About the Project:

EDU.CIRCULAR – The Circular Schools: Empowering Secondary Education Students for a Green Future through Circular Thinking Strategies is an Erasmus+ KA220 Cooperation Partnership project that aims to transform secondary education through the principles of the Circular Economy.

The project promotes a whole‑school approach, integrating sustainability into everyday school life and actively involving students, teachers, families, and local communities. Its goal is to foster shared responsibility and create a strong culture of environmental awareness and action.

At its core, EDU.CIRCULAR introduces Circular Thinking strategies, helping students move beyond traditional consumption models and understand how resources can be reused, regenerated, and maintained within sustainable systems. This approach encourages young people to become active, responsible citizens capable of addressing environmental challenges.

The project draws inspiration from the European GreenComp Framework, focusing on the development of key competences such as systems thinking, critical thinking, collaboration, and problem‑solving. These skills are essential for understanding complex sustainability issues and driving meaningful change.

To support learning and implementation, EDU.CIRCULAR develops innovative tools, including a repository of lesson plans, an XR application, and a digital learning platform (Moodle). These resources promote engaging, interactive, and blended learning experiences across partner schools in Europe.

By strengthening cooperation between schools and their communities, the project positions education as a key driver of sustainability transitions and long‑term behavioural change.

Ultimately, EDU.CIRCULAR empowers young people to think critically, act sustainably, and contribute to building a greener and more responsible future for Europe.

Objectives of the Project:

The EDU.CIRCULAR project aims to:

Implement a whole‑school approach to integrate Circular Economy strategies in schools, families, and communities.

Promote hands‑on learning and peer collaboration through co‑creation and experiential activities at local and European level.

Develop students’ systems thinking and critical thinking skills through Circular Thinking methodologies.

Provide training and capacity building for teachers and families to support the implementation of sustainable practices.

Foster long‑term behavioural change towards sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Activities & Results:

Transnational Meetings

The project includes several key transnational meetings to ensure coordination, quality assurance, and effective collaboration among partners throughout the project lifecycle.

These include the Kick‑off Meeting in Estonia, which marks the official start of the project and aligns all partners on objectives, roles, and activities.

A training and development meeting in Greece focuses on the co‑creation and development of the Circular Thinking lesson plans and educational materials.

In Hungary (Budapest), a stakeholder meeting brings together students, teachers, and families to test and further refine the lesson plans, ensuring their relevance and practical application in real educational settings.

A further validation meeting takes place in Türkiye (Istanbul), where the final version of the learning materials is reviewed and approved before implementation and dissemination.

Finally, the project concludes with the Final Meeting and International Conference in Madrid (Spain), where all results, tools, and outcomes are presented at European level.

These meetings ensure continuous collaboration, quality improvement, and the successful development and validation of all project outputs.

Lesson Plans Implementation

A core result of the project is the development and implementation of a Circular Thinking Repository of Activities, consisting of 16 lesson plans designed for secondary education. These materials: