of Pisa, Italy.The event gathered students, lecturers and representatives from several NGOs to explore possible solutions to local social, environmental and economic challenges. The 3rd edition of this initiative (Quanto ne sai di sostenibilità?), held between October and December 2023, brought together several students of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DISAAA-a) of the University of Pisa (UNIPI), Italy, and challenged them to find sustainable, original, innovative and viable solutions for local stakeholders in the agrifood sector. The DISAAA-a provided a transversal course in collaboration with organisations involved in the valorisation ofagrobiodiversity and local cultural heritage in the Garfagnana area (Tuscany). The course implemented the pedagogical approach of service-learning (learning through community service) for the students to acquire sustainability skills through hands-on experiences aimed at tackling existing sustainability challenges in the territory. Described as a green pedagogy, service-learning allows the university to fulfill its third mission by fostering the active role of students as generators of change and bridges of knowledge between the academy and the territory. Promoted by lecturers Alessio Cavicchi, Lucia Guidi, Silvia Tavarini, Giuseppe Conte and Andrea Lucchi, and with the scientific and educational support of Annapia Ferrara and Sabrina Tomasi, research fellows involved in the NEMOS project, the initiative saw the participation of 25 students, supported by peer tutors Sofi a Panzani, Eugenia Maria Ida Ronga and Alfonso Maria Boccia. Following a series of seminars – in which non-profit organisations and companies operating in the concerned area presented their activities and related sustainability challenges – on 9-11 November 2023 DISAAA-a’s students, tutors and lecturers experienced a full immersion in the Garfagnana territory to connect with the community and learn first-hand about local realities. The main point of reference for the initiative was the Garfagnana Food and Agrobiodiversity Community (Comunità del Cibo e dell’Agrobiodiversità della Garfagnana), a local network of associations, farms and territorial marketing companies. The group visited several local actors to understand the variety of production and the sustainable approach adopted to promote the Garfagnana area. Among them: the Braccicorti farmhouse; Alessandro Bravi’s wine cellar; the textile company ARTES – Antica Valserchio; the Apuane Park Authority; and the Museo Italiano dell’Immaginario Folklorico (Italian Museum of Folkloric Imagination). Further stakeholders who took part in the initiative included: Il Corniolo farm; the Union of Garfagnana municipalities; the Regional Germoplasma Bank; the Cascio Sports-Recreational Association; and the Municipality of Camporgiano. Students worked in teams to formulate their proposals in response to the challenges launched by the organisations involved. The proposals were presented for the first time during the Garfagnana Terra Unica fair held in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana on 11 November 2023. Back at the university, the students further developed their work by carrying out research, in-depth analysis and perfecting their ideas. At a final event held at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, on 6 December 2023, the students presented their proposals to an audience including lecturers, peers and representatives of local companies and associations. Dean of the University of Pisa, Riccardo Zucchi was very supportive and interested in the initiative. He highlighted the importance of learning linked to sustainability and appreciated the work done by the DISAAA-a in activating relationships with the territory through the involvement of students. Vice-rector for teaching and representative of the Teaching & Learning Center, Giovanni Paoletti andrepresentative of the Department within COSA – Sustainability Commission, Daniele Antichi recognised that the initiative is perfectly in line with the objectives and activities promoted by the University. At the same time, attending stakeholders gave a very positive feedback of the experience, acknowledging the students’ ability to listen andget to the heart of the challenges affecting the area, as well as the authentic interest and professionalism demonstrated. The initiative proved once again how necessary and useful it is for the learning and training of students to break away from academic patterns, creating links between future professionals, universities and local actors. The collaboration between students, lecturers and stakeholders highlighted the importance of putting into practice the theoretical knowledge acquired at the university and the students’personal skills, with a view to continuous improvement in the field of sustainability and beyond. - The Multiplier Event 2 (in-person at UPNA in Spain on 5-6 June 2023) . The dissemination activity and practical seminar took place in 2 sessions , the first one in Spanish and the second one in English. The ME was focused on practical experiences from the NEMOS partners for the implementation of food sustainability as a common framework of activities for acquisition of sustainability competences for service-learning. The five universities of this project designed its own roadmap. M.J. Cantalejo, professor at UPNA and main coordinator of NEMOS offered an overview of the project, its main goals and the activities undertaken by the consortium so far. These included the definition of a Food Sustainability Profile (FSP) – which identifies the sustainability competences that students should develop throughout their academic path – and the drafting of a Methodological Handbook (MH), as a guidance framework to effectively develop those competences through service-learning. Currently, the project is developing the assessment tools that will be used to validate the FSP and MH. The ME continued with the presentation of practical cases from the NEMOS consortium partners, who have been piloting activities to integrate sustainability competences through service-learning. Maite M. Aldaya from UPNA offered a general overview of the piloting actions at UPNA’s degree in Innovation in Food Processes and Products, from the training activities for the teachers involved, to the actual service-learning experiences implemented. These ranged from designing an innovation to be carried out at the university canteen, using the Design Thinking approach, to providing solutions to small farmers of alternative protein sources, or designing new food products with a sustainable packaging to be produced by a social printing block. Debora Villaño from UPNA focused on the specific case of the course of Nutrition and Health whereby students were asked to evaluate the dietary habits of their peers at UPNA and provide healthy lifestyle and dietary recommendations. Sami Ghnimi reported how almost 100 students were involved in piloting activities at Rhône-Alpes Higher Institute ofAgriculture (ISARA) to help farmers achieve a sustainable animal production system in the framework of the course of Diagnosis in Agronomy and Animal Science. After a first phase of preparation, a few weeks of practical experience at the farm and an in-depth analysis of its of its environmental, economic and social performance, the students prepared a report on the strengths, weaknesses and potential areas of improvement that provided useful information to the farmers. Orla Cahill explained some service-learning experiences carried out by students of the Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) at the Dublin zoo, ranging from sustainable sourcing of sea lion feed, to in-house growing food formeerkats and reptiles, improving the water quality for flamingos, or ensuring food safety and sustainability in the kitchens used to prepare the animals’ food. Michael O’Neill, a student at the final year of the BSc. Food Innovation at TU Dublin contributed his personal experience as an intern at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and claimed: “Service learning taught me how to carry myself in a professional environment, a multitude of valuable skills, and gave me invaluable work experience and exposure. Working with likeminded people taught me so much about health sustainability, and I would highly recommend all students to seek out service-learning opportunities.” Annapia Ferrara reported about the initiative How much do you know about sustainability? (Quanto ne sai di sostenibilità?) held by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Pisa (UNIPI). By applying design thinking, students were called to collaborate with local stakeholders to understand and find feasible solutions to some of their challenges. An assessment was then made of the sustainability competences that the students acquired through the initiative. Following the individual presentations, a round table took place including representatives of different universities from the consortium and beyond: Sami Ghnimi (ISARA); Orla Cahill (TU Dublin); Sabrina Tomasi (UNIPI); Maite M.Aldaya (UPNA); Natalia Bellostas (Institute for Agrifood Technology and Infrastructures of Navarre –INTIA); and María Isabel Rodríguez Tejedo (University of Navarra). Chaired by M.J. Cantalejo, the round table focused on the main challenges of implementing the service-learning model for acquiring sustainability competences, the key outcomes and learnings of this process as experienced by the different piloting universities, as well as strategies and recommendations for future implementation by other institutions. In terms of challenges, all speakers agreed that the time commitment required by this kind of activities might hinder participation of all the actors involved (students, lecturers and stakeholders). Moreover, the poor level of engagement of some students in a deep self-reflection (before and after the activities) might prevent a meaningful assessment of the effectiveness of the activities. In order to overcome these possible obstacles, participants in the round table recognised the crucial importance of the preparation phase, to make sure that all those involved understand the objectives of the service-learning activities,what is required from them, how the activities will be assessed and, most of all, what will be the benefi ts of participating.Besides the opportunities for collaboration, networking and establishing new partnership provided to universities, and the possibility for stakeholders to get solutions to some of their challenges, the benefits of service-learning activities for students are plenty. Among them, the possibility of participating in a transformative experience that allows them to apply and train the hard skills learned in class, but that also equip them with important soft skills (e.g.communication skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, self- reflection) for both their professional and non-professional life. As for possible strategies and recommendations to implement similar models, it appears crucial to include them as compulsory in the curricula, so that they become part of the regular workload of students, who will thus be more inclined to engage and devote time to such activities. Furthermore, it was recommended to integrate service-learning for sustainability competences at the university level, and not only in some specific subjects, so that students from different fields are encouraged to work together. - FULLRECO4US activity: Conference on 13-15 September 2023 in Istanbul. A NEMOS fellow from TU Dublin presented her research on the 'Valorisation of Brewers’ spent grains for food and feed applications". The work entailed utilisation of enzymes and microbes for bioprocessing of brewers’ spent grain, a by-product of brewing industry. A research of high relevance in our pursuits towards net 0 emissions, as 39 million tons of BSG/year are produced globally of which 3.4 million are generated in Europe. Thanks to its results, that showed enhancement of protein content as well as enhanced antioxidant activity after the treatment, the work opens door for future applications in food and feed sector of the high-value ingredient derived from high-volume by-products that Europe discards. The conference was organised by FULLRECO4US Cost Action 20133, a discussion platform for collaborations centred on holistic approaches to waste recycling and valorisation, and on the development of new cross-border interdisciplinary and intersectoral networks.The conference had over 100 participants from all across Europe. Azza’s presentation garnered interest and had several participants from countries such as Greece, UK, Poland and Bulgaria extending invites for future collaborations. - "Sustainability as a social educational revolution": informative talk about the NEMOS Project on 10 November 2023. Hosted by the non-profit organisation Landare at Civivox Rochapea in Pamplona, Spain, the informative talk was led by the main coordinator of the project and professor of Food Technology at the Public University of Navarra (UPNA), María J. Cantalejo Díez and member of the NEMOS project, sociologist Carlos Vilches Plaza. Starting from the important question: “Can we continue producing and consuming in such an irresponsible way?” Cantalejo Díez and Vilches Plaza stressed how, unfortunately, sustainability is not yet an integral part of our culture or our habits. Highlighting that sustainability goes well beyond the environmental aspect to embrace also the economic and social elements,they urged to rethink the educational and social model in which we are immersed as a society. And this is precisely the aim of the NEMOS project, devoted to integrate sustainability competences throughout the student’s learning path by means of service-learning, which entails a direct and valuable engagement of students with the society and its challenges. - UPNA dissemination activity at ICERI Conference in Seville, Spain. The main Coordinator of the NEMOS project contributed to the 16th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (13-15 November 2023,Seville, Spain) by illustrating two practical cases on how to integrate sustainability in higher education curricula through service-learning. In her first presentation on "How to Combine Research and Teaching in Sustainability through Service-Learning", M.J. Cantalejo explained the benefits of combining the hands-on approach of NEMOS – encouraging students to find solutions to existing challenges affecting the stakeholders in the food sector – with the learning experience of the research project BIRBIZI, funded by the Government of Navarre and focused on good practices related to zero residues in the food industry – specifically,investigating the reuse of whey and underused agro-industrial waste. Both cases demonstrate how an increased engagement with the community (for example, through service-learning) can more effectively contribute to enhancing the students’ sustainability skills with respect to more traditional pedagogies. As a result, students would be more prepared to face the demands related to social, economic and environmental sustainability in their professional future.Cantalejo’s second presentation showed how Service-Learning is Key to Integrating Sustainability Competencies in a Food DegreeProgramme. Concretely, she reported about a specific activity implemented at UPNA in the framework of the NEMOS project related to paper composting and its use as bread packaging. A pilot was carried out in collaboration with Pamplona City Council and the Tajo Social’s printing, employing people in a situation of social exclusion. Students were called to develop a new compostable packaging product to be manufactured in the Tajo Social plant. The service-learning methodology involved students in active, hands-on learning, fostering community engagement, critical thinking and the development of leadership, project management and communication skills. It cultivated a deeper understanding of sustainability and prepared the food degree students to become informed, ethical and proactive professionals in the pursuit of sustainable food systems. ICERI is a prominent global educational conference which allows lecturers, researchers, technologists and professionals from theeducational sector to not only share their research but also to learn about the most up to date educational innovations from other global experts. Every year, ICERI gathers more than 800 delegates from 80 different countries (source: https://iated.org/iceri/announcement). - An on-line symposium - The NEMOS project presented at the Women for the Promotion of Sustainability symposium: Coordinator of the Erasmus+ co-funded project NEMOS, María J. Cantalejo Díez from the Public University of Navarra,was a speaker at the symposium" Women for the Promotion of Sustainability in Times of Climate Change" (original Spanish title: Mujeres por el Impulso de la Sostenibilidad en Tiempos de Cambio Climático). In her presentation on Sustainability as a key competence and driver of social change, she highlighted some key results of the NEMOS project. Focusing first on environmental sustainability, she described it as one of the values that should govern society and a key competence for students when it comes to face challenges such as climate change, food waste or loss, due to a general inefficiency in the use of natural resources. As for economic and social sustainability, she stressed the important role that women can play in this regard and claimed that gender equality will be crucial for a more sustainable future. The symposium was organized as an online event by the Teder – Tierra Estella Association on 31 January 2024 and welcomed more than 50 attendees from Spain and Latin America. - The ME3: Education for Sustainability and EU GreenComp Framework in hybrid format at TUDublin in