Photo: H. Kamolz

How climate-friendly is our school? Where are the CO2 emissions particularly high? Where could we conserve resources? The schools participating in the “CO2ero” pilot project are tackling such issues. Together with the project team advisors, they will assess their electricity, heat, materials, mobility, nutrition or education situation and consider which measures could contribute to protecting the environment. The practical implementation will take the form of sustainability plans developed with the school community and be integrated into the sustainable development curriculum.

The project is funded by the Waldorf-Stiftung and the Software AG Foundation (SAGST) and conducted in cooperation with the Anthropoi Bundesverband. SAGST project manager Timotheus Wersich is particularly convinced of this practical approach: “At least since the FridaysForFuture movement, many students have been made aware of the enormous challenges climate change poses. Often, they see a big gap between what is actually urgently needed to at least mitigate the threatening development and what has actually taken place in everyday school life up to now. With CO2ero, all those involved can initiate very concrete changes themselves in their own environments and take the first important steps towards climate protection.”  

The idea came from three former Waldorf students who have been testing and expanding the concept with the help of the experience of six pilot schools since autumn 2020. The CO2ero team, which now has six members, is currently supporting the work with Waldorf schools, anthroposophic social service institutions and Waldorf kindergartens: it was possible to include ten corresponding institutions in the project for the 2021/22 school year. The project will continue independently in subsequent years and be open to all interested independent schools throughout Germany.