The Community Spotlight series shines light on Education for Climate members who are putting climate education into action. From classroom initiatives to research projects, these stories highlight how educators and practitioners are translating climate education into meaningful action.
In this edition we speak with Anouk Mertens, who is both a Grant Facilitator and research fellow at KU Leuven, Belgium, and a research associate at the University of Aruba. Focused on improving higher-education sustainability curricula, Anouk shares the impact her work is having on small island communities across the world, which are places that are the first to face sustainability challenges caused by climate change.
Anouk also reflects on how the Education for Climate Community is helping her project to continue educating small island communities in climate resilience, sustainable technologies and resource management, all while fostering local innovation.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
As a Grant Facilitator and research fellow at KU Leuven and a research associate at the University of Aruba, over the past years, I have been involved in projects that focus on education and research in small islands. Small islands across the world are confronted with a complex myriad of sustainability challenges.
I am interested in how small island universities can contribute more directly to sustainable development, by designing education that is locally relevant, scientifically grounded and action-oriented and can help students to develop the competences, confidence and systems-thinking skills needed to address the complex environmental and societal challenges they are faced with.
Can you describe your work or a project you are currently involved in?
A central part of my work has been connected to SISSTEM: Sustainable Island Solutions through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Initially this was a project, funded by the EDF-OCT, in which the University of Aruba and KU Leuven collaborated to set up Bachelor, Master and research programmes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at the University of Aruba.
The programme brings together education, research and collaboration around real sustainability challenges in small islands, from climate resilience and resource management to sustainable technologies and local innovation. Rather than treating sustainability as an add-on, SISSTEM places it at the heart of STEM education.
More recently, I have worked on the GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap, a practical roadmap for evaluating how the 12 sustainability competences of the European GreenComp framework are integrated into higher-education curricula. It combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to support curriculum reflection, identify gaps and inspire future improvements. The roadmap was applied to the SISSTEM Bachelor programme at the University of Aruba.
This year, the Education for Climate Coalition’s priority is intergenerational fairness. How do the SISSTEM and Greencomp roadmap support the Education for Climate’s priority and focus areas?
SISSTEM demonstrates how higher education can equip students with the knowledge and competences needed to address sustainability challenges in their own communities, especially in contexts that are highly exposed to climate change, such as small island states.
The GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap, published as open access article, contributes by helping educators and institutions reflect on how sustainability competences are embedded across a curriculum. It supports not only evaluation, but also dialogue among educators.
In that sense, the work is closely aligned with Education for Climate’s 2026 priority and focus areas, such as upskilling educators and bridging education with science.
What inspired you to join the Education for Climate Community?
I was inspired to join the Education for Climate Community because it brings together people that want to reflect on how education at all levels can support students in developing the skills and competences needed to tackle the sustainability challenges of today and the future.
The Community creates an open space where educators, researchers, students and practitioners can exchange ideas, methods and experiences.
How has the platform supported your work or project?
The platform has supported my work by offering access to conversations, examples and resources from a broad community of people working on climate and sustainability education. It provides inspiration from schools, universities, local communities and policy-oriented initiatives, which helps situate my own work within a wider movement.
For SISSTEM and the GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap, the platform is especially relevant because it creates opportunities to share methods, lessons learned and practical tools with others who may be working on similar curriculum transformations.
Has your network grown through using the platform, and in what ways has this been beneficial?
Yes, the platform has helped broaden my perspective and connect my work to a wider community of educators and sustainability professionals. During our discussions, people share practical examples or insights that can be valuable for all.
Additionally, the Community offers an extensive resource base, which is very useful as well. As such, the Community has been beneficial, because it creates opportunities for mutual learning.
How did you start getting more involved in the Community, and what was that experience like?
My involvement started from an interest in sharing the work around SISSTEM and the GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap with a wider audience of educators and climate education practitioners. The Community felt like a natural place to do this, because it values both practical examples and reflective learning. I started to attend the GreenComp Cafés and also became part of the STEAM meets GreenComp group.
The experience has been encouraging, as I learned how many people are working on and with the GreenComp framework at various levels of the education system: from kindergarten to higher education; through policy development; or research. The interesting and engaging conversations always motivate me to continue my work.
What are your next steps, and how do you hope to continue contributing to the Education for Climate Community?
My next steps are to continue sharing insights from SISSTEM and from the application of the GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap. I hope the roadmap can support other educators and institutions that want to evaluate and strengthen the integration of sustainability competences in their own curricula.
I also hope to contribute by bringing more attention to the role of small island states in climate and sustainability education. These contexts face urgent sustainability challenges, but they are also places of innovation and resilience.
Through the Education for Climate Community, I would like to continue exchanging experiences, learning from others and supporting collaborations that help transform education into a driver of climate action and sustainable development.
Feeling inspired by Anouk’s work on climate and sustainability education in small island communities? Now it’s your turn: share your experiences, connect with others and help strengthen impactful climate education across Europe.
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