Representatives from GeoCamp Iceland attended the final event "Excellent Education for All" of the Czech Education Programme funded by EEA Grants. The international event serves as a forum for the cooperation among Czech, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein schools, universities and other education organisations, showcasing the results of the programme.

GeoCamp Iceland participated in the succesful project "GEOCAMP - supporting geology teaching towards active citizenship" which introduced new and innovative teaching programmes and methods in the field of the sciences and geology to prepare teachers for the challenges of the future and act in the interests of environmental protection.

The project was partnered by Ralsko Geopark and the Technical University of Liberec in the Czech Republic.

GeoCamp Iceland participated in the second transnational meeting of the Erasmus+ supported project “Green Advisor” in beautiful and mesmerising Cori, Italy on 18 - 19 April 2024. The meeting was organised and hosted by our Italian partner at Polygonal, and included participants from Spain, Turkey and Finland. 

The "Green Advisor - Enhancing environmental sustainability of EU funded projects” is a three-years Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership in the field of Adult Education that is coordinated by GeoCamp Iceland and involves partners from Spain, Italy, Turkey and Finland. The partnership will work together addressing the need to lower the environmental CO2 footprint that Erasmus+ projects generate. 

Among project outcomes are a Carbonfootprint Calculator (APP) and Green Streaming Orientation Tool to support Project Managers and Adult Educators in making their travels and communication more sustainable, while enhancing critical thinking on the environmental impact of such activities. 

During the meeting we were able to finalise research work as well as the environmental quality assurance framework on European project management. The meeting also focused on continuing work on the footprint calculator - including parameters for the calculation of the carbon footprint of EU projects - as well as development of self-assessment tools for project managers and training activities.

There can be no trip to Italy without food and cultural events, so project partners received a guided tour inside Comune di Cori and tasted locally produced products of Cori and Giulianello. The group also had a privately currated visit to the stunning gardens of Ninfa "Giardino di Ninfa”.

The next meeting within the project will take place in Iceland, and will include testing of teacher training materials.

Big thanks to Polygonal for hosting the event, as well as to the other project partners (DomSpain, Gazi Üniversitesi, Smartup and Olemisen) for their active participation.

For more information about the project please visit our project website: www.greenadvisorproject.com

Arnbjorn Olafsson, Managing Director of GeoCamp Iceland participated in the highly succesful contact seminar "Green practices in Erasmus+ projects" which took place in Bratislava, Slovakia on 10 - 12 April 2024. The seminar brought together participants from both school and vocational sectors, interested in sustainability and greening of EU projects. 

Sustainability and green practices are one of the main horizontal priorities of the Erasmus+ programme and during the seminar, the participating partners had a chance to share their experiences, expand their professional and personal networks, as well as hear about good practice examples of Erasmus+ KA2 projects that have strived to adopt a sustainable approach towards their projects and/or institutions.

With the participation in the seminar we were able to share our thoughts and ideas on climate change, sustainability and environmental issues, within international education and development projects, as well as share previous experience in international projects. 

For GeoCamp Iceland the topic is especially relevant, being partners in two Erasmus+ funded projects that centre on green practices: Green Advisor Project on enhancing environmental sustainability of EU funded projects; and Upcycling, which focuses on promoting cross curricular collaboration, using innovative learning approaches to prepare learners, staff and youth workers towards becoming true agents of change.

The networking event presented us with a great platform to discuss the importance of creating environmentally sustainable projects within the Erasmus+ programme, as well as build on the experience developed so far in our ongoing projects.

Images and video from SAAIC - ErasmusPlus in Slovakia