Ireland. Organised on 14 March 2024 by the Technological University of Dublin’s Sustainability Education Unit and Faculty of Sciences and Health Sustainability committee, in collaboration with the NEMOS consortium, the event offered an overview of the NEMOS approach and the results achieved by the project, highlighted industry and community perspectives for education for sustainability, and hosted a practical dissemination activity. Following an opening speech by Lily Lee from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) of the Government of Ireland, the audience had the chance to attend online keynote address by Dr. Guia Bianchi, researcher at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, author of Sustainability competences and co-author of GreenComp – The European sustainability competence framework. She illustrated the process that led to the development of the European sustainability competence framework and the creation of the Scaffold cards, explaining how these can be used by teachers to design any kind of learning activities. Moderated by Julie Dunne, Head of the School of Food Science and Environmental Health (TU Dublin), the event continued with presentations by all university partners involved in the NEMOS consortium, reporting about the activities carried out to embed the development of sustainability competences into food degrees curricula through service-learning. Main oordinator of the NEMOS project and professor at the Public University of Navarre, M.J. Cantalejo outlined the NEMOS project’s aims and results, with a special focus on the NEMOS Methodological Handbook, that will soon be published as an open resource in all of the languages of the consortium (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) on the NEMOS website and the Erasmus+ programme platform. Aimed at providing a general framework of guidance to adopt service-learning as a tool for strengthening the sustainability competences of students, the Methodological Handbook will also include examples and best practices implemented by the different universities concerned. The following case studies were then presented by the NEMOS partners and fellows: Sustainability focused, competency based learning through work placement, by Michelle Giltrap, Lecturer in Environmental Health at TUDublin and NEMOS fellow, focused on the introduction of a new sustainability element into students’ work placement, including food businesses and social enterprises. After receiving training in different sustainability domains (e.g. sustainability strategy, packaging, air pollution, energy use) students were called to find solutions to existing sustainability-related challenges in the workplace and then reflect on their experience. In general, through service-based learning, students demonstrated a better understanding of sustainability practices in the workplace, and students’ competences such as problem-solving were greatly enhanced. Safety and Sustainability Placement Action Plan (SSPAP) by Sara Boyd, Lecturer in Environmental Health Risk Management at TU Dublin and NEMOS fellow, reported about the experience of a group of Food Science students who went into work placements in the brewing and distilling sector, with the main objective of developing a safety and sustainability placement action plan and suggesting possible solutions for existing challenges. The students appreciated the exercise as a “transformative learning experience” and felt they had developed astronger sense of responsibility towards ensuring sustainability on the workplace. Final Year Project – Valorisation of Brewers’ spent grain for feed applications by Azza Silotry Naik, Assistant Lecturer in Food Science andEnvironmental Health at TU Dublin and NEMOS fellow, presented a case study whereby students worked with two community partners to improve the composition and rumen digestibility of cow feed based on brewers’ spent grain. The experience was successful in achieving specific sustainability-related learning outcomes: to search, access and ethically use information; and to demonstrate an ability to think globally and consider issues and knowledge from a variety of perspectives. Implementing food sustainability through service learning: the UNIPI experience by Sabrina Tomani and Annapia Ferrara, post-doctoral researchers at the University of Pisa, explained the initiative Quanto ne sai disostenibilità? (How much do you know about sustainability?) aimed at challenging students to fi nd sustainable, original, innovative and viable solutions for local stakeholders in the agrifood sector. By means of pre- and post-experience assessment tools, such as surveys, reflective journals and rubrics, the team of UNIPI demonstrated that the service-learning activities generated a significant improvement of the participating students’ sustainability competences. Acquisition of food sustainability competence through service-learning by Sami Ghnimi, Associate Professor in Food Process Engineering andCoordinator of the MSc Sustainable Food Systems at ISARA Lyon, focused on the service-learning activities developed at ISARA and the assessment actions carried out to evaluate the enhancement of students’ sustainability competences. Service-learning experiences included helping local farmers achieve a sustainable animal production system; active projects involving an associative, civic orenvironmental community engagement; as well as projects on improving sustainable development in the food industries.Teaching in Sustainability through Service-Learning: A Case Study, by M.J. Cantalejo, Professor at the Public University of Navarre (UPNA) and Main Coordinator of the NEMOS project reported about practical experiences at UPNA aimed at enhancing the capacity of students to give sustainable solutions to real-world problems. The experience turned out to be very positive for both the workers and the students, who were involved in active, hands-on learning, fostering community