Circular Tourism

Albania

Energiescouts

SECTION 1: BASIC INFORMATION

SECTION 2: PRACTICE OVERVIEW

  • Short Description of the Practice

Energiescouts is an initiative organised by the VET school Städtische Berufsschule für Informationstechnik in Munich (BS Info München). Every year, 1–2 students per class are appointed as responsible for energy saving, waste reduction, and sustainability. These students receive special training and act as sustainability ambassadors within their school community. Through practical activities such as monitoring energy consumption, initiating waste prevention measures, and leading awareness campaigns, Energiescouts make sustainability a visible and lived practice in everyday school life. Their engagement is formally recognised through certificates and notes on school transcripts, reinforcing the value of sustainability in education. The program requires minimal resources and is easily adaptable to different vocational schools and sectors, making it a highly scalable and replicable best practice for raising environmental awareness among youth.

  • Implementation Period: since 2014
  • Status:

[  ] Planned [  ] Pilot phase [  ] Fully implemented [X] Ongoing and evolving

  • Thematic Areas Addressed:

[   ] Farm to Fork / Sustainable Food Systems
[X] Waste Management
[X] Resource Efficiency
[   ] Other: ___________

  • Describe how the practice aligns with the selected Thematic Areas.

The Energiescouts programme directly supports the efficient use of resources by embedding energy-saving and waste-reduction practices into everyday school routines. By empowering students to become agents of change, the initiative ensures that sustainability is not only taught in theory but practised through concrete actions. Students learn to measure and monitor energy use, identify wasteful practices, and design simple yet effective interventions to reduce consumption. This
experiential learning approach links directly to the circular economy, as students address issues such as reuse, recycling, and reduction of waste streams. The programme also develops transversal skills such as teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving. Energiescouts lead projects like creating swap lockers for reusing school materials, digital platforms for resource sharing, or awareness campaigns on reducing single-use plastics. These activities turn sustainability into a visible cultural element of the school community.

  • Explain how this activity fits within the tourism sector

Although BS Info München is a school with a technical profile, this best practice is highly relevant also for the tourism sector. Hotels, restaurants, and tourism businesses could implement similar “green ambassador” roles among staff or trainees to monitor energy efficiency and waste. In VET training in the field of tourism, such a programme bridges technical knowledge (energy/resource management) with practical leadership skills directly applicable to hospitality operations.

  • What learning value for VET training, curriculum development or capacity-building of professionals does the practice offer?

The practice offers practical skills in monitoring energy consumption, identifying saving measures, and managing waste. These skills are developed through workshops, checklists, measurement kits and performance evaluation during the training modules and differ within them. Some soft skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and project design, are strengthened. The Energiescouts also receive and promote circular economy education through waste prevention, resource efficiency and sustainable daily practices. Students can gain concrete tools relevant to VET tourism and gastronomy to implement sustainability in hotels, restaurants, and tourism facilities.

SECTION 3: CHALLENGES AND ALIGNMENT WITH CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRINCIPLES

  • What challenges or barriers were addressed (based on the report findings)?

[X] Waste management and disposal
[X] Energy/resource use
[   ] Infrastructure limitations
[   ] Seasonality
[X] Skills and capacity gaps
[X] Low awareness of CE
[X] Behavioural resistance
[   ] Financial or funding constraints
[   ] Other : ________________________________

  • How were these challenges overcome?

These challenges are counteracted by the students, who are given responsibility and ownership the moment they are appointed to the role of Energiescouts. There are also structured training modules provided to them, which ensure knowledge transfer. These consider different topics on sustainability and vary depending on the offering organisation, which is usually the respective's city chamber of commerce (IHK). In Munich, topics of the modules range from energy generation to consumption, from knowledge of energy and resource efficiency to the professional use of measuring instruments.

Participants also get an introduction to the topic of biodiversity and how it can be implemented in companies. In this school, the trainings promote simple actions such as closing windows, turning off lights, turning off computers, etc. Then, the ongoing teacher and staff support guarantees continuity, while certificates and recognition increase motivation and visibility.

(https://www.ihk-akademie-muenchen.de/auszubildende/energie-scout-energieeinsparpotenzial/)

  • Which circular economy strategies does this practice address?

[X] Waste reduction / reuse / recycling
[X] Renewable energy / energy efficiency
[X] Water conservation
[   ] Circular product/service design
[   ] Sustainable food systems / short food chains
[   ] Eco-certifications or green standards
[   ] Repair, refurbishment, or reuse of infrastructure/furnishings
[   ] Digital tools for circularity or sustainability

  • Describe why this practice can be considered as a ‘best practice’ and how it contributes to one or more circular economy principles:

The Energiescouts programme is a best practice because it creates a school-wide culture of sustainability with minimal resources. It builds practical competencies, engages students actively, and produces measurable impact on energy and waste reduction. The simplicity and adaptability make it replicable across different VET sectors and organisations.

  • Describe why this practice can be considered as innovative. What new, creative or underused approach brings added value to circular tourism development?

Its innovation lies in the student-led approach: instead of top-down sustainability measures, students become ambassadors and leaders of change. This not only strengthens awareness but also equips young people with professional skills relevant to green jobs and sustainable industries.

SECTION 4: COLLABORATION

  • Describe any collaboration that were involved in the development of this practice? Did this practice involve local authorities or other groups?

The collaboration initiated for this project ensures multi-level learning: institutional commitment from the school and active participation of students. The school management and teachers provide training, supervision, and integration into the curriculum, while the students act as Energiescouts, leading campaigns and monitoring energy use (by closing windows, turning off lights, turning off computers, etc.). Eventually, external partners such as local energy agencies or NGOs could be considered to provide training modules and further input.

SECTION 5: RESULTS AND REPLICABILITY

  • What measurable results or outcomes were achieved?
  • Every class has 1–2 trained Energiescouts.
  • Reduction of energy and resource consumption within the school (monitored yearly).
  • Increased awareness and behavioural change among all students.
  • Creation of student-led initiatives such as reuse lockers, awareness campaigns, or recycling stations.
  • Recognition of student engagement via official certificates.
  • Why is this practice relevant to the Albanian tourism context?

This practice is relevant to the Albanian tourism context, as it can be directly replicated in vocational schools (hospitality, gastronomy, technical fields). It also requires only minimal funding and teacher engagement and prepares students with green skills relevant to hotels, restaurants, and tourism SMEs. Additionally, it could be adapted for staff training in the tourism sector (e.g., “Green Ambassadors” in hotels to monitor energy/waste).

  • What is the practice’s potential for further expansion? How can it be applied or adapted to other Albanian tourism destinations or businesses?

To expand further, the practice could introduce digital monitoring tools (apps, dashboards) and link with local businesses (restaurants/hotels) for real-world internships. It could potentially expand beyond schools to tourism SMEs with similar ambassador roles.

  • What advice would you give others looking to implement a similar initiative?

To implement such an initiative, start small with 1–2 ambassadors per class. Then, provide clear training, ongoing support and recognise and reward student engagement. Lastly, encourage practical, visible initiatives that motivate wider participation.