The Environmental monitoRIng through Civic engAgement (ERICA) is an ERASMUS+ project that started in November 2023. ERICA’s main objective is to improve citizens’ environmental awareness and civic engagement through the development of a new educational methodology on citizen science for environmental monitoring.
The ERICA project addresses the socio-environmental impacts of the fossil fuel industry, which are often obscured by industry influence. It leverages citizen science initiatives for independent environmental monitoring, enhancing public engagement and data reliability.
By empowering citizens with training and accessible technology, ERICA fosters informed decision-making and advocacy. Through scalable methodologies, it equips communities to gather, evaluate, and utilize environmental data, promoting evidence-based policies and actionable knowledge.
ERICA will bridge the gap between science and civil society, bolstering environmental stewardship and contributing to a more sustainable future.
1. An e-booklet of best practices
The e-booklet Empowering Communities with Citizen Science – Tools to monitor the impacts of fossil fuel industries and drive changes summarizes tools and best practices to conduct citizen science initiatives on the environmental impacts of fossil fuel industries. The e-booklet builds on the extensive reviews the project partners conducted during the first project year and is designed to be accessible to interested adults irrespective of their background. The e-booklet was written in english and will soon be available in other languages – including Italian, Spanish, and Polish.
Download the e-booklet below!
2. The ERICA training methodology
The ERICA training methodology, constituted by a module on environmental monitoring practices, one on the technologies for citizen sensing, one on data advocacy and further content material for actionable knowledge. It will provide the necessary knowledge to adult citizens on how to play an active role in the fight against climate change through civic engagement.
3. The ERICA e-learning platform
The ERICA e-learning platform is the digital tool to provide the ERICA methodology and training, thus available to share project results and facilitate peer-to-peer teaching and learning, knowledge transfer and exchange of information.
4. Pilot evaluation
The pilot evaluation plan will summarize the results achieved through pilot actions, directly experiencing environmental monitoring practices on fossil fuels industry’s activities. It will include an overall assessment of the project to understand to what extent it contributed to the uptake of citizens’ observation and measurements in environmental issues.
Terragona Petrochemical Complex (Spain)
Konine Lignite Region Mine (Poland)
Tempa Rossa, Val d'Agri (Italy)
