With the EU and Team Europe support, students from 12 schools in the Republic of Moldova learned how to identify and solve environmental problems

Students from 12 schools in the Republic of Moldova learned how to identify and solve environmental problems and are involved in sustainable actions to improve the school’s ecological environment. The participants took part in an initiative organised within the project “Accelerating the uptake of practices that promote greener, more energy efficient and sustainable school environments”, also called “Towards a Greener, Sustainable, Efficient School”, carried out with the support of the German Government, by the Alliance for Energy Efficiency and Renewables (AEER), in partnership with the Agency for Energy Efficiency (AEE) and the Association of Environmental Journalists and Ecological Tourism (AJMTEM).

The “Green School” was piloted between October 2021 and July 2022, and the beneficiary institutions used modern tools and equipment for monitoring environmental in schools, were trained by experts, received professional ecological evaluations, practical guides, and not lastly, support to introduce “green” solutions. Environmental topics addressed by the school community focused on energy efficiency and microclimate, waste management, green spaces, water and sewage infrastructure.

In order to produce lasting changes, the project implementers aim for a structural “greening” of schools, at the level of the education system. Thus, an Advocacy Plan was developed focused on the adoption and promotion of the “Green School” concept at the national level, financial mechanisms for energy efficiency projects in schools and updating the material taught in the field of environmental education.

The “Accelerating the uptake of practices that promote greener, more energy efficient and sustainable school environments ” project was carried out by the Alliance for Energy Efficiency and Renewables (AEER), in partnership with the Agency for Energy Efficiency (AEE) and the Association of Environmental Journalists and Ecological Tourism (AJMTEM).

The project was implemented for one year, thanks to funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the project “Support for the Government of the Republic of Moldova in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda”, implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (Agency for International Cooperation of Germany).