Setting Up a Green Comb: A How to Guide

Green Hive is a Cooperation partnership in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) field co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. Implemented by a consortium of five entities, such as the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest-TUS (Ireland), the companies Lascò (Italy) and Femxa (Spain), and the non-profit and non-governmental organisations KEAN-Cell of Alternative Youth Activities (Greece) and Team 4 Excellence (Romania), the project aims to increase the capacity of VET providers to prepare learners for the green transition by developing a European platform-based ecosystem for sustainability education called the "Green Hive". The Green Hive will consist of localised hubs for sustainability education, namely the "Green Combs," established within VET providers. While the Hive will be an open and cross-sectoral long-term cooperation network dedicated to innovation, continuous improvement and co-creation in sustainability education, the Combs will make VET providers the managing centre of networks of local stakeholders (i.e., companies, representatives of universities, civil society organisations and professional associations) for learning, networking and cooperating on sustainability challenges. The document provides a comprehensive guide for setting up a sustainable educational initiative like Green Combs. The guide covers various aspects essential for the successful setup and operation of these hubs, including governance, organization, community management, activities, tools, and collaboration with the broader Green Hive ecosystem. Overall, the guide offers a robust framework for establishing and advancing sustainability education initiatives by leveraging strategic analysis, stakeholder collaboration, and innovative thinking tools to drive positive change in educational practices towards a more sustainable future. It can be used as a roadmap for individuals or organizations involved in establishing sustainable community hubs under the Green Hive project by providing detailed instructions on governance, organization, community management, activities, tools, and collaboration strategies. This publication has received funding from the European Commission under Grant Agreement number 2022-2-IE01-KA220-VET-000097215, Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership project "Green Hive".