Green Village
Start date: Nov 1, 2010,
The "Green Village" project brings together 9 European states, who share common problems in their local rural areas, such as outward migration of young people, aging populations, abandonment of land, loss of traditional skills and income strands, disintegration of cultural landscape. The partners also recognise and share a number of opportunities for sustainable development on a village scale, through contemporisation of traditional skills, rural energy supply, empowerment of communities and development of new markets for natural, local and sustainable products, including rural food and wood but also culture and nature, through the development of touristic offerings. These opportunities need to be brought into VET through a collection of study modules for delivery on a village scale to local people, practitioners & visiting students, in order to kick start rural regeneration. Through a series of Work Packages the project develops 6 modules, on Sustainable building, Rural energy, Empowering communities, Rural food, Sustainable ancestors and Wood products. Further WP's are on Access to Rural Research - ensuring that science supports the modules, i.e., in terms of carbon emissions; Dissemination - to be sure that project results are widely read and multiplied; Learning by Doing - testing models and ideas through a series of practical training actions delivered by local and international experts to local people in each rural area and visitors from twinned partner regions. The modules will seek to transfer appropriate technologies between regions and people and will be transferable to all rural areas in Europe. Each of the 9 partners have links to training institutions within further and higher education and these will be used in the process of curriculum design and development. The legacy of Green Village will be visible benefit in selected villages and curriculum delivered into the future by a network of VET institutions and organisations undertaking mobility.