Topic outline

  • Summary

    Green Ideas (http://greenideasproject.org) are interactive and engaging workshops that explore ways in which green innovation may be empowered by education and technology. They are organized in the form of dynamic workshops that use a design-thinking & enquiry based approach to innovate new ideas with actionable next steps. Within a Green Ideas event, collaboration and ideation happen in stages (harvest requirements, plant seeds, cultivate ideas, blossom & thrive). Throughout the experience, participants engage in activities that accelerate meaningful collaboration. This is why the format of Green Ideas is ideal for bringing together people from different backgrounds and for combining them in groups that work collectively towards common problems or “goals”: by mixing different stakeholder representatives, their collective creativity is used as a generator of ideas and tangible action plans.

    The uniqueness of Green Ideas lies on the unique nature of the environmental problems it attempts to address. GI is not yet another design thinking approach. We built upon these proven and widely adopted techniques and we adapt them to fit the needs and particularities of the communities we work with. The needs of the people that are faced with environmental problems but also its opportunities are a focal part of Green Ideas approach.

     

  • Aims

    Green Ideas are interactive and engaging workshops, based on the principles of design thinking and enquiry based learning that aim at spurring creativity and fostering innovation on environmental issues.

  • Main activities

    The Green Idea Methodology consists of four specific stages through which the participants of each event work, to come one step closer at a time, to their goal, that is set forth in the beginning of the event. The time provided to the participants to work through each stage is accurately timed and controlled by the Green Ideas Facilitators.

     

    • Harvest Requirements: During this phase, the participants draw upon the experience of professionals and invited experts by interviewing. Their purpose is to take notes related to the success stories being narrated in front of them and the experiences of the invited guests.

     

    • Plant Seeds: During this stage, the participants share their ideas with one another on a common space so that each group member can see what the other participants took out of the interviews. After the sharing process, meaning that the first “idea seeds” are planted, the participants revisit their notes, adding new ideas on them, or elaborating more on the ones that inspire them.

     

    • Cultivate Ideas: During this phase, the participants have a really specific idea that they want to develop (i.e. cultivate) further. Starting from this idea, they describe it as clearly as possible, identifying a title and a description and then they model it into a coherent story, by using modeling material such as scissors, clay, paper, glue, rope, etc. and in general whatever they can find so that they can prepare a 3D model of their idea.

     

    • Blossom & Thrive: During the last phase of Green Ideas, the participants have to prove that their ideas are sustainable and that there is a concrete plan of following them through to real-life implementation. Looking at their models again, they are now called to come up with a tentative schedule that will guide their deployment in real-life situations.

     

    The importance of the methodology followed lies in the fact that it aims to develop solutions that will address real-life problems and then refine and define them using collective brainpower. Green Ideas not only enrich the environmental knowledge of the participants, but also help them enhance their soft and social skills through the team building activities.

  • Involved actors

    Facilitators, Teachers that have applied innovative methods in teaching science lessons to pupils, Inspired Entrepreneurs in the “green” domain, University Professors.

  • Connection with the curriculum

    Connection to science and environmental education. 

  • Where to find the application or case

    More information about the case described, can be found at the following link: http://greenideasproject.org/

  • Content

    Green Ideas (http://greenideasproject.org) are interactive and engaging workshops that explore ways in which green innovation may be empowered by education and technology. They are organized in the form of dynamic workshops that use a design-thinking & enquiry based approach to innovate new ideas with actionable next steps. Within a Green Ideas event, collaboration and ideation happen in stages (harvest requirements, plant seeds, cultivate ideas, blossom & thrive). Throughout the experience, participants engage in activities that accelerate meaningful collaboration. This is why the format of Green Ideas is ideal for bringing together people from different backgrounds and for combining them in groups that work collectively towards common problems or “goals”: by mixing different stakeholder representatives, their collective creativity is used as a generator of ideas and tangible action plans.

    The uniqueness of Green Ideas lies on the unique nature of the environmental problems it attempts to address. GI is not yet another design thinking approach. We built upon these proven and widely adopted techniques and we adapt them to fit the needs and particularities of the communities we work with. The needs of the people that are faced with environmental problems,but also its opportunities , are a focal part of Green Ideas approach.

     

  • Relation to a green topic and curriculum

    Green Ideas are interactive and engaging workshops that explore ways in which green innovation may be empowered by education and technology. They are organized in the form of dynamic workshops that use a design-thinking and enquiry based approach to innovate new ideas with actionable next steps. The uniqueness of Green Ideas lies on the unique nature of the environmental problems it attempts to address.

  • Being interdisciplinary: Drawing upon many academic disciplines and teaching methods

    The methodology followed is based in years-long research outcomes on group dynamics, brainstorming and enquiry based learning and is customized to fit the needs of the specific goal that the event tries to solve but its backbone is comprised of a set of brainstorming, team-building and enquiry-based learning techniques that contribute to its overall success and unique nature.

  • Relevance to the daily life of students

    Our era is characterized by the growing awareness that we live on a planet with limited resources. To this end, Green Ideas serves as a means to identifying innovative, ground-breaking ideas that address burning environmental issues both locally and on a global scale.

  • Based on accurate and factual professional expertise

    The methodology followed in Green Ideas, by experienced and adequately trained facilitators, is a result of years long research on pedagogical practices and approaches. The invited experts participating in the event are inspired and well known professionals in their field of work.