CONTEXT The reduction of de CO2 emissions and the use of renewable energy resources are today the main challenge for authorities in the developed countries. The lack of serious awareness and the limited knowledge about it in our society makes that the users of our buildings (who consume approximately 30% of the energy in developed countries) do not participate actively in achieving this goal, as it is not a priority in the policies of these countries. Only recently, the saving of energy and resources during the life cycle of the products is being studied, and most of the initiatives on estimation of the carbon footprint were focused on the energy efficiency factor during the useful life, but not in other important factors, such as the emissions of CO2, the consumption of resources or the facility to dismantle, recycle and reuse of the construction materials, all very important aspects when facing with a broad and comprehensive perspective the problem of pollution and its impact on the planet. It is not enough just to train our architects in this aspect, but also that people who face the construction of a new building, or simply the reform or rehabilitation of an old one, are aware of the impact that each detail of that work will have on their own quality of life, on the consuming of energy and on the planet, through the carbon footprint that construction itself and its use and possible future pull down will entail. In addition, to what was indicated in the previous section regarding the need of making society aware about the importance of moving towards sustainable construction, the goals of Europe 2020 establish the importance of motivating students to study science and prepare them to face the challenges that an ecological Europe implies, where new jobs will be created in the Green Economy sector (as identified in Skills for Green Jobs - CEDEFOP 2010). Society needs future scientists, sensible to the importance of protecting the environment and at the same time with the necessary skills and knowledge to create healthy and sustainable cities. MAIN OBJECTIVE The EcoBuild Project focuses on young students between 12 and 16 years old and provides them with the necessary awareness and knowledge about the new concepts, such as the carbon footprint, water footprint, the recyclability of construction materials or energy invoice. This goal will be achieved through the development and implementation in the secondary schools of an EDUCATIONAL SERIOUS GAME and an ONLINE RESOURCE CENTRE (ORC), as well as through the carrying out of awareness and learning activities carried out throughout the project. Through the use of EcoBuild Game, students can play to make their own constructions and the game, using real parameters, gives them the estimated impact in terms of those referred parameters. The most common materials and techniques being used currently in European countries have been included in the game, together with some new materials currently being incorporated to construction industry to reduce their ecological impact, making the students to understand which is the impact of any of them. RESULTS The main outputs of the project have been the following: - The Serious Games EcoBuild, which approach is similar to the famous videogame SIMS, incorporating real parameters based in the information provided by the experts in the partner organizations, which allows the game to give a technical feedback that makes user to understand the impact measured in terms of the four used parameters of the house “built” by the user of the game (carbon footprint, water footprint, the recyclability of construction materials or energy invoice). - An Online Resource Centre, which has been designed and produced to support the proper implementation of game in the secondary schools and to make them available the technical information developed to be used in the game. IMPACT Regarding the impact of the project, although initially the project aims to achieve a direct impact on students who are in secondary education, by making available an important and innovative tool, the this impact will be also transferred to society in general. The students will work as transmitters to society of this knowledge and awareness raising through their own families, friend and any organization where the young student is involved. For sure it will be quite important when he or his/her family undertake the purchasing or restoration of a house. In addition, many of the actions carried out the different dissemination activities carried out had a direct impact in those involved or targeted by them, particularly authorities at local and regional level, NGOs, neighbourhood associations and others. Regarding the impact of the dissemination activities, have been particularly important in the coordinating country, due to the coordinator of the project has been the responsible body for education in the Galician government (Xunta de Galicia)
The objective of the ECOBUILD project is to raise awareness among young people about the importance of making environmentally responsible decisions, especially regarding the construction and rehabilitation of houses. Fulfilling this objective requires initiatives that change the conception of construction from the base, which is why the project is directly addressed to secondary school students, who are at a key stage for the development of their professional skills and the acquisition of knowledge that will mark him for the rest of his personal and professional career. In addition, the youngest population will be in charge of disseminating the acquired knowledge among their circle of relatives and acquaintances, which will increase the impact of the project on the general population. The specific objectives are listed below: - Raise awareness of the need to build more efficiently as a tool to reduce the human ecological footprint on the planet - Creation of ICT-based educational materials, which include: a video game, promotional videos, a website and a guide for using the video game in class. - Promote the Green Economy among the younger population to move towards a more sustainable future.
Climate change, air, soil and water pollution, along with a lack of awareness of the population make it necessary to implement projects to alleviate these effects of human activity. When talking about reducing pollution, one of the main producers of climate change, a factor as important as the pollution caused by the construction sector is never considered. The construction sector produces around a third of the air pollution produced by human actions in the set of all its phases (extraction and manufacture of materials, transport, construction, use and waste). For this reason, it is necessary to make the entire population aware, especially the youngest, of the need to build efficiently, minimizing the future energy expenditure of the building, selecting recyclable materials with less water and carbon footprints. Although there are other aspects to take into account, such as orientation, construction location, etc., the project has focused on the first four mentioned.