The Green Uni Toolbox

20th Oct 2025

The University Greening Toolbox is the result of the Erasmus+-funded project GET-AHED.

Higher education institutions across Europe face a shared challenge: how do you translate ambitious sustainability goals into practical, measurable action? The GET-AHED project offers an answer, and I had the opportunity to build its core digital platform.

What is GET-AHED?

GET-AHED stands for Green Education and Transition – A Higher Education online Digital Buddy. It's an EU-funded initiative providing universities and colleges with online tools to implement the European Union's Green Transition priorities. Our contribution to the project was the development of the dashboard that held the training courses, case studies and most importantly the dashboard where users can login and see how well they're applying their learnings across the different 'dimensions'.

The platform officially launched in January 2026 following three years of collaborative development.

The Technical Architecture

I developed the University Greening Toolbox as a modern web application using a three-tier architecture designed for scalability, maintainability, and an excellent user experience.

The frontend is built with Next.js, chosen for its server-side rendering capabilities and excellent performance characteristics. This was particularly important given the platform's educational content and the need for fast page loads across varying network conditions throughout Europe.

For content management, the platform uses Directus CMS. This headless CMS approach gives the GET-AHED consortium complete control over their content while keeping the presentation layer decoupled and flexible. Administrators can update training programmes, case studies, and assessment criteria without touching code.

The most technically interesting component is a custom Express.js API built specifically to serve SCORM content. SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is the industry standard for e-learning content, and integrating it properly required building a dedicated service layer that handles content packaging, learner progress tracking, and completion reporting.

Looking Forward

The GET-AHED toolbox represents what's possible when educational technology is built with clear purpose. The platform now serves as a lasting resource for European higher education's green transition, long after the project funding period has concluded.

For institutions ready to assess and improve their sustainability practices, the University Greening Toolbox is available at green-uni-toolbox.eu.

Thank Yous

A sincere thank you to the Technology Enhanced Learning and Digital Education department at Munster Technological University (MTU) for providing the design and framework for the platform. Their expertise in educational technology and collaborative approach throughout the whole process made them an exceptional partner to work with.

Other Recent Posts