Energy efficiency and environmental awareness were not yet “en vogue” for school construction in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result many buildings were built that today offer great potential for reducing the CO2 budget and the associated economic costs. With the “Energy Challenges” school competition, the Interreg project 2IMPREZS, together with the schools in Lower Saxony, aims to make a contribution to reducing the high energy consumption and the resulting CO2 emissions.
The aim of the competition is to encourage pupils to develop their own measures to reduce CO2 emissions- for example by changing behavioral patterns or implementing simple technical energy-saving measures at schools. This could take the form of adhering to waste separation or more conscious electricity consumption, for example, as well as pushing for solar panels on the school roof. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the school competition had to be restructured to ensure the health and safety of teachers, students and parents. The competition is based on face-to-face teaching and activating the children’s self-motivation: they should move freely around the school, identify “energy guzzlers” and develop suggestions for solutions. However, implementation on site is currently not possible. In addition, some of the necessary hygiene measures, such as frequent ventilation, significantly increase energy consumption due to permanent heating and therefore CO2 emissions in schools. Increased hand washing and the resulting increase in water consumption also stand in the way of reducing energy costs. To tackle these challenges, the project partners have changed the framework conditions and developed a digital version of the Energy Challenges. The competition takes the form of a collaborative digital version, which aconium GmbH is responsible for implementing in Germany. The focus is on virtual interactions.
To ensure acceptance of the competition among teachers and learners, it is important to keep the additional work involved (for example in preparing lessons) as low as possible. The participating schools therefore receive an extensive catalog of online tools that help to make learning processes on the topics of energy saving, energy efficiency, climate change, basic technical understanding and creative ideas for energy-saving measures attractive outside of face-to-face lessons. This includes learning games, video conferences and quiz formats. Individual advice and support on the digital tools can also be provided by aconium GmbH. The competition will take place from February to June 2021. Applications from schools in Lower Saxony can be sent to Sebastian Martin (s.martin@aconium.eu), Project Manager at aconium, until February 5.
Background
The transnational strategy of the 2IMPREZS project aims to achieve energy savings of up to 30 percent in 141 schools in the North Sea region. This corresponds to a reduction in emissions of approx. 7,320 tons of CO2. As a project partner, aconium GmbH is responsible for communication management and communication with the schools from the German project region. The participating schools are supported throughout the entire project and have a fixed contact person for the implementation of the Energy Challenges and the sustainable measures to reduce energy consumption. In addition, aconium GmbH coordinates the transnational exchange of knowledge between the schools and is the communication manager of the 2IMPREZS project. Further information on 2IMPREZS can also be found on the project website: