SYNAPSES Academy

🌿💡 Sustainable Design = Better Performance? You Bet! 💡🌿 Sustainability isn’t just about helping the planet—it can also boost product performance! 🚀 Take this example: a sustainable redesign of a ketchup lid made it recyclable, improved performance, and even made it cheaper to manufacture. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eZ-FFCj6 #SustainableDesign #EcoInnovation #GreenerFutures #DesignThinking #PerformanceAndPlanet 🌍 📢 We want to hear from you! What examples do you know of where sustainable design has improved product performance? Drop your ideas or favourite examples in the comments below! 👇

🎄🎁 Let’s Make This Christmas More Sustainable! 🎁🎄 Hey teachers! Looking for a fun, eco-friendly way to spark creativity and teach your students about sustainability this holiday season? 🌍✨ Let’s ditch traditional wrapping paper and explore these *amazing* alternatives for gift-wrapping: 🎨 Upcycled Artwork: Use old student artwork or leftover craft paper to wrap presents. It’s personal AND beautiful! 👕 Fabric Wrapping: Introduce students to the Japanese art of Furoshiki! Use scarves, bandanas, or fabric scraps—it’s reusable and adds a stylish touch. 📚 Book Pages & Maps: Old, damaged books or maps can be repurposed into unique, vintage-style gift wraps. Perfect for a literature or geography lesson tie-in! 🗞️ Newspaper or Magazines: Highlight colorful or themed pages for a modern, eco-friendly wrap. 🌿 Natural Decorations: Swap out plastic bows for sprigs of greenery, cinnamon sticks, or dried orange slices. Encourage students to find these at home or in nature. For more inspiration, Check out these ideas from GreenPeace: https://lnkd.in/enP7_NF Not only will these ideas reduce waste, but they also foster creativity and critical thinking. 🌱 Let’s inspire the next generation to give gifts with a little extra love for our planet. Challenge your class to come up with their own sustainable wrapping ideas and share them! What can your students create? 🤔💡 #GreenChristmas #SustainableChristmas #EcoWrap

🎄🌍 Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees: Which is Greener? 🌍🎄 It’s a debate as old as Christmas itself: real trees or artificial trees - which is better for the environment? Let’s break it down: 🎋 Real Trees - Real trees are grown as crops, meaning they absorb CO2 while they grow. 🌿 - Most are sourced locally and are biodegradable/compostable. - However, they require water, pesticides, and transportation, which add to their footprint. 🧴 Artificial Trees - Made from PVC and metal, artificial trees last longer if reused for many years. 🎨 - However, they’re often manufactured overseas, leading to higher transportation emissions. They’re also non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle. According to the Carbon Trust, if you keep an artificial tree for at least 10 years, it can be comparable in sustainability to a real tree. Otherwise, real trees tend to have a smaller carbon footprint overall. Need more help deciding, check out this sharing this Fact Check from Euronews: https://lnkd.in/eZHjWgru Real or fake: What do you think? #GreenChristmas #SustainableChristmas #EcoFriendlyTree #FactCheck

In this episode of our SYNAPSES Academy podcast 🎙️ Dr. Daithí Ó Murchú sheds light on the possibilities that Artificial Intelligence has to offer when promoting Sustainability Citizenship. 🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/dPK45AN8 #Sustainability #Citizenship #ai #genai

Do you want to inspire your students with hands-on projects that teach essential skills and tackle real-world challenges? Then have a look at this webinar where David introduces his project, where students designed and built a fully functional, sustainable, energy-efficient house using ecological materials. He explains the journey of planning, constructing, and financing the project, which has been an integral part of the school's curriculum and environmental education program. 📺 https://lnkd.in/evAR_CTK

🎙️ In this episode of our podcast Nikos Zygouritsas will provide us all the information, tips and tricks about requesting funding for your international project. 🎧 https://lnkd.in/eHHZH-4i

A reminder: save the date 28th of November, 6 PM (CET) and register for our webinar on ‘The Energy House - Sustainable, Energy-Efficient, Self-Built’ with David Amann, an inspiring teacher from Germany who will present his project. ➡ Register here: https://lnkd.in/eMJ4KtjJ

🌍📅 Mark Your Calendars for Education for Climate Day 2024! 📅🌍 On 28 November, under the theme "Climate Resilience: Preparing for the Future" you will be able to explore how education can empower communities to tackle climate challenges. Connect with educators, students, and innovators from across Europe to exchange ideas and build a more resilient, sustainable world! 🌱💬 Don’t miss this opportunity to make an impact. 👉 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eqmADHMF #ClimateResilience #EducationForClimate #FutureReady

Are you interested to know more about UNESCO Biosphere Reserves as living laboratories for Sustainable Development? 🌳 🦋 🌱 🦗 📺 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗼𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: https://lnkd.in/eF8mveYG Then have a look at one of our previous webinars where António D. Abreu, Director of UNESCO's Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences and Secretary of the “Man and the Biosphere” Programme at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, talked about this intergovernmental scientific programme that encourages interdisciplinary research, demonstration and training in the field of natural resource management. UNESCO biosphere reserves are spaces for dialogue and cooperation at local, national and international level, promoting reconciliation between mankind and nature and promoting nature conservation and biodiversity as a central element of sustainable development. We think António will bring some inspiring ideas for you to use. #sustainability #biodiversity

Do you want to learn how social and ecological systems work together to shape our environment in the context of sustainability? ♻ 🌍 Then have a look at one of our previous webinars where Dr. María Felipe Lucia, a Senior Researcher at the CSIC - Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología in Jaca (Spain), held a great talk entitled "𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀: 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹-𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵". 📺 https://lnkd.in/eeJUV4xN By first introducing the topic of sustainability, María will delve into the understanding of what is land management, why it is important and how it can be measured. She will then unveil the multiple facets of its assessment, and how it has direct and practical implications on biodiversity and the benefits we obtain from nature (known as ecosystem services and nature contributions to people). Through this talk, you will learn which management practices can be more beneficial or detrimental to nature and how to overcome potential trade-offs. María will also disentangle the role of people in shaping the sustainability of our surrounding environment and conclude with some key learning outcomes. #sustainability #synapsesacademy