The CHANGE consortium, made up of a research center and four VET schools, joined expertise to reach the following objectives: - Develop a didactic pathway on IAQ monitoring which combines theoretical and practical sections, including monitoring station assembly, CO2 monitoring in classrooms, and WebApp development in JavaScript. - Make the didactic material in different languages available upon request via the project website. - Establish a FAIR-compliant repository to host the collected data, promoting open data principles aligned with European research policies. - Expand teachers’ competences on IAQ-related topics. - Provide Schools with didactic CO2 monitoring stations. - Enhance students' digital and green skills, aligning with citizenship principles and job market demands. - Increase students’ communication skills by having them present the pathway and results in public events. - Engage IAQ experts and the civil society by disseminating the project results within professional gatherings and science outreach events. - Encourage further collaborations, by maintaining the project infrastructure active after the project end.
The application of the green transition in the building sector requires balancing Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) with energy efficiency, as maintaining good IAQ might increase energy consumption. Tackling this challenge demands IAQ data collection from diverse environments to foster innovative solutions and equip professionals with digital skills and a sustainability-oriented mindset. The project “CO2 Monitoring in Schools for Digital and Green Competences” (CHANGE) introduces IAQ monitoring to VET students, connecting them and their teachers with applied research. While several CO2 monitoring stations are available on the market, in CHANGE students build CO2 monitoring stations using commercial components and open-source software, sharing monitoring data on public repositories. The pathway makes use of practical activities to integrate environmental topics like indoor comfort, climate change and planned obsolescence with digital skills, such as Python coding and 3D-printing. CHANGE aligns with EU policies through open data practices (FAIR principles) and by encouraging behavioral changes in building management. Its tools and data ensure long-term impact, scalability, and continued use, supporting EU green and digital transition goals.