SUSTAINABILITY AT WORK! RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN ACTION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE HAȚEG COUNTRY UGGP
To mitigate and adapt to climate change, we will need to view the world through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary lenses, as climate change is connected to both the past and the present in terms of air, water, and resource use, consumption patterns, and more.
In our project, we created the context and tools for applied research and community-driven initiatives for sustainable development. We brought together scientists, teachers, students, volunteers, and local NGOs within the concept of a geopark so that all these involved actors could research, understand, and develop sustainability strategies for daily activities and tourism-related efforts.
The research and education phase involved developing joint research and training activities between universities and the participating EduGeopark schools, as well as the volunteers from the Hateg Country UNESCO Global Geopark.
Researchers from Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca engaged and trained students from six local schools in the Hateg Country Geopark to study the quality of water in the respective local communities (e.g., well water, springs, alternative sources, etc.) and other physical parameters related to water flow and their impact on biodiversity.
A platform linked to the Hateg Country UNESCO Global Geopark website was developed and used as an online tool for students and Geopark volunteers to upload research results and data.
Alongside the teachers from the involved schools, the Geopark and researchers from the University of Bucharest developed educational materials that present the working methodology (lesson plan and worksheets). These materials can be used to complement theoretical activities in the school curricula to support the adoption of responsible behavior regarding water use and identifying mitigation and adaptation measures to climate change, in line with sustainable development goals.
After training sessions and activities dedicated to citizen science, volunteers will develop their own water footprint assessment for their activities, as well as a strategy to improve it.
A company with renowned specialists collaborated with the Geopark’s partner NGOs involved in tourism and intangible heritage to evaluate their water footprint and propose a sustainability strategy.
