GreenDiLT project

The GreenDiLT project brings together 5 European institutions that will work to create concrete tools to monitor digital practices. 

• The Politecnico di Milano in Italy, 
• The Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands, 
• The Institut National des Sciences et Industries du Vivant et de l'Environnement (AgroParisTech) in France, 
• École Nationale des Ponts ParisTech in France, 
• Arts et Métiers, also in France, which is the project coordinator.

This project involves working with educational stakeholders (teachers, students, support staff) to ensure the sustainable use of digital technologies throughout awareness-raising and educational activities. Our ambition is to engage our communities in eco-responsible actions by promoting more sober practices in terms of equipment and digital usage, and by infusing resilient individual and collective actions.

The first step is to map the different uses, levels of knowledge and expectations of the actors in terms of responsible use of digital technologies. To this end, we have launched a survey until June 2024, open to other institutions ( https://bit.ly/43FQZ4v ). The data collected will enable us to outline some typical practices in the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning, and then explore their environmental footprint in detail. We also intend to create tools to develop and improve the knowledge of educational stakeholders on the environmental impact of digital technologies.

The project will result in: 

• A proposal of a charter for a sustainable use of digital technology in higher education 
• A white paper "Towards digital sobriety in higher education" bringing together all the good practices to adopt both individually and collectively 
• Proposing tools to analyse the impact of digital technologies in educational settings, based on use cases 
• Conducting awareness-raising workshops as well as in-person and online trainings.

GreenDiLT is organised in five inter-institutional work packages, each with its own expertise:

WP1: Project Management

The project is monitored through meetings and conference calls to share information and progress on deliverables. We integrate sustainable practices throughout project phases to minimize environmental impact, and promote civic engagement through knowledge dissemination and awareness-raising initiatives.

WP2: Inventory of equipment, current digital practices and stakeholder expectations

This work package aims to understand how the educational community (learners, teachers, support staff) uses digital technology, find out how much they know about the impact of digital technology on the environment, and define their needs in terms of training and support. It relies on an analysis of the survey results, conducted among all training stakeholders and open to all higher education institutions.

WP3: propose an analysis tool on the environmental impact of digital practices

WP3 will analyze how digital tools affect the environment and society in training methods and suggest ways to make education more sustainable. The project will include a report on the best ways to assess the environmental and social impacts of learning and teaching, an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Improvement Plans for Universities, and a Sustainability Toolkit with guidelines, good practices, and recommendations for the education community”.

WP4: drawing up a training plan for the various educational stakeholders

The goal is to develop sustainable digital skills among teachers, students, and support staff by implementing a common training program. The plan includes inventorying existing resources that could be enhanced, creating online learning paths, creating a training kit for on-site sessions, and assessing online and on-site training sessions.

WP5: Dissemination, promotion and communication of the project

WP5 ensures the widespread dissemination and effective utilization of the project's results. GreenDiLT will share the best digital teaching and learning practices with partner institutions and others. This dissemination effort will result in a comprehensive guide for the broader education community. Additionally, a network of education ambassadors, comprising students, teachers and support staff, will facilitate the promotion and adoption of these practices at local scales. 
Eventually, the project will communicate and reach out to people through websites and events to make sure that digital practices in education are used in the long term.

Budget

GreenDiLT has received a total budget of €250,000 from the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme (Kay Action 2).