Kyoto in the Home (KITH)

Project coordinator:
Rayner Mayer, Sciotech Projects
E: rayner@sciotech.demon.co.uk
Engineering Building,
University of Reading
Reading RG6 6AY, UK
Ph: + 44 118 378 6357

The reference section covers: Climate change and the carbon cycle, Environmental impact of energy use, Impacts of global warming, Saving energy in the home, Renewable energy sources.

The modular section covers: heat loss, passive solar techniques, solar water heating, heat pumps, biomass for heating, wind energy, photovoltaic cells.

The project's global aim is to inform and educate teachers, students and their families so that they can realise the need and can assess the potential for energy efficiency measures and renewable energy sources in their homes. iT is assumed that if families realise that they each can do something to reduce the environmental pollution associated with energy usage, the EU Kyoto target for greenhouse gas reductions can be met.

The KITH project was about the promotion of small scale renewable energy sources for use in the home. The objectives were:
· To upgrade existing educational materials to include the application of renewable energy sources (RES) to energy efficient homes and to translate them into the partner languages and try these resources in schools, and in homes.
· To launch the project website
· To develop a web based methodology for assessing the potential for energy savings and small scale RES in the home.
· To develop methodologies for training teachers

Resources for teachers:
- Handbook for teachers, which comprises background information, activities for students and notes for teachers, links to the national curriculum and key stages. The activities are suitable for a wide age range and can be used individually, linked together to form lesson plans or used to support energy and environmental projects. Lesson plans are described for two themes; human needs and the role of renewable energy sources. English link to the KITH handbook.

- School trials were done in the 10 European countries at the same time. English link to school trials.

- Final report (88 pages) January 2009 can be downloaded in English here.

- Expanding of Green Pack: As part of the KITH project, 4 chapters of the Green Pack developed by the Regional Environmental Center (REC) are being adapted to reflect the KITH resources.
The energy and environmental chapters are being adapted and expanded to link the use of fossil fuels with global warming and climate change. The Green Pack is an environmental education package, which was originally developed in 2001-04 with support from Toyota. In 2008, the Green pack is available online in English, Russian, Turkish and Bulgarian, and older versions are available (not online) in Polish, Hungarian, Czech and Slovak, and new versions are under preparation in the Balkan countries.Read more at: Green Pack

A web site www.kyotoinhome.info available in 11 languages:

Languages: in Spanish, Estonian, French, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Czech, Romanian, Slovak, and English (UK).

there is also an online game, which is reviewed at Ecoville.

Ambitious project in 10 European languages. There are inconsistencies among the material available in different languages (January 2009).