Sustainability and Global Citizenship

Eco-Schools and Environmental Education

Green schools. Green minds. Green futures.

Environment and ClimateParticipation in Democratic LifeErasmus+ KA1 Eligible

About This Course

The climate emergency is the defining challenge of our era, and education has been given a specific and explicit role in the European response to it. The European Green Deal, the GreenComp sustainability competence framework and the Erasmus+ Environment and Fight Against Climate Change priority all call on education systems to develop not just environmental knowledge but genuine sustainability competences.

This course gives education professionals the knowledge, the frameworks and the practical tools to put sustainability at the heart of their school. Participants explore the GreenComp framework in depth, develop practical approaches to environmental education across curriculum subjects, and engage with the Eco-Schools programme, one of Europe's most successful frameworks for whole-school environmental improvement.

The course connects to GreenComp, the European Green Deal and the Erasmus+ Environment priority, and is particularly well suited to destinations with strong environmental profiles including Cappadocia, Antalya, Barcelona and Hamburg.

Who Should Attend

  • Teachers who want to develop genuine sustainability education in their classrooms
  • Eco-Schools coordinators and environmental leads
  • Science, geography and biology teachers
  • School leaders developing sustainability strategies
  • Teachers interested in outdoor and nature-based education

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course participants will be able to:

  • Explain the current European and global context of the climate emergency and its implications for education.

    You will be able to have an honest, evidence-grounded conversation about climate change with students, parents and colleagues that is neither alarmist nor dismissive. You will know what the science actually shows, what the EU policy commitments mean in practice and what role education has in the European Green Deal response.

  • Apply the GreenComp framework to curriculum planning and identify which sustainability competences your current provision develops.

    GreenComp maps twelve sustainability competences across four areas. Used as a planning tool, it reveals which competences your current curriculum develops well and which it barely touches. Most schools find they do information transmission well but almost nothing to develop the futures literacy or action-orientation GreenComp identifies as essential.

    GreenCompEuropean Green Deal
  • Use the Eco-Schools Seven Steps methodology to lead environmental improvement in your school.

    The Eco-Schools programme is the world's largest school environmental education programme. Its Seven Steps methodology provides a practical framework for making genuine environmental improvements while developing student agency and leadership.

  • Design environmental education activities that develop genuine sustainability competences rather than just environmental knowledge.

    Most environmental education stops at information. GreenComp challenges you to go further: developing the values, the critical thinking and the action-orientation that young people need. You will design activities that develop the full range of GreenComp competences.

  • Connect your school's environmental work to the Erasmus+ Environment priority and EU Green Deal education agenda.

    Environmental work that is connected to Erasmus+ is more fundable, more visible and more sustainable. You will know exactly how to position your sustainability work within the EU Green Deal education agenda and how to use this connection in Erasmus+ applications.

    Environment PriorityEuropean Green Deal

A 7-Day Professional Development Experience

Five days of intensive training combined with a structured arrival day and a cultural excursion. We are always open to tailoring the programme to your institution's needs.

Day 1
Sunday - Arrival and Welcome

Participants arrive and are welcomed by the Sude Nexus local team. Welcome dinner and orientation walk.

Day 2
Monday - The Climate Emergency and Education's Role
MorningThe European context: what the science shows and what EU policy commits to. The role of education in the Green Deal response.
AfternoonIntroduction to GreenComp: the twelve sustainability competences and their implications for curriculum planning.
Day 3
Tuesday - The Eco-Schools Programme
MorningThe Eco-Schools Seven Steps in practice. Case studies from across Europe.
AfternoonEnvironmental audit and action planning in your own school context.
Day 4
Wednesday - Environmental Education Across the Curriculum
MorningSustainability in every subject: embedding GreenComp competences across the curriculum.
AfternoonOutdoor environmental education and nature-based approaches.
Day 5
Thursday - Designing Your Environmental Education Unit
MorningParticipants design a complete GreenComp-aligned environmental education unit. Peer review.
AfternoonConnecting to EU frameworks and action planning. Farewell dinner.
Day 6
Friday - Action Planning and Sharing
MorningPersonal and institutional action planning. Structured peer review.
AfternoonPresentations, certificates and farewell dinner.
Day 7
Saturday - Cultural Excursion and Departure

Guided cultural excursion. Participants travelling home are free to depart after breakfast.

This outline is a starting point, not a fixed schedule. Contact us to discuss how we can tailor this programme for your institution.

EU Policy Alignment

EU Competence Frameworks

EU Policy Initiatives

European Green DealEU Biodiversity Strategy 2030European Education Area 2021 to 2030Erasmus+ Environment Priority
← Back to Sustainability and Global Citizenship

Available Locations and Dates

Check the dates page for current availability across all 13 destinations.

Check Dates and Availability

Ready to Join This Course?