This project established the term »Learning Communities of Rural Europe« (LCRE) for the first time. Such places can have many faces. As a common denominator they combine educational work and regional development. They have a common understanding of socio-ecological transformation assuming that nature, culture and economy are not separated areas standing next to each other, but form a larger whole, creating »good life« in the meaning of »buen vivir«— not only for humans but for all earthly beings. Such learning communities combine formal and informal education. They support academic education by offering programmes for university students or realise research projects with universities. They teach practical abilities and open up the space for personal growth. By supporting learners to set up their own economic projects they support the economically weak rural areas. They integrate locals wherever possible, cooperate with local businesses and edcuational insitutions, and integrate into national and European networks.The main result of this project is a handbook for pioneers who want to set up new LCRE. Parallel to that a webinar-programme was developed, so that the authors of this handbook can share the main insights of the handbook directly with the interested audience. Another output is a storybok. It addresses especially young people and wants to draw their attention to LCRE as places, that can support them in their own learning journeys. In addition, a political brochure was created, that communicates the model of LCRE to policy makers and authorities.By setting up a European network the project consortium intended to help Learning Communities to develop a stronger impact and act as role model for a new generation of inclusive, transdiciplinary educational projects all over Europe.

The purpose of the creation of the project was that a new cooperation mechanism should be produced in Europe, where the primary school children are motivated for learning, while obtaining key competences by applying the methods used in the education of sustainability and environmental protection.The main purpose of the project is the elaboration, testing and applying of a new experiential, nature-close pedagogy in elementary educational institutions so as to improve the students’ basic and transversal competences. The schools integrate the environmental education elements in their daily teaching practice by a multidisciplinary approach, where 9-11-year old pupils will be able to understand the relation among the different educational fields: i) Natural Sciences, ii) Social Sciences, iii) Art, iv) I.T. 6 partners participated the project: 3 elementary educational institutions, 1 upper-level educational institution, 2 non-profit organisations.The most important products and activities of the project:1The making of the document titled „Review analysis of experiential learning practices in primary education in the participating countries” – as an important project result (a base for making the intellectual output of the project)The analysis contains both secondary and primary research. The primary research was made up of the making of the surveys and deep-interviews, which were carried out by the target group members living in the partner countries (9-11-year-old pupils and teachers).The survey consisted of two parts: a general section, which measured the pupils’ environment and an institutional environment section, which examined how the pupils see their schools and their lessons because the aim was to make the lessons more interactive and give more emphasis on sustainability. 2„Environmental pedagogy for improving primary school teacher’s competences in transmitting knowledge in an experiential way through environmental education” – the intellectual output of the projectThe teaching material, which was elaborated, consists of the following parts:-Basic concepts of environmental education and learning based on experiences-The second part of the teaching material presents teaching methods -The third module is a practice-oriented part that contains suggestions of scenarios (lesson plans).3A five-day teacher trainingThe five-day training was carried out in Nagykanizsa in the period between the 5th and the 9th February 2018. The purpose of the training was to present and teach the prepared methodology to the participants, who could obtain those new skills and knowledge, which are necessary to build the pedagogy of Back to Nature project in their everyday teaching practice. The training was held by the experts of the partners, who had taken part in the elaboration of the methodology previously. Before the training an open call was promoted in the partner institutions and the participants were chosen from the applicants.The training was about the following topics: the basics of environmental education, basic principles of sustainability, environmentally-conscious behaviour, project-based methods, teamwork at school, everyday aspects of life in a built environment, healthy lifestyles– main focus is on human beings, biodiversity, environmental education from a global aspect.Altogether 18 people took part in the training and the event was broadcast live via webstreaming at the same time. Every day there was a possibility for professional discussions and feedbacks about the passed-off programmes between the participants and the trainers.4A five-day summer campThe five-day international summer camp was organised in Romania between the 23rd and the 27th August 2018 and 9-11-year-old pupils and their accompanying teachers took part in it, altogether 45 pupils and 9 teachers. The purpose of the event was the practical testing of the previously elaborated methodical teaching material. In order to do this outdoor learning activities were prepared and carried out, which served the improvement of the pupils’ key competences. This event ensured the teachers, who had taken part in the previous teacher training, to test the obtained competences and new knowledge in practice, in the forms of informal, out-of-school activities. 5 Final conferenceThe final conference of the project was held in Nagykanizsa, on the 23rd November 2018. In the first part of the event the intellectual outputs created in the project and the implemented activities were presented. In the second half of the event there were lectures about the roles of primary schools, universities and civil organisations in environmental education.As the result of the project, an innovative, flexible, easily adaptable, practice-oriented and nature-close pedagogy was developed for primary school teachers dealing with students aged 9-11.

