GreenMinds: Green Education for VET and small enterprises

<< Background >>Climate change, environmental issues and sustainability are topics of significant importance in the modern world. By haltingglobal warming and mitigating its impact, Europe hopes to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. With Europe's latest development policy, namely the Green Deal, there is a great expectation and movement towards circulareconomy and bioeconomy. At the same time, companies' actions have a major impact on citizens' lives in the EU and EU citizens expect from businesses to be aware of their positive and negative effects on society and the environment. Consequently, companies are obliged to handle and minimize any negative consequences they may cause, and this obligation is commonly known as Corporate social responsibility' (CSR). In the last years, public attention and government actions to promote CSR have begun to concentrate on the majority group of VETs. In VETs there is a large need to confront with broadly understood Corporate Social Responsibility and educate learners, managers and employees in this respect.GreenMinds aimed to address these issues by providing training and educational content to assist VETs stakeholders and employees develop robust environmental CSR strategies.<< Objectives >>GreenMinds main objectives were:• To promote the significant importanceof environmental awareness and practices and the adaptation of relevant Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by SMEs. •To develop an open and accessible online “Green Social Network” platform for VET organisations to network, communicate and enhance their environmental CSR activities. • To address and map the current needs and requirements of SMEs, concerning their environmental CSR activities. • To provide SMEs with insight into critical CSR tools and information to support their work. • To create a CSR Green “Bible”, a detailed step-by-step guide providing insight on the best environmental CSR strategies, targeted for SMEs. • To assist our target groups, by providing an appropriate framework and communication methodology for CSR adaptation practices. • To assist VET org.s in examining issues in a new perspective and support initiative-taking. • To enhance green business opportunities among SMEs through the networking element provided by the online platform. • To facilitate knowledge exchange and environmental awareness. • To nurture and strengthen team morale by developing an online community of users for interacting, changing ideas.<< Implementation >>1. Kick-off Planning Meeting (KPM).2. The creation of a CSR training content programme.3. Second Transnational project meeting (2TPM).4. A downloadable step-by-step environmental CSR Handbook for VETs.<< Results >>1) A CSR Content Report including the most up-to-date and innovative CSR practices, focused on the environment. The content of the report was based on secondary sources such as business and academic articles, official reports and industry insights. 3 Reports were developed (research in Italy, research in Poland, Summary report). each in 3 language versions (PL, IT, ENG).2) A Questionnaire Report: Partners designed the questionnaire, aiming to investigate the needs and the obstacles of VETs of the partnership countries, towards environmental CSR activities. 3 Reports were developed (research in Italy, research in Poland, Summary report). each in 3 language versions (PL, IT, ENG).3) A VETs Network.4) A downloadable step-by-step environmental CSR Handbook for VETs was provided, operating as a useful guide on how the application and adjustment of CSR strategies to small and medium enterprises. The CSR Green Book for VETs, can act as a detailed step-by-step guide providing insight on the best environmental CSR strategies. Handbook was developed in language versions (PL, IT, ENG).5) CSR Toolkit: several articles, case scenarios, porposals referring to ecological CSR were developed.6) Instruction Book on using online MOOC platform.