The European Commission’s Green Deal calls for a sustainable and fair transition for which it is important to keep an informed and empowered society. The European Environmental Agency reports a significant increase of environmental awareness in the last few decades in Europe. However, there is still room for improvement. The objective of this proposal is to raise citizens’ awareness about environmental challenges and alternative resource management options related to water, biodiversity, waste, air, climate and energy. To do this, we propose the “Citizen Arenas” as a platform in which all these alternative options are discussed including citizens’ interests, experiences, dreams, barriers, etc. The Citizen Arenas connect citizens and academia with the implementation of pilot projects in which citizens can experience first hand the benefits of shifting to new patterns of energy use, waste treatment and engage in monitoring water quality, air quality and climate parameters such as urban heat. The Citizen Arenas act as an amplifier where citizens can explain to other citizens their experience and solve questions. Explanations, guidance and help will be supported by the local researchers involved in this proposal. As citizen science is a flexible concept which can be adapted and applied within diverse situations and disciplines and according to the 10 principles defined by ECSA, citizens will have different possibilities to engage with the research process according to their interest, during the Arena and the pilot projects. Two general virtual arena meetings will be held at the beginning and at the end of the project. The ‘kick off’ arena will identify challenges in the implementation of more sustainable patterns and codefine the rules for the implementation of pilots. The “conclusion” arena is meant to be a reflection and co-learning space where the insights of the different pilots are analysed and integrated. Pilot arena meetings will also be held with the participants of the different pilots. In the pilot arena meetings, citizens will learn how to register, curate, conserve, analyse and interpret the data collected.
