Green school teams received the Ecocases

The first training session for the project teams of Green school project took place in the City of Nurmes, Finland, on March 27-29, 2019.

The students and teachers from Petrozavodsk, Medvezhiegorsk, Kostomuksha, Joensuu, Oulu and Valtimo came to Hyvarila youth and holiday center to exchange practical forms of environmental education. And besides to receive the new tool - Ecocase. 

Ecocase is a suitcase with instructions and special instruments for assessment of environmental problems of a building. For example, a thermal imager will help students to find the places in school where the thermal energy lost and then fix the problems found. The Ecocase  includes also such instruments as light meter, digital thermometer, CO2 censor, water and power measuring tools, inspection camera. The Ecocase idea is originally designed by the Green school project team. 8 first copies of the Ecocase were produced for the pilot schools and project partners.

The cards help students to get basic information about the Ecocase tools. The teams studied to use them in practice by researching one of the old buildings in Hyvarila youth center.

The teams detected the places of heat loss. But the main problem found was high CO2 level.

CO2 detector showed that the quality of air in the meeting hall is low, and it's nesessary to improve the ventilation system.

The light level should be better too. In some parts of the hall there is a good lighting, but in other parts it's too dark. Besides old incandescent lamps are still used. They consume a lot of electricity but give not so much light. LED lamps are the best choice now.

Each team presented the results of their first experiences of using the Ecocase during the training session. Such a practice will help the students to arrange environmental research in their schools during the next school year. They'll find the problems and propose the ways to solve them. The Green school project will help the pilot teams to implement the planned improvements.

Presentation of practical forms of environmental education held by the project teams was very useful and extremely exciting. 

Each school has own unique experience and the project helps them to unite efforts and develop the Green school model together.

The project teams are the beta-testers of the Ecocase. At the end of the Green school project the final version of the Ecocase will be produced in 20 copies, and the experience of the pilot schools will be used to improve it. The most interested schools will receive the Ecocase to use it in environmental education programs.

The goal of the project is to create a Green school model as a school addressing global environmental problems in the local community by education and practical youth-led action.