Research Center for the Culture and Environment

1. Research Center for the Culture and Environment

2. RECCEN is a non profit organization aiming at the development of the human civilization inside the natural environment. We try to sustain and put the rules for such a development that respects the nature in one hand and permits the flourishing of human societies in the other. Another goal for RECCEN is the protection of cultural heritage as mankind has to learn from the past in order to make plans for ther future RECCEN was founded in 2007 and in the frame of the new law regulating Research Principles in Greece. This law came as an answer to the requirement that research institutions should not depended of the state’s budget, they must have a flexible mechanism for taking decisions and a robust tendering policy. RECCEN meets all these conditions having in its board of directors, distinguished academics and technocrats responding to the needs of today’s competitive environment. Research is for RECCEN its main goal and its three departments (Scientific Department, Promotion of Research Department and Financial Service) assure an effective coordination and implementation of any research project. The centre has all the equipment and buildings necessary for managing its activities.

3. Presentation of activities related to the Youth, Innovation and Employment project. (Youth+ i+ e)

4. “Collaborative Learning plus Innovative Technologies” projectObjectives • The scientific team of RECCEN has participated in implementation (2001-2005) of the E.U founded multinational project titled: “Bioremediation for Building Restoration of the Urban Stone Heritage in European States” of the 6th Framework Programme “Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development” which resulted in the development of a cleaning technology for various crusts, dirt and graffiti using biological factors. The same team had a first successful approach in trying to introduce this technology with selected teams of learners in the Second Chance School of Kallithea. The results were communicated at the HMS2005 Heritage, Microbiology and Science International Conference, July 2005, Portsmouth UK by Katsinis, Vgenopoulos and Papagelis.Official statistical data reveal that a great proportion of the socially disadvantaged people are occupied in cleaning services. This fact led us to choose this special technology related to a sector very familiar to the majority of these people. Based to the previous experience the principles of collaborative learning will be used.

5. “Collaborative Learning plus Innovative Technologies” projectAims The main aim of the project is to develop a pedagogical tool for the introduction of a “green” biological cleaning technology to socially disadvantaged people. The implementation of this aim will permit the realization of the following objectives. • An effective help of the socially excluded people is to be reoriented professionally to new jobs, improving their already existing; or create new more competitive enterprises. • The didactic process used for the introduction of the technology will be monitored, elaborated and prepared as didactic material in such a way in order to be easy to be used by all adult education providers and professional schools for the introduction of other new technologies needed in other environments and different target groups. • Dissemination and exploitation of results activities will ensure the visibility of the new product, of its quality and usefulness for the common purpose of combating social exclusion.

6. Secondary aims of the project • The development of voluntarism at the Second Chance Schools , as learners will be encouraged to be the teachers for those coming next year • The development of voluntarism at the district level as the SCS learners through mobilization events will act as teachers and leaders of citizen teams aiming at the esthetical protection of their neighbourhoods from graffiti and other esthetical contamination. For this task the help of local city fathers is assured.

7. What this project will produce? • An integrated and comprehensive didactic tool for the use of adult education providers and professional skills developers, targeting to the introduction of new technologies to socially disadvantaged people in printed and electronical form. • An internet portal for the distribution of the didactic tool and for providing communication and help to every one interested • The final report of the project containing between others all the evaluation and self evaluation data of the project’s factors • The number of the socially disadvantaged people who decided to be reoriented professionally after the end of the project • The national conference for the official presentation of the tool, discussion and interaction with all those implicated in adult education and professional skills development • The number of institutions or physical persons implicated in adult education and professional skills development who decided to test the new tool • A number of promotion events in local and regional level • The formation of two kinds of teams of volunteers from the SCS learners , one for operations in the SCS environment and one for operations in district level • The democracy experience for the SCS learners who will be encouraged to the active participation to the steering of the project and the continuation of its life after its logistical end. • Protection of the environment and worker’s health.

8. Construction of a 200KW biomass power plant The increasing needs for energy obliged the governments all over Europe to utilize the renewable energy resources Biomass is one of this resources. What is biomass? Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms, such as wood, waste, and alcohol fuels. Biomass is commonly plant matter grown to generate electricity or produce heat.

9. How a biomass power plant is made The power plant is composed from a boiler capable of burning agro waste materials in order to produce heat and produce steam. This steam is guided to a steam turbine connected to an electric generator. This generator produce electricity which is sold to the government

10. An industrial boiler specially designed for agro waste materials

11. Steam turbine

12. Experimentation on the biomass fuel The fuels we intent to use are • Olive husk • The remaining of the cotton processing • Sea weeds Our experiments aim at the definition of the optimum particle size of these fuels and the possible procesing before burning