engagement, critical thinking and the development of leadership, project management and communication skills. Implementation of Sustainability in the Curriculum at TU Graz by Michael Murkovic, Professor at the Institute of Biochemistry of TU Graz,focused on the activities carried out to integrate service-learning in TU Graz’s master programme in Biotechnology, in collaboration with the public waste water treatment plant. The objective was to improve the students’ technical knowledge of waste water, especially through laboratory work, as well as encourage them to interact with the plant’s staff about the technology and the implications of the laboratory results, with the ultimate aim of designing possible upgrades of the purification plant. In general, students were satisfied with the interaction of the staff and especially with the practical implications of their lab training. Finally, Annapia Ferrara and Sabrina Tomasi successfully led a practical activity involving teachers from TU Dublin, as well as local stakeholders, who were called to design learning activities using the Scaffold cards with the support of the NEMOS partners. Other Activities after the NEMOS project: - Some of the partners in the NEMOS consortium will be conducting a Networking Activity at the Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress (SRI 2024) to be held in Helsinki and Espoo (Finland), as well as online, on 10-14 June 2024.The aim of the Networking Activity will be to transfer the lessons learnt in the NEMOS project, which are contained in NEMOS’s Methodological handbook in food sustainability through service learning, to other subject fields and educational levels, after having piloted them in food-related degrees. Translated into 5 languages (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish), the Methodological Handbook is a quick practical guide forintegrating sustainability competences through service learning in a systematic way throughout the degrees. At SRI 2024, it will bepresented along with some of the NEMOS case studies and a short project video. The onsite moderators (Maria J. Cantalejo, coordinator ofthe NEMOS project, and Sami Ghnimi, one of the consortium partners from ISARA-Lyon), together with an online moderator (Maite M.Aldaya, from the Public University of Navarre) will enable the exchange of ideas and discussion on different implementation options andcollaborations for improving the Methodological Handbook in the future. The feedback and implementation interest from the participants will be collected through direct inputs and through an online form. The impact will be measured in terms of the number of participantsinterested in implementing the Methodological Handbook, the number of different educational fi elds and levels covered, and, after the Activity, the number of participants implementing in practice the Methodological Handbook. Since 2021, the Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress (SRI) has united global leaders in research, government, civil society, and business to meaningfully advance progress towards sustainability. The SRI Congress offers an exceptionally inclusive and inspiring globalplatform for co-creating state-of-the-art solutions and innovations and building a coalition of the willing to achieve a sustainabilitytransformation. SRI is co-convened by Future Earth and the Belmont Forum with local co-organizers. SRI has been held in Oceania, Africa, and Latin America, and is now heading to Europe. In 2024, SRI will be organized in collaboration with Sustainability Science Days (SSD) , which for over six years has been the largest sustainability science conference in Finland. SSD is a joint collaborative effort between Finland’s two largest universities, the University of Helsinki, and Aalto University (source: sricongress.org). -The main coordinator of the NEMOS project will participate in the 22nd World Congress of Food Science and Technology –IUFoST presenting "Examples of Food Industries With Zero Waste: Revalorisation of Whey By-products in line withEmbedding Sustainability Through Service-Learning". Michael Murkovic, NEMOS local partner from TU Graz, will also attend the congress that will be held in Rimini, Italy, from 8 to 12 of September 2024. Under the motto The Future of food is now: Development, Functionality & Sustainability, the congress programme will include industry-based workshops, distinguished plenary and keynote speakers, industry led concurrent sessions, applied research presentations and a plethora of networking opportunities since it is expected to attract more than 2,500 delegates from America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and worldwide. The congress aims to outline the new challenges that the sector will face. - The International Conference on Sustainable Development is organized by the European Center of Sustainable Development in collaboration with the Canadian Institute of Technology – CIT. María J. Cantalejo Díez, Professor at the Public University of Navarre (UPNA) and main coordinator of the co-funded Erasmus+project NEMOS, will give an oral presentation on "How to transfer the sustainability competences through green pedagogies and service-learning" at the 12th International Conference on Sustainable Development –ICSD 2024, on 12 September 2024 in Rome, Italy. In particular, UPNA’s presentation will focus on the final project result of NEMOS, consisting in practical sessions held to train university lecturers who teach in different degrees to effectively integrate sustainability in higher education. ICSD 2024 is inspired by the critical challenge of human, environmental, andeconomic sustainability concerning the present and future generations in a global-scale context. The Conference theme will be Creating a unified foundation for the Sustainable Development: research, practice and education, aimed at emphasising the strong foundation that is provided by using research to inform our everyday practices, policies, and analytical approaches.The 2024 edition will once again provide a forum for sharing ideas, presenting research findings, and discussing professional issues thatare relevant to Sustainability Science. This ambition will proceed in a multidisciplinary way across various fields and perspectives, through which we can address the fundamental and related questions of Sustainable Development. This interdisciplinary forum welcomes scholars, teachers, and practitioners from any professional discipline who share an interest in—and concern for— sustainability in a holistic perspective, where environmental, cultural, economic and social concerns intersect. - A dissemination day has been organised by the main coordinator of the NEMOS project to be held on 18 October 2024 at UPNA. The aim of this activity is to transfer the lessons learnt from the NEMOS project to other Degrees taught at UPNA. According to the Head of the Centre for Educational Innovation, the objectives carried out in the NEMOS project, including the definition of a food sustainability profile, the creation of a methodological handbook and the definition of a new educational model, are aligned with the Strategic Plan of the Public University of Navarre (UPNA). The Centre for Educational Innovation shares the importance of addressing sustainability in higher education and supports the dissemination of the NEMOS project. Also, the Head of the School of Agriculture Engineering and Biosciences stated that the NEMOS project is fully transferable to all UPNA bachelor's and master's degrees, as one of the challenges of today's society is the integration of sustainability competences in all areas. Furthermore, it is interesting and desirable that, in order to achieve the acquisition of the competences proposed, collaborative work is carried out between different disciplines in the same field. Both agree on the importance of integrating sustainability in higher education and they support the continuous dissemination of the NEMOS project. For this reason, we have organised a dissemination day on 18 October 2024 at the UPNA with the aim of involving all the degrees and some master's degrees taught at the School of Agriculture Engineering and Biosciences, with the possibility of participation of degrees from other Faculties and Schools. In this way, interdisciplinary work teams will be created, with different and complementary visions for the achievement of the objectives set out in the NEMOS project in other degrees.

The NEMOS project aimed at providing a methodology and tools, and a first round of validated practices and learning resources, for a process that can be replicable in other degree programmes, disciplines, and fields of education and training. This collaborative process served to pool the knowledge and experience of the five higher education institutions working together to implement in practice new educational models to effectively acquire sustainability competences through Service-learning in food-based degrees. Each HE institution had a different educational food-based programme and started from a different baseline in terms of experience and practice in implementing sustainability through Service-learning. The collaborative work of the NEMOS partners brought together the main lessons learned, and recommendations gathered throughout the process, with the aim of facilitating decision-making for teachers and higher education institutions that want to start integrating or further integrate and promote sustainability competences into curricula and daily classroom practice.As the result of this process: The NEMOS Consortium has produced 5 Open Educational Resources such as the Methodological Handbook in Food Sustainability through Service-learning translated in 5 languages: - In English: DOI 10.3217/978-3-85125-988-9 - In Spanish: DOI 10.3217/978-3-85125-990-2 ISBN e-book 978-3-85125-991-9 - In French: DOI 10.3217/978-3-85125-716-8 - In Italian: DOI 10.3217/978-3-85125-994-0 - In German: DOI 10.3217/978-3-85125-992-6 Also in https:www.nemosproject.com/ (In the RESULTS Section). The Consortium defined a new educational model in which we have integrated the sustainability competences in an effective way through SL, firstly in the field of Food-related Degrees. This approach has been innovative and brand-new for all the partners. This could serve as a basis for application in other Degree programmes. The MH is the result of this joint work. It aims to bring together the key lessons learned, and the recommendations gathered throughout the process, with the objective of facilitating decision-making for teachers and higher-level educational institutions that want to start integrating or continuing to integrate and promote sustainability competences in the curricula and classroom daily practice. The dissemination outputs were: - The NEMOS project website https://www.nemosproject.com/ - The publication of one video on the NEMOS website (In the HOME Section) and it has been shared on NEMOS's social media (as the rest of the EVENTS): Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nemosproject/posts/pfbid02xKWzKwDgvHgjdhZhxKCGXVom4CCrQT8EjXY32tuminF8LkQNTfdQKvvzpbdxH4nUl LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7199714512717914112 Twitter - https://x.com/NemosProject/status/1793948782381465714 - The materials produced from the webinar organised on 20 October 2022 in the framework of the 9th Annual IGCAT Experts Meeting on Engaging Young Minds focused on the opportunities offered by experiential and service-learning for students to acquire sustainability-related skills. The webinar also stimulated debate on the challenges of effectively integrating those skills into students’ curricula. -Also one Podcast and a Radio Interview were produced (all in Spanish): - UPNA Podcast: How can universities contribute to shifting ourmindset towards more sustainable productionand consumption models? (From the podcast: Ciencia al Punto – UPNA Episode: La revolución de la sostenibilidad desde la universidad (The sustainability revolution from the university) Published on: 20 November 2023 Language: Spanish). This episode of UPNA’s podcast Ciencia al Punto, features coordinator of the Erasmus+ funded project NEMOS and professor of Food Technology at the Public University of Navarre (UPNA), María J. Cantalejo Díez. She explains the NEMOS project approach, aimed at defining a new educational model that integrates sustainability as a transversal skill in higher education curricula through service-learning. Starting from the simple observation that the model of production and consumption underpinning the more economically developed countries is intrinsically unsustainable and unfair, Cantalejo emphasizes the need to raise awareness and provoke a change in our mentality towards more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable paradigms. Education at all levels plays a crucial role in shaping the mindset of current and future generations towards more responsible practices. Specifically, universities are a fundamental part in this transformative process, that is better achieved by students through experiential learning and a deeper engagement with their community. By promoting the integration of service-learning as a pedagogy in higher education curricula, the NEMOS project encourages students to take on a more active and participative role, and work with local stakeholders on their actual sustainability challenges. This invaluable learning method will ultimately contribute to train future professionals who are able to respond to the sustainability needs of our society, for example by designing new zero-waste enterprises or innovative processes to transform waste into new products. - Radio Interview: Interviewed by COPE Pamplona radio, the main coordinator from UPNA explained the innovative methodology promoted by the Erasmus+ project NEMOS . An educational innovation project, NEMOS encourages the adoption of service-learning as a green pedagogy to integrate sustainability in the higher education curricula. With the aim to include a social element in the students’ learning path, NEMOS introduces service-learning as an experiential methodology by which students get in direct contact with social agents such as micro-enterprises, NGO’s and other stakeholders, and understand their challenges. If, on the one hand, this mutual exchange helps raising the student’s awareness of the social reality they leave in; on the other hand, as a practical approach, it allows them to contribute sustainable solutions to the stakeholders’ challenges. As a result, this hands-on learning process stimulates a general change in the students’ mindset towards more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable modelsand practices. The five universities involved in the project have been successfully complementing several compulsory courses with service-learning activities, observing a high level of receptiveness in the participating students, lecturers and stakeholders. As an example, the Public University of Navarre conducted an activity on paper composting and its use as bread packaging within the Food Design and Development course of the of the Degree in Food Product and Process Innovation. A pilot was carried out in collaboration with Pamplona City Council and the Tajo Social’s printing, that employs people in a situation of social exclusion. As for the service part, students were called to develop a new compostable packaging product to be manufactured in the Tajo Social plant. As for the learning, both social and environmental sustainability competences of the students were reinforced by enhancing their knowledge on sustainable materials and allowing them to contribute to the integration into society of the Tajo Social’s workers. Given the crucial role of lecturers in this process, a fundamental part of the NEMOS project is related to the training of the teaching staff, both in sustainability and the service-learning methodology. Support is thus provided to, first of all, raise their awareness on the concerned topics, and then help them put that knowledge into practice. Launched as a pilot in the food degrees of the five European universities involved, the NEMOS project promotes a model to be adapted and implemented in further higher education disciplines, as well as throughout the educational system, including primary, secondary and vocational education and training. Although very ambitious and challenging, as it requires a strong engagement of all the actors involved, the NEMOS project’s mission is to respond to the immediate need of supporting a more sustainable future: “Education is an important driver of change to shift to a moresustainable mindset and reverse our unsustainable practices,” concludes professor Cantalejo Díez. To make this difficult task possible, it is paramount to build on the current NEMOS consortium and create a huge international network of likeminded actors who work together towards the same objectives. - A short video about the experience of the University of Pisa (Italy) at: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sofi a-panzani-6627a924a_exciting-experience-in-the-last-3-days-during-activity-7129120593660063745-FrI9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop (The English text is an adapted translation of the original Italian text written by: Sofi a Panzani, Eugenia Maria Ida Ronga and Alfonso Maria Boccia) -A letter of support: The NEMOS project endorsed by Fispmed ONLUS and the Euro Mediterranean Black Sea Observatory. The main coordinator of the NEMOS project received the endorsement of Fispmed ONLUS (International Federation for Sustainable Development and the Fightagainst Poverty in the Mediterranean-Black Sea). A letter of support was sent by President Roberto Russo, who is also the Coordinator of Fispmed’s Euro Mediterranean Black Sea Observatory. The letter expresses the