Get a Grip!

Project summary

Human beings are changing the earth at a very high speed. The impact on our planet is so large that some scienctists call the current era the anthropocene. On a global level we are facing huge challenges. These enormous global challenges may give individuals the feeling that they do not have any influence at all. The ‘Get a Grip!’ project aims to build bridges between thinking globally and acting locally. Gaining insight into the ways in which local actions affect global processes, can help us to better understand and deal with these global problems, such as climate change, food supply, resource depletion, overfishing, biodiversity loss, migration, etc. On main focus will be on how individual choices affect global issues. Many projects have already been written about sustainability and environment. Many of these projects focus on decreasing the use of energy and the amount of waste. A large number of school has joined the Green Schools and ECO Schools movements, which try to mkae schools more aware of topics like waste and energy. However, progress seems tob e made more slowly than expected, as initial fervour and enthusiasm slowly wane. Why is it so hard to realise prjects regarding the environment?? The 'Get a Grip' project triest o answer this question by choosing a different approach, as the primary focus of the project is on global understanding. The project links local actions and global consequences. For example, how are eating a hamburger and migration streams connected? Becoming more aware of this interconnectedness may fundamentally change our personal attitude. To enhance awareness students need to understand global processes better (global understanding). The inspiration for the project was found in the aims of the IYGU organisation (International Year of Global Understanding (http://www.global-understanding.info/.): “Sustainable development is a global challenge, but solving it requires transforming the local – the way each of us lives, consumes, and works,” said former ICSU President and Nobel Laureate Yuan-Tseh Lee. The international partners have been chosen because all of them are connected to an organisation that aims to stimulate sustainability in the schools. All partners have noticed that meeting sustainability targets is rather hard. All partners differ with respect to their approach of sustainability and environmental issues. In addition to cultural differences the partners have geographically different climates which come with different issues, possibilities and solutions. For example, Iceland has geothermal energy, but the Netherlands faces earthquakes in the province of Groningen due to natural gas extraction. On the other hand, Spain has a large amount of solar energy, but faces problems like desertification. In Scotland local initiatives are of central importance. The project will start with a knowledge phase in which the major emphasis will be on activating prior knowledge, analysing facts and increasing global understanding. Students will determine their own impact on the environment. This impact will be monitored during the project. At the beginning of this phase several expert groups will be created (energy, water, food, waste). In addition, innovations in the field of sustainability will be looked at.