CONTEXTClimate change is one of the most significant challenges facing society today. The European Union places special emphasis on mitigating and curbing the problem:“A European Green Deal - Striving to be the first climate-neutral continentClimate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, Europe needs a new growth strategy that transforms the Union into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where:there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050;economic growth is decoupled from resource use,no person and no place is left behind”- 96% of Europeans think that we have a responsibility to protect nature;- 95% of Europeans consider that looking after nature is essential for tackling climate change.”“COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learningUnesco’s Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development affirms that education for sustainable development is an integral element of quality education and key enabler of all other Sustainable Development Goals. This aim is reflected in the revision of the Reference Framework.”OBJECTIVESThe overall goal of our project is to help communities of European municipalities to prepare for climate change by sustainably maintaining and developing urban biodiversity and green spaces. Specific objectives:O1 - Exploration and processing of Nature-Based Innovations.O2 - Forming the key competencies of local community stakeholders. Expanding knowledge related to the field, improving skills and changing attitudes.O3 - Improving the relationship between the partner organizations and expanding their knowledge related to the field. O4 - Evaluation of the implemented adult education process.O5 - Widespread dissemination of the results of the tender to ensure their sustainability.TARGET GROUPSThrough the activities of our grant application, we want to reach the following target groups:TG1 - Staff, decision-makers, members and volunteers of partner organizations - 6 organizations, at least 30 people - direct target group with active achievements.TG2 - Stakeholders of local communities - staff, decision-makers and representatives of local governments, NGOs and institutions - 50 communities, at least 150 people - contacting the direct target group in an active manner.TG3 - European citizens interested in the topic, contacting them in a passive manner- 150,000 people.RESULTSResults of our project in light of the planned activities:- Nature-Based Innovations case studies;- Learning manual on Nature-Based Innovations;- Multiplier events for stakeholders in local communities;- Web platforms for Nature-Based Innovations.INDICATORSThe main professional indicators of our project are as follows:- 1 survey - aimed at exploring adaptable Nature-Based Innovations - at least 40 proposals to be completed;- 1 electronic publication with at least 12 case studies (2 case studies / partner);- Learning manual, Part I - electronic document in English, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian and Italian;- Learning manual, Part II - country-specific electronic document in Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian, and Italian;- Review and evaluation of responses in English, Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian and Italian.INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS - IO 1 - Nature Based Innovations case studies - The partners will prepare the case studies. Nature-Based Innovations can include a municipal rainwater collection and utilization scheme, or a long term care sustainable system designed for the roots of municipal trees, or a design for municipal green spaces that provides for more biodiversity while requiring less labor and energy to maintain.- IO 2 - Learning manual is being prepared on the topic of urban green spaces, consisting of two main parts: 1. Innovations in urban green space management - this is based on case studies, which we rework so that it can be presented in the form of a training. 2. Regulation of green space management - In the partner countries, we review and incorporate the regulation of green space management into the learning manual.MULTIPLIER EVENTSNature-Based Innovations for local communities - 13 workshops - 260 participants - The event will be presented by the staff of the partner organizations with the help of the knowledge gained during the Staff training through the project intellectual outputs. Following the presentation, the meeting will continue in the World Cafe format, with the possibility of group consultation. The event ends with a hands-on tour of the local Nature-Based Innovation, provided the site will allow the realization of such an exercise.LEARNING TEACHING TRAININGStaff training on Nature-Based Innovation - The short-term joint staff training takes place in Szeged, Hungary.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) admits that “Europe will not achieve its 2030 (sustainable development) goals without urgent action” (Dec 2019). Included in the seven key areas for action by the EEA are “support innovation and nature-based solutions” and “investing in education and skills”. Clearly, current approaches to achieving environmental sustainability and addressing climate change are not achieving results fast enough. Whilst a good first step, we need bolder approaches. Biomimicry offers a bold approach, one based on 3.8 billion years of research conducted by nature.A key educational challenge is to make the transition to a green economy tangible and meaningful. An approach embraced by business is biomimicry, a set of principles based on nature to address human-design challenges; to ensure that the way we meet the needs of humanity also meets the needs of the natural systems we rely on for survival. Google, Apple, Airbus and others are already tapping the power of nature to tackle some of humanities biggest challenges.NatEnt uses biomimicry to take students on a learning journey to discover the principles which makes nature a model for sustainability. It offers an opportunity to explore how these principles can tackle the sustainability challenges facing Europe. And finally, it empowers students to apply their new competences to create real solutions that work; entrepreneurship for social and economic good.STEM subjects offer the ideal vehicle. Biology teaches us about how nutrients cycle in a woodland and can help us see how technical nutrients can cycle in produce design. Chemistry shows us how nature creates infinite shapes and forms using simple formulas with degrade back into harmless elements. Physics demonstrates how forces can be harnessed to reduce energy use. Technology can use the science of nature to build new products, processes and systems which mirror nature.The overall objective of NatEnt is ‘to develop the key STEM and entrepreneurship competences of young people to play an active role in tackling Europe’s key sustainability challenges.’ This will be reached through four objectives:1.Develop the competence of students to apply biomimicry to understand and address Europe’s key sustainability challenges.2.Increase the capacity of students to apply entrepreneurial thinking and work collaboratively to create solutions for the green economy.3.Provide support for teachers to integrate STEM subjects with entrepreneurship.4.Improve access to digital learning to enhance both independent and collaborative learning.NatEnt will work with schools in 5 countries targeting teachers from secondary/vocational schools, and working with students 15-18 years. We expect to develop and pilot resources with 15 schools, 30 teachers and approximately 500 students. The final results will be widely disseminated to schools, education providers, education departments and networks nationally and throughout Europe. For students, teachers and schools, the project will result in:•More young people motivated and capable to act to bring about a sustainable future and green economy.•Students collaborating to design solutions to Europe’s key sustainability challenges.•New and innovative teaching resources for schools combining biomimicry, STEM, entrepreneurship and digital learning.•Increased capacity of teachers to provide inspiring learning for the green economy.•Future orientated curricula and learning activities.•Online independent learning modules for teachers and students.•Enhanced understanding and application of biomimicry in teaching and learning.NatEnt will achieve these results through integrating biomimicry into STEM subjects and creating entrepreneurial challenges through which STEM knowledge can be applied to tackle sustainability issues. Learning resources will use the natural world to inspire students about how nature solves problems elegantly and sustainably, and then demonstrate how biomimicry can use the same ‘natural genius’ to address human-challenges. Learning resources will be created as online courses to allow for student flexibility and independent learning, as well as more traditional classroom-based activities. A co-creation platform will be established for students to turn their learning from nature into entrepreneurial ideas to address human-challenges. The platform will bring students and entrepreneurs together around common challenges, encouraging them to work collaboratively to achieve win-win results for all.Over the long-term, NatEnt will contribute new perspectives and methods for young people to contribute to building a sustainable Europe. It offers new approaches to sustainability which are matched to the scale of change required. In turbulent times it provides new visions of hope; models to rethink how we meet our needs which bring us into harmony with nature upon which we depend for our future survival and flourishing.

Europe needs more young people with green entrepreneurship skills if it is to achieve its EU2020 target of ‘Sustainable growth - for a resource efficient, greener and more competitive economy.’ Delivering this target requires young people with the skills, knowledge and commitment to build a more competitive low-carbon economy that makes efficient and sustainable use of resources, protects the environment, reduces emissions and prevents biodiversity loss. The green economy is an increasing source of jobs in Europe (CEDEFOP) and Eurobarometer (2013) reports that green skills in SMEs are increasing with 4/10 employing at least one full-time employee working in a green job. Recent research shows that start-up rates increase by as much as 20% when entrepreneurship lessons are provided in schools. The GEE (Green Entrepreneurship Europe) project brings together the twin necessities of a green economy and increased entrepreneurship that provides meaningful jobs and restores our natural wealth. GEE will improve the capacity of schools to teach the competencies and skills for young people to take an active role in the green economy and strengthen cooperation between school and the world of work. GEE has been identified by the partners as a response to the need for a pan-European response to building the green economy, a belief shared by our project schools that have identified entrepreneurship education as a priority.The overall objective of GEE is ‘to improve the key competencies and skills of young people to take an active role in building the green economy and strengthen cooperation between school and the world of work.’ This project aims to achieve this through linked specific objectives:• Improving the capacity of schools to connect learning with the world of work within the context of building a green economy.• Providing pupils with a range of meaningful real-world experiences linking the classroom with business and entrepreneurship.• Developing the skills and competencies of pupils to rethink business models in-line with the need to build a green economy.• Enhancing the ability of teachers to teach entrepreneurship.• Increasing the sharing of educational resources for schools across Europe.• Sharing and enhancing good practice in integrating sustainable development into business thinking.In delivering the specific objectives listed above we will aim to work with 15 associate secondary schools in five countries, 30 teachers and approximately 375 pupils. Through dissemination and exploitation activities we aim to reach a further 125 secondary schools, impacting 3125 pupils, and 250 teachers as well as education providers and local education departments. The project results will be freely available as open online resources during and beyond the project.The overall impact of GEE will be to improve the competencies and skills of young people to take an active role in building the green economy and strengthen cooperation between school and the world of work. Pupils will benefit from entrepreneurial learning, developing business knowledge, essential skills and attitudes including developing: creativity, initiative, tenacity, teamwork, an understanding of risk and a sense of responsibility. This is the entrepreneurial mind-set that helps entrepreneurs transform ideas into action and also significantly increases employability.GEE blends two learning approaches: learning outside the classroom and real world learning. Learning is embedded through students' direct contact with business and entrepreneurs. We will connect schools with local businesses and entrepreneurs so that they can work together to develop green business plans and ideas for new products based on reality rather than fantasy. GEE methods develop entrepreneurial solutions that support a green and sustainable economy. To achieve this it uses the natural world as a metaphor and measure for sustainability. Outdoor learning helps pupils understand how nature works and the key operating principles. For example, in nature, waste from one process is food for another thus creating a virtuous cycle rather than the linear take-make-dump found in traditional business models. GEE applies these principles from nature to business through creating entrepreneurship ideas. Pupils use natural principles to explore what some businesses are already achieving (GEE case studies), work with real businesses and entrepreneurs through our Coffee House Challenge Events, and finally develop their own business ideas and plans which are shared with local business.In addition to the activities developed for pupils, we will offer online and face-to-face support for teachers and schools, and disseminate the results widely through teacher seminars, conferences and a project website.