New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Reconnecting with nature

Email user
tprado@educa.jcyl.es

Basic information
Initiative title
A Small Action with a Big Impact

Full initiative Title
{Empty}

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
The aim of this initiative, carried out by a small group of international students of Spanish as a Foreign Language is to make an impact on our community’s social and natural environment by supplementing the increasing loss of natural habitats in our town.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
Local

Where was your intiative implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Spain

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
{Empty}

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
If you are submitting this intiative as part of a group, please provide the contact details of the other individuals or organisations
- Name of the organisation(s): Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Palencia
  Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local)
  First name of representative: Teresa
  Last name of representative: de Prado
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Spain
  Function: Principal
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Calle Isaac Peral s/n
  Town: Palencia
  Postal code: 34004
  Country: Spain
  Direct Tel: +34 979 72 02 64
  E-mail: 34003336@educa.jcyl.es
  Website: http://eoipalencia.centros.educa.jcyl.es/sitio/index.cgi?wid_seccion=22
- Name of the organisation(s): Aula de Medioambiente - Fundación Caja Burgos
  Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation
  First name of representative: Sara
  Last name of representative: Barbacheno
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Spain
  Function: Trainer
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. de Santiago Amón, 3,
  Town: Palencia
  Postal code: 34005
  Country: Spain
  Direct Tel: +34 979 16 52 91
  E-mail: fundacion@cajadeburgos.com
  Website: https://portal.cajadeburgos.com/medioambiente/actividades-palencia/
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
{Empty}

In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
New European Bauhaus or European Commission websites

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
In collaboration with a local environmental foundation, eight international students from different nationalities and backgrounds were first given input from an expert on the importance of stimulating biodiversity and ecological balance in our town. Afterwards, they actively collaborated in the installation of an insect hotel, which will provide a safe dwelling for beneficial species such as bees, butterflies, ants, ladybugs, spiders, centipedes and beetles to make their homes in, thus pollinating plants and eating bugs and fungus that may cause damage to other indigenous species

Finally, they planted several aromatic herbs and shrubs like thyme, lavender, rosemary, santolina and sage around the hotel structure in order to increase the chances of these beneficial insects moving in.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Sustainability

