Within the framework of the “Science and Society” EU program, the BDZ, in cooperation with five other European research institutes, is assembling and assessing teaching material for primary school children (age 9-12).

The classroom models and experiments are based on the results of ongoing research of the project partners and on other existing natural technologies. The systems developed by the project partners not only represent a way to handle waste and wastewater and to reuse nutrients but are also suitable for demonstrating the paths of waste in nature and its influence on the ecosystem.

The teaching units are being developed around the following technologies:

• A constructed wetland without outflow where plants (willows) help to completely evaporate the wastewater to be treated.
• A horizontal-flow constructed wetland which is designed for the reuse of wastewater for agricultural purposes.
• An aquaponic system used for fish breeding, where the nutrients contained in the fish feces are transferred via microbial communities to plants. Thus, the treated water in the fish culture is reused in a closed water cycle.
• A composting system in which invertebrates and microorganisms are used to increase the turnover rate.
• A learning path that gives an overview of eco-remediation methods for water management, habitat protection and restoration.

Each teaching unit will be assessed by pupils and teachers in at least two different countries. The classroom models are designed in such a way that they are low-cost as well as easy to assemble and maintain by the pupils. The systems will serve as motivation tools for the pupils to experiment with ecosystems, measure and interpret data and thus learn about the methods of hypothesis-driven research.
The developed teaching units shall help to convey basic concepts of “Ecological Engineering“ to primary school children through playful, hands-on experiments.