Smart Citizen Education for a greeN fuTure

Project Information

GreenSCENT

Grant agreement ID: 101036480

DOI

10.3030/101036480

Project closed

EC signature date 6 September 2021

Start date 1 January 2022

End date 31 December 2024

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Total cost

€ 6 511 232,50

EU contribution

€ 5 549 458,75

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA TELEMATICA INTERNAZIONALE-UNINETTUNO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GreenSCENT (Smart Citizen Education for a greeN fuTure)

Reporting period: 2023-07-01 to 2024-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Climate change and environmental degradation have already brought about serious consequences across the globe, including rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events, increasing global temperatures, and record levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Despite these alarming trends, many European citizens – especially younger generations – still did not perceive climate change and environmental protection as top priorities for the future.
GreenSCENT (Green Science Communication for Environmental Action) set out to address this gap by actively engaging citizens, particularly youth, in the development of a shared vision for a greener Europe. The project’s overarching objective was to support the implementation of the European Green Deal by creating and promoting the GreenSCENT Competence Framework – a multidisciplinary educational tool designed to foster climate awareness, environmental responsibility, and sustainable behaviours.
Covering eight key thematic areas of the Green Deal – Climate Change, Clean Energy, Circular Economy, Green Building, Smart Mobility, From Farm to Fork, Biodiversity, and Zero Pollution – the framework was developed and refined through a participatory and inclusive approach involving schools, researchers, civil society organisations, and technology experts.
GreenSCENT aimed not only to provide knowledge but also to promote concrete behavioural change, by measuring the effectiveness of its tools in raising awareness, building competencies, and influencing attitudes. The project also prioritized accessibility and inclusion, ensuring that its communication and digital tools were available and usable by a wide range of audiences, including those with fewer resources.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Throughout its three-year duration, GreenSCENT developed and tested innovative tools and approaches to engage citizens – especially young people – in building competencies and awareness around the European Green Deal.
The early stages of the project were dedicated to the co-design and iterative development of the GreenSCENT Competence Framework, a structured set of environmental knowledge, skills and attitudes linked to eight Green Deal priority areas. This work was carried out in close collaboration with educational institutions, researchers, civil society organisations and young citizens from across Europe.
In parallel, the project designed and implemented a variety of GreenSCENT Demonstrators – digital and experiential tools that translated theoretical knowledge into real-life learning and behavioural experiences. These included, among others, interactive platforms for air quality monitoring, crowd-sourced environmental data collection, and immersive educational environments that helped participants better understand the impact of their behaviours on the environment.
These tools were piloted in multiple educational settings, where students, teachers and communities engaged in hands-on activities that explored sustainable practices and tested the applicability of the competence framework. Feedback collected from participants during these pilots was used to improve and finalise the framework, ensuring that it responded to real needs and could be effectively used in formal and informal education.
The project also introduced and validated participatory methodologies such as Youth Design Assemblies, which gave young people a platform to propose solutions and reflect on environmental challenges. A Europe-wide Open Innovation Challenge further stimulated creative ideas for a greener future.
All of these efforts were supported by a strong focus on communication, dissemination and accessibility. GreenSCENT maintained a multilingual, inclusive and audience-tailored communication strategy, with dedicated materials and tools (e.g. the GreenSCENT Toolkit) aimed at reaching a wide range of users – from students and teachers to policy makers and industry stakeholders.
As GreenSCENT reached its conclusion, key outcomes and tools – such as the finalised Competence Framework, the GreenCert self-validation platform, and the Greenverse environmental monitoring web platform – were made publicly available, laying the foundation for future uptake, replication and further development beyond the project’s lifespan.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

GreenSCENT introduced a significant innovation in the field of environmental education and public engagement by creating a multidisciplinary European Competence Framework tailored to the priorities of the Green Deal. This framework represents a new reference tool for Member States, educational institutions, private sector actors and civil society organisations, supporting the green transition by fostering key knowledge, skills and attitudes among citizens of all ages.
Building on this foundation, the project developed the GreenSCENT Certification for Climate and Environmental Literacy (GreenCert). GreenCert is the first initiative of its kind in Europe to assess and certify environmental and climate-related competences through 24 skill cards and corresponding micro-certificates. Its ambition is to become as widely recognised as the European or International Computer Driving Licence (ECDL/ICDL), making environmental literacy a core component of lifelong learning.
One of the project’s major achievements was the creation and testing of a series of GreenSCENT Demonstrators – digital, participatory and educational tools that brought climate education to life in real-world settings. These tools were piloted in schools, universities, municipalities and training centres across Europe, showing their potential to be scaled up and integrated into formal and informal education systems. The demonstrators promoted a holistic understanding of sustainability and resilience, connecting climate science with daily life and personal responsibility.
GreenSCENT also pioneered new inclusive and accessible approaches to climate education, ensuring that vulnerable groups – such as migrants, refugees and persons with disabilities – were not left behind. Through GreenCert, these groups were empowered to gain recognition for their environmental competences, contributing to both social inclusion and climate action.
The project’s participatory methods, including Youth Design Assemblies, Open Innovation Challenges and intergenerational dialogue formats, activated thousands of young people and educators across Europe. Over 7,000 individuals took part in pilots and co-design activities, engaging with digital platforms, citizen science tools, augmented reality experiences, and multimedia formats such as interactive documentaries and environmental journalism.
In terms of scientific innovation, GreenSCENT opened a new interdisciplinary research pathway combining environmental education, media accessibility, behavioural science, and policy-making. This resulted in a wide array of outputs, including academic publications, a book, a special journal issue, contributions to standardisation efforts, and three international conferences. Several partners have already built on these foundations, securing funding for follow-up projects that will continue the GreenSCENT legacy from 2025 to 2028.
Overall, GreenSCENT has laid the groundwork for long-lasting socio-economic and cultural impact, contributing to a more climate-aware, empowered and environmentally responsible European society.

GreenSCENT project logo