Green Taste - Consumer & Digital Education innovating school curricula and sustainable habits

<< Background >>The Green Taste project was designed to address a clear gap in European secondary schools: the lack of structured Consumer Education, especially in connection with digital literacy and sustainability. Schools across the partner countries faced challenges in equipping teachers with up-to-date resources to prepare students for responsible consumption in a digital society. At the same time, policy documents at EU level stressed the urgency of integrating green and digital competences into education. Our consortium applied for this project to:respond to the fragmentation of Consumer Education in school curricula,support teachers in accessing innovative methodologies,provide students with practical skills to critically navigate information and choices in a digitalized consumer environment.The project directly targeted two urgent needs: (a) strengthening teachers’ training on consumer, sustainability and digital competences, and (b) equipping students with critical thinking skills to counter disinformation and unsustainable consumption habits.<< Objectives >>Develop innovative tools for teachers – a practical Toolkit of eight learning units integrating consumer, sustainability and digital education into secondary school curricula.Empower students through digital learning – a 8-unit e-learning path addressing consumer rights, sustainable choices, and resistance to online disinformation.Support policy alignment and inclusion – a comparative research and set of recommendations (WP4) highlighting gaps in national curricula and promoting the integration of consumer and digital competences in teacher training.By meeting these objectives, Green Taste aimed to create long-term impact at classroom, school and policy levels, while fostering cooperation between schools, NGOs and research institutions across Europe.<< Implementation >>Implementation followed the four planned Work Packages:WP1 Project Management: partnership agreements, action plans, quality monitoring, financial reporting. A kick-off in Lisbon, online meetings, trilateral meetings, and a mid-term evaluation ensured smooth coordination. After one partner’s withdrawal, tasks were successfully reassigned.WP2 Teachers’ Toolkit: based on survey data, partners designed 8 thematic units covering sustainability, digital competences, disinformation and circular economy. These were developed collaboratively, translated into 4 languages, and tested during the Anzio training.WP3 Student e-Learning: an online path of 8 units was co-created with surveys, simulations and exercises. Pilots were conducted in partner schools, reaching large groups of students.WP4 Policy & Recommendations: comparative research in 4 countries on national teacher training curricula, resulting in reports and a set of European-level recommendations.Dissemination activities included brochures, newsletters, events, online promotion, and associated partner involvement (e.g. Spanish school Altair).<< Results >>Concrete results included:Toolkit for Teachers (8 units) – covering global challenges, sustainability, digital competences, disinformation, media literacy, dark patterns, circular economy, and EU recommendations.E-learning for Students (8 units) – practical interactive modules combining theory, examples, simulations and exercises.Comparative Report & Recommendations (WP4) – highlighting best practices and gaps in consumer/digital education across countries.Dissemination outputs – website, social media, newsletters, brochures, local events, teacher training, and pilots in schools.Additional achievements:Broad participation: over 220 students and 82 teachers engaged in surveys; hundreds more in pilots and training.Increased awareness: teachers reported improved capacity to teach consumer and digital literacy; students gained skills in spotting misinformation and adopting sustainable habits.Sustainability: materials were made freely available online as OERs, with translations ensuring wide accessibility.