international network’s “enthusiastic support for the NEMOS project and its innovative approach to integrating sustainable competencies into food-related degree curricula through service-learning. “The objectives outlined by NEMOS, including establishing a food sustainability profile, creating the methodological handbook, and defining a new educational model, perfectly align with the core objectives of our organization, which focuses on sustainable developmentand on food security issues in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region. We also share the importance of addressing sustainability challenges in higher education. “Fispmed ONLUS is excited to see the positive impact that NEMOS will have on shaping the future of education and empowering the next generation of leaders in sustainable development. We look forward to following the progress of the NEMOS project and exploring opportunities for collaboration in the future.” The International Federation for Sustainable Development and the Fight against Poverty in the Mediterranean-Black Sea (Fispmed) was founded in 2004 and, to date, has 229 partners in 39 different countries in the Euro-Mediterranean and Black Sea areas, which territorially and by statute represent over 1.8 million citizens of the same area. Fispmed gives priority to environmental issues and those linked to sustainable development, in line with numerous international documents. It works through actions aimed at strengthening the contribution of the civil society that it represents, giving it the possibilityof expressing its own reflections on the community and international policies in which it is directly involved (source: fispmed.org). The Euro Mediterranean and Black Sea Observatory, born in 2007 as a working tool of Fispmed, aims to encourage the implementation of projects intended to strengthen Italy’s action at a national and international level for greater and better information, education and participation in the field of environmental protection, to develop information and participation in environmental policies and in support of local sustainable economic development actions (source: observatorymedblacksea.net). - The Consortium members wrote two papers that are pending of being published: 1) Fundamentals of the students’ sustainability profile based on a quantitative community building analysis. 2) Education for sustainable transformation: a multi-actor perspective on the Higher Education Institutions’ contribution to the agrifood systems. Other Results after the NEMOS project that guarantee its continuity and dissemination are: - The main coordinator of the NEMOS project (from UPNA) is part of the Intersectoral Monitoring Commission of the ENEAS (Navarre Strategy for Environmental Education for Sustainability) 2030, which is a stable forum for intersectoral meetings whose mission is to promote the participation and coordination of social agents, companies and professionals involved in Environmental Education for Sustainability, representatives of the Government of Navarre in Spain and other Public Administrations related to the Environmental Strategy for Sustainability in Navarre. The Navarre Strategy for Environmental Education for Sustainability 2030 seeks to define a new framework adapted to the new approaches to environmental education, closely linked to international debates on climate emergency and sustainability, to the new socio-environmental challenges facing us and to the regional, national and international commitments made by the Government of Navarre. These challenges, which Environmental Education for Sustainability must address, allow us to define it as a key tool in the search for and implementation of solutions that make it possible to reduce impacts and improve our relations with the environment - from the local to the global scale - as well as to advance towards sustainable development in its social, economic and environmental dimensions. - The Vice-rectorate for Education of the UPNA has approved the teaching innovation project entitled "Promotion of sustainability competences in primary education" from September 2024 to September 2026. Based on the methodology of the NEMOS project, this new project aims to develop tools that promote sustainability competences and contents that are useful for future primary education teachers. The development of a "Methodological manual for the incorporation of sustainability competences in the Degree of Primary Education" will allow the transfer of the project's learning and methodology to primary education teaching degrees at other universities, primary education centres and organisations related to primary education. Furthermore, these learnings could serve as a starting point for extending this knowledge to other educational levels, including secondary education. -In the case of ISARA-Lyon, the renewal of the accreditation DD&RS (Sustainable development and social responsibility) is one of its main outcomes in recognition of the improvement achieved thanks to the NEMOS project. During the Transnational Project Meeting in Lyon on 2 October 2023, the Director of DD&RS (Sustainable development and social responsibility of ISARA) Christian PINEAU introduced ISARA vision to support the ecological transitions in Agriculture & Food. He provided information on the history of sustainability as part of the ISARA strategy and specifically the Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility Accreditation DD&RS. He then presented the Standards of reference for DD&RS accreditation with 5 axes encompassing the 17 UN SDG’s. He mentioned that ISARA got the renewal of DD&RS accreditation and is progressing in this strategy and moved from level 2 (initiation) (at the beginning of the NEMOS project) to level 3 (conformity) (during the NEMOS project) and still more challenges to be addressed to reach the level 4 (mastering) (They are applying now to achieve this level) and level 5 (Excellence) in the coming years.