The pressures of the Anthropocene (new geologic epoch - defined by our massive impact on the planet) threaten the future of humanity: extraction of increasingly limited natural resources; pollution of air and water; loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services; and increasing human populations. Climate change compounds all these pressures. The majority of these impacts will be felt by urban areas; over 50% of people already live in cities, and by 2050, this will be 80%. As estimated, significant factors that provide benefits that significantly improve urban environmental quality and human quality of life - carbon sequestration, storm water management, air pollution reduction, improved human health, social cohesion, etc. are trees and urban forests. As cities has begun to reinvent themselves in the face of climate change and the other challenges of the Anthropocene, arboricultural specialists and urban foresters role has changed significantly; meanwhile, increasing the scope of competences an European Tree Technician (ETT) should master to 1) remain competitive and 2) go ahead of new industry and global urban environmental changes.Erasmus + Strategical partnership project PROMOTION AND ALIGNMENT OF EUROPEAN TREE TECHNICIANS (ETT) QUALIFICATION IN EUROPE is planned to be realized by 8 European countries Germany, Latvia, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia and Denmark, and is aimed to support whole arboricultural industry development by aligning and promoting European Tree Technicians (ETT) qualification on European level. Thus, to realize this goal following project outputs are planned to be elaborated in frame of project:1) Extended ETT Curriculum,2) Aligned ETT Certification Exam model,3) ETT training Manual,4) comprehensive ETT Study Guide.Elaboration of above mentioned project outputs will result in1) significantly increased number of European Tree Technicians (ETT) training and certification centers in each particular country and in common in Europe,2) significantly increased number of Certified European Tree Technicians right after project conclusion,3) increased number of arboricultural specialists who master all the ETT competences starting from “tree knowledge” to ability manage urban ecosystems development process on local and European level and able to give his input and overtake the leading role here,4) closer collaboration in training and certification between different educational institutions, promoting common aligned Tree programs, and leading to increased teachers and students’ mobility between industry stakeholders, 5) arboricultural industry further development, increasing also industry’s financial flow and total turnover in each particular country and on larger scale,6) finally, taking into account each new ETT specialists potential impact on local urban ecosystem development and being aware of these ecosystems significance in global environmental issues, we predict increased network of developing urban ecosystems that further lead to higher urban environmental quality and human quality of life - carbon sequestration, storm water management, air pollution reduction, improved human health, social cohesion impact on global environmental changes etc. on local and global scale.

Diesel exhaust contains significant levels of small particles, known as fine particulate matter (PM) and is the largest source of particulate emissions in transport. In spite of the environmental benefit that rail carries over other modes of transport, over 70% of all the world’s railway locomotives are powered by diesel engines, consuming more than 34 billion litres of diesel fuel annually. To combat the problem of diesel locomotive emissions, the European Union has set stricter limits on the exhaust emissions of new locomotives. Stricter limits have caused a steep rise in the cost of purchasing compliant engines. The higher costs have made it much more difficult for rail operators to modernise their locomotive fleets. With a 45-year average operational lifespan, Europe has now reached the stage where 77% of its diesel locomotives are 30 years or older. The inefficiency of the engines in long service life vehicles, coupled with diesel prices, now make fuel costs a major problem for rail operators worldwide. Alternatives in clean and efficient fuel will allow operators to remain economically competitive. DiGas SIA is a pioneer in dual-fuel systems for diesel engines. We have developed NYSMART, a proprietary patented dual-fuel technology tailored for modernization of air-polluting diesel locomotives to clean and efficient operation. Due to its modular form, NYSMART is able to be quickly and simply installed onto any diesel engine type. Once installed, our advanced intelligent engine management system results in 30% reduction in fuel costs, delivering rapid payback for the customer; provides torque & performance similar to that of a diesel engine; and delivers PM and NOx emissions reductions.

The UHBR engine is one of the most fuel-efficient propulsion concepts available today. However, outstanding technical and environmental performances are counterbalanced by severe operational conditions of engine systems. The EVAL project aims to create a demonstrator of a passive cooling system, based on a loop heat pipe (LHP) technology, for efficient thermal management of the UHBR engine bleed system valves exposed to a harsh temperature environment. The EVAL innovation will consist in combination of (i) working fluids able to meet the bleed system valve cooling requirements and aeronautical standards; (ii) EU’s domestic patented technology of evaporator-reservoir modular unit (ALTOM), which makes possible to create superior in thermal performance, compact, lightweight, robust, reliable, easy-to-integrate and still cost-effective thermal management systems; and (iii) innovative technology of LHP charging on-site. The project activities will be concentrated within TRL 4–6 range and will result in a “degraded environment” demonstration of LHP-based passive cooling system capabilities to realize precise thermal management of aircraft engine bleed system valves. In the future, the EVAL thermal management system – playing the role of “enabling technology” – will ensure accurate and precise regulation of the airflow in the UHBR engine, thus, will contribute to reliable and efficient long-term operation of the engine in the whole. Therefore, EVAL project will contribute to high-level impacts expected by the Clean Sky 2 Programme within the key pillars defined in H2020. The project will be realized by R&D teams of (1) National Aerospace University “KhAI” experienced in complex thermal management systems for aerospace and terrestrial applications, and (2) Allatherm SIA, a high-tech SME with key specialization in two-phase heat transfer technologies and devices. Administrative management and coordination will be provided by the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU). Close collaboration between academia and business will ensure strong innovation and marketing potential of the EVAL project outputs.

"<< Objectives >>Carbon Neutral Schools strive to make one step closer to achieving EU Green Deal's objective to be the first climate neutral continent. During the project digital training materials for education institutions on ways how to reduce Carbon Footprint in their everyday life. It is important that public institutions act as forerunners in achieving ambitious goals and even more important is that schools are among them, as present pupils is future society that mainly will work for the 2050 objective.<< Implementation >>The project is build on 3 core WPs: 1) developing Factor Maps on factors that influence the willingness to reduce Carbon Footprint, 2) developing interactive e-learning modules on ways how to reduce Carbon Footprint in educational institutions and 3) developing a toolkit for Green Ambassadors that will ensure sustainability of the project results as it will act as a main motivational tool to start thinking green and use main project result.<< Results >>The core result of the project - interactive E-learning modules on Carbon Footprint reduction in Schools ""Carbon Neutral School"" will cover a variety of Carbon neutrality related topics such as: Climate change; Carbon neutrality and EU policies; Carbon neutral organisation; Understanding the carbon footprint; Guidance of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Carbon reduction pathways; Carbon budgeting."