TMGreEn sUstainable

The main objective of the TMGreEn sUstainable project was to empower students to act as active changemakers in their schools and communities. We wanted them to realise that even small actions can ...

The main objective of the TMGreEn sUstainable project was to empower students to act as active changemakers in their schools and communities. We wanted them to realise that even small actions can contribute to protecting the environment and to develop a lasting sense of responsibility and self-efficacy. Our goals were to integrate Education for Sustainable Development more strongly into daily school routines, to exchange green practices between partner schools, and to design learning spaces that reflect ecological values. Teachers were to explore and share new sustainable learning methods, while students applied them in real-life contexts such as schoolyard redesign, waste separation and community composting. On a broader level, the project aimed to create a network of European schools committed to sustainability, fostering environmental awareness, creativity, social engagement and European citizenship among all participants.

The TMGreEn sUstainable project was implemented through a combination of transnational meetings, student exchanges and local sustainability actions at each partner school. The project began with teacher workshops and planning sessions to define priorities and coordinate communication. In Portugal, only teachers took part in a training activity focused on learning and applying the Design Thinking method to shape the project’s concrete implementation. Later, student mobilities took place in Germany, Spain and Hungary. During these exchanges, students collaborated on Design Thinking-based workshops about biodiversity, alternative energies, upcycling and composting systems, as well as sustainable schoolyard design. They created prototypes, presentations and digital portfolios to share their results. In Berlin, a participatory schoolyard redevelopment process was carried out together with landscape architects, guided and facilitated by the project participants. The Erasmus students also organised a Climate Action Day, where students presented their ideas for greener mobility, energy saving and biodiversity protection. At the same time, the partner schools worked on making their own schoolyards and gardens more sustainable.

The application of the Design Thinking method strengthened the sustainability focus of all activities and empowered students to actively engage in transformative processes. In Portugal, the method was introduced through a dedicated teacher training module. Participants explored its core principles and developed initial concepts for applying Design Thinking to promote sustainable learning. In Berlin, students put these principles into practice: they led the redesign of the schoolyard, created prototypes, podcasts, and VR models, and participated in round-table discussions with representatives of Grün macht Schule from the Senate Department, the planning office, and the landscape architects. The final designs, including the international schoolyard prototypes, were presented at the “Day of Urban Development Promotion.” In Valencia, students created imaginative climate hero stories on a student blog, later showcased in a public exhibition for the school community. The final mobility in Eger focused on the further development and presentation of community compost prototypes and the creation of SDG infographics. All activities pursued the goal of enhancing students’ ecological awareness and their competence to co-design environments.