The Importance of Education on Mineral Raw Materials for More Secure and Enjoyable Tomorrow

Abstract

A b s t r a c t: Mineral raw materials represent the basis for our everyday goods, e.g. food, cosmetics, clothing, medicine, mobile phones, electrical appliances, vehicles, construction materials, fertilizers, jewellery, etc. Furthermore, mineral raw materials are essential for new solutions for modern infrastructure and technologies and are indispensable for reaching the Green Deal goals of a climate-neutral society by 2050. In fact, the more ambitious climate targets are, the more minerals are needed for clean energy transition. Since the mineral consumption in general is rising, there is a need to educate society, especially children, on these topics. School curriculums often lack these topics, in particular while addressing recycling and circular economy. The RISBriefcase project, with its non-conventional teaching tools, is applying the holistic approach on this matter by teaching children about mineral properties and their uses, critical raw materials, circular economy approaches and use of secondary raw materials, sustainable mining, gender equality and a variety of career opportunities in mining sector.