Taking action for reducing the environmental impact of digitalisation

The main objective of the EcoDigital project was to develop and implement an innovative educational approach that promotes sustainable digital practices among school students and educators. We aim...

The main objective of the EcoDigital project was to develop and implement an innovative educational approach that promotes sustainable digital practices among school students and educators. We aimed to raise awareness about the environmental consequences of digitalisation, while also building students’ critical thinking, digital literacy, and green competences. By creating a modular curriculum supported by creative pedagogical methods such as LARPing, we wanted to foster behavioural change and encourage student-led action against digital waste. Additionally, we sought to empower teachers with high-quality, ready-to-use resources that could be easily adapted to various subjects and national contexts. Ultimately, we aimed to contribute to the European Green Deal and the Digital Education Action Plan by embedding environmental responsibility within digital education. To address these challenges, we provided a policy recommendation that supported the professional development of teachers and guide the integration of sustainable digital tools in teaching.

We implemented a series of structured activities across four key work packages. First, we conducted a comprehensive needs analysis to understand current perceptions and gaps in knowledge related to digital sustainability. The findings were published in an open-access article: https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813353. Based on these findings, we co-designed the EcoDigital Capacity Building and piloted it at the University of Iceland. After that, the EcoDigital Curriculum was designed. The EcoDigital Curriculum was a modular learning programme addressing key themes such as digitalisation, cloud technologies, environmental impacts, and sustainable behaviour. The curriculum was then piloted in two countries—Greece and Romania—with 207 students and 15 teachers across primary and secondary schools. During the pilot phase, we collected feedback through teacher observation forms and surveys completed by both students and teachers. The Curriculum and piloting results were presented in several conferences (EDUTEC2023, INTED2025, Education, Teaching and Lifelong Learning in the 21st Century: Challenges and Prospects- University of Ioannina).