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Biodiversity

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Education

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Innovation

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Social interaction

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
The key objectives of this initiative are:
1. To build a harmonious relationship between nature and humans, by the school community’s assessment of our impact on nature.
2. To develop greener and more beautiful school grounds, by planting aromatic herbs and installing the insect hotel.
3. To share technical expertise in sustainable development and climate change, by teaching lessons that help students develop knowledge about biodiversity.
Our context is foreign language learning in adult education, where this kind of action had never been implemented, and which can inspire other institutions to follow suit.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
1. To develop greater competence in having a sense of belonging in the school community: the eight international students had the chance to share a different afternoon with their teacher and some members of the school staff, collaborating in one of the school’s extra-curricular activities.
2. To apply more meaningful, relevant, and hands-on learning opportunities
As regards aesthetics, the area where the insect hotel and scented herb and shrub garden has been created, has ameliorated considerably. What used to be an empty plot of dry land with some patches of yellow grass has now been turned into a yard decorated with the insect hotel, aromatic plants and shrubs. The latter will also serve as a natural wall to embellish the concrete and iron fence which separates the school campus from the street.
Concerning the emotions and cultural benefits experienced by the eight international students and the faculty implementing this instructional strategy, they had the chance to improve their oral communication skills while working in the garden, as they shared their experiences on gardening, growing plants, pulling weeds, writing the names of the herbs in different languages on little panels, or assembling parts of the timber hotel for bugs. The activity also helped them improve their Spanish vocabulary and grammar.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
1. To involve a group of foreign students living in our town in a social activity.
The group of participants consisted of eight women, aged between thirty and fifty, from various social backgrounds, such as an American language assistant, two Moroccan immigrants, a Brazilian student, and two Ukrainian refugees.
2. To bring a change of perspective towards nature in our school as well as in our neighbourhood.
3. To promote the use of the schoolyard to have occasional outdoor classes in a more relaxing scenario, as well as to minimize fear of bugs, increase awareness of the numerous benefits provided by these insects while connecting with nature, and encourage students to grow their own aromatic herbs at home and even have their own garden.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
The initiative of building an insect hotel on our school grounds was published on our webpage and social media: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to raise awareness of the importance of creating safe environments for insects. Consequently, all the staff and students were well informed, and many have visited the area where the hotel is installed and used it to illustrate the different types of herbs that can be used to season our food.
It has also been posted by our partner foundation Aula de Medioambiente de Caja Burgos, which is well-known in our town for its environmental actions.
Our students, as citizens of the city of Palencia, have been of paramount importance to develop this project. The students thoroughly enjoyed playing the role of doers and were encouraged to start their own gardens. Some had the opportunity to reconnect with their past back in their country, where they cultivated their own vegetables.
In the future, we plan to expand the project by replacing some dead trees with indigenous ones and creating an outdoor “natural classroom” equipped with a garden bench table for the students to give presentations and have discussions.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
Two local institutions engaged in the design and implementation of this initiative:
- The Official School of Languages, a government-run educational institution which offers CEFR teaching and certification in German, English, Italian, French and Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL).
- The Environmental Department of the Caja Rural Savings Bank Foundation, in collaboration with Caixa Bank.
On a different level, our Erasmus+ accreditation has enabled us to participate in courses for specific purposes such as “Environmental Education ” organized by “Cultivating Futures” held in Lisbon (Portugal), which has provided us with ideas to implement in this project.
In the near future, we will be holding some workshops and a seminar on environmental education conducted by an expert who will come to our school to enrich our knowledge in this area.
Furthermore, we have already planned our participation in another course, “Environmental Education in Finland: the Eco-Social Approach”, to be held in Helsinki, which will boost our experience on this subject.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
The foundations of this initiative are found in a large-scale project which aims to turn our language school into an ECO-SCHOOL, with the following measures already implemented:
- Replacement of conventional lights with energy-saving bulbs (LED).
- Installation of a recycling area for paper, plastic, batteries, and bottle caps.
- Installation of a garden bike rack and encouragement of the use of public transport (bus stop in front of main entrance).
- Implementation of a circular economy by reusing some objects giving them a second life, selling second-hand textbooks, and exchanging reading books.
- Provision of reusable bottles and canvas bags for the school staff.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
This particular activity had never been implemented in adult education in our town, where primary schools are most likely to take part.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
All the elements of our initiative can be replicated in other Language Schools in Spain which have a garden or yard, as well as the preliminary talk and the expertise from the Aula Medioambiental which can be found in all the major Spanish cities.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
We used a combination of formal education, through the lesson given by an expert using a presentation on biodiversity and climate change with illustrations of both areas, and non-formal education, which included the extra-curricular activity of installing the hotel and working in the garden.
The students were monitored by the expert at all times, who also explained the different features and goals of each herb and insect.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
1 Climate Literacy
Climate change education is central to making people aware of the urgent need to change our habits in order to make them more sustainable so that they have a smaller impact on our environment. It also helps foster an understanding of climate change and awareness of the current state of the world.
2 Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
This has emerged as a cornerstone for tackling climate change. Based on the idea that we all have a role to play in addressing global challenges, ESD helps us develop the knowledge, skills, and values we need to take action for a healthier, fairer and more environmentally sustainable society.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
The initiative started on Nov 23rd 2022 with the first steps of the installation of the structure and was completed on Dec 1st 2022 with the preliminary talk and further completion of the hotel which the students filled with dry wood splinters, pine cones, sticks and bamboo canes, ending with the plantation of the aromatic herbs.
We expect to attract three types of beneficial insects to our garden in the following months:
- Pollinators: bees, ants, butterflies, moths or/and wasps, which will help pollinate our flowers.
- Predators: ladybugs, praying mantis, and lacewings, which will eat other insects that can be problematic, keeping any pest problem under control without the use of pesticides.
- Decomposers: spiders, centipedes, and beetles, which will help keep issues such as fungi down and take care of any rotting vegetation.
Our aim is to plant more indigenous species in another area of the school campus to help reduce the carbon footprint.

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
Both
PDF
- pdf-1-1761.pdf
Web link
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
{Empty}
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
{Empty}

By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes