Build an environmental training center in Moldova

September 1 is the start of a new school year in Moldova and for our project it means new collaborations with educational institutions. Over the years, we have been organizing study trips for pupils, trainings of trainers for school teachers, workshops for students, but this year we took on a new challenge of reaching out to vocational training schools.

At the end of August we had our first “Greening up” training for professors and directors of 6 vocational training schools from around Moldova. It aimed to introduce a number of sustainable practices in those institutions to serve as examples and build eco-responsible institutional culture. By the end of the training participants had specific plans for Greening up actions, like adjusting their curricula, letting students build a small photovoltaic system for public demonstration on site, organizing ‘green week’ events to raise environmental awareness, etc.

One of the professors from Construction College, Lilia Zestrea, noted how when she first participated in our "Straw Bale Construction" workshop, many years ago, there wasn’t a single session dedicated to eco-construction at their College. This year, there are 2 new subjects introduced in their curricula, one on “Building from natural materials” and one on “Passive Solar Design”. Collaborating with Vocational training schools, which prepare thousands of young specialists each year, has a great potential in bringing significant changes.

In the upcoming months, we plan to strengthen these collaborations and hope to find resources for more teacher trainings, study visits for students and organizing round tables to share information and progress in implementing sustainable practices in these institutions. 

If you would like to be part of this initiative, please support our project by clicking the GIVE NOW button or spreading the word about it. Thank you for your partnership!