TESSI - Teaching Sustainability across Slovenia and Italy

Abstract:
TESSI comes in the wake of IUSES project funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe programme, emphasizing its results and expanding its topics.
TESSI promotes behaviours and lifestyles marked on the principles of sustainable development among high school students of the Programme-Area, with special reference to the most critical topics (energy, waste, water). The project steps in attitudes and knowledge through a training program for teachers and through the development of an interactive and multimedia innovative teaching kit.
By means of a cross-border competition that awards schools and students that obtain the greater environmental benefits, TESSI bears upon behaviour and daily habits. The creation of cross-border networks of schools is also facilitated. A travelling exhibition involves schools and local communities in an experimental path on sustainability issues. The project lasts 36 months, but the benefits will be extended over time (material available on the web, teachers will train new students, etc.).
• design and production of teaching manuals for students and power point presentations on water and waste management in Italian and Slovenian languages;
• extension of the multimedia DVD and of the experiment kit along with bilingual instructions, in order to integrate the materials produced in the frame of IUSES project;
• design and creation of a travelling exhibition about the project themes divided into two phases: content and multimedia tools preparation during the first phase and implementation of four editions of the exhibition in Trieste, Ferrara, Ljubljana and Nova Gorica during the second phase;
• planning of a training program for teachers that starts at the very beginning of the project addressing only the topic of energy efficiency thanks to the availability of IUSES materials. Starting from the second school year covered by the project (2013/2014), with the new material available, a new training program which will cover all the topics addressed by the project, will be launched;
• planning and implementation of TESSI competition for sustainable schools: the competition, since its first edition, will address the issue of sustainability in terms of energy saving, reduction of water consumption, waste reduction and increasing recycling.
• dissemination and promotion of products and services of TESSI, whose implementation follows the entire lifetime of the project and includes: the creation of the visual identity of the project, the promotion and involvement of direct and indirect target groups through the creation of a website, promotional materials, targeted actions towards media, meetings and conferences and the use of social networks.
• Development of an educational kit on sustainable development, freely available for all secondary schools of the whole Programme-Area. The kit (made in both Italian and Slovenian languages) includes 5 manuals about energy efficiency, integrated and wise water and waste management, a guide for teachers, power point slides, an experiment kit and a DVD.
• 9 training courses (3 per year) for at least 180 teachers (who will train at least 5.400 students);
• 4 editions of a multimedia exhibition about the theme of sustainability (at least 24.000 visitors in total);
• 3 editions of the TESSI Award for a sustainable school that will involve at least 25.000 students in three categories: schools, students and video (the award ceremonies will be also an opportunity of sharing best practices among schools and they will give high media visibility for the project and Programme);
• design and implementation of a bilingual website that promotes sustainable development in schools and among young people, that makes educational tools of the project freely available and encourages the creation of cross-border collaboration among schools (at least 6.000 visitors);
• creation of a standing network of institutions engaged in environmental education.