THESEUS transforms a school rooftop into a living classroom for circular water management
On 26 February 2026, the 21st Primary School of Athens “Lela Karagianni” became the setting for a hands-on sustainability activity organised within the framework of the THESEUS Hub4Circularity project.
Led by the Sanitary Engineering Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), the activity marked an important milestone in the project’s water-related interventions: the start of planting works for a new rooftop garden supported by a rainwater harvesting and reuse system.
During the activity, pupils and teachers took part in the creation of a green rooftop space, planting Greek aromatic plants and herbs such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, lavender, sage, marjoram and saffron, alongside a mandarin tree. Children touched the soil, added compost, explored textures and scents, and learned about the needs of different plants through direct experience. In this way, the school rooftop was transformed from an unused concrete surface into a small urban ecosystem, filled with colour, fragrance and biodiversity.
A central element of the intervention is circular water management. The garden will be irrigated with rainwater collected directly from the school rooftop and stored for future use. By reducing reliance on potable water for irrigation, the system demonstrates in a simple and tangible way how resource efficiency and climate resilience can be integrated into everyday urban spaces.
The activity also carried a strong educational dimension. Through planting, plant “adoption” and observation-based learning, pupils were invited to understand sustainability not as an abstract concept, but as something they can see, touch and care for. The rooftop garden now functions as a living classroom, connecting environmental education with practical action.
This local intervention reflects the broader ambition of THESEUS: to demonstrate circular solutions for water, energy and materials in Attica and peripheral regions, while engaging communities in the transition towards more sustainable, resilient and resource-efficient urban environments.
Through THESEUS, sustainability becomes visible, practical and shared. Sometimes, real transformation starts from the rooftop.
