Accademia Europea di Firenze (AEF)

Across all four categories, AEF stood out for its exceptional commitment to making sustainability a core part of the study abroad experience for students. In 2022 AEF became the first educational institution in Italy to sign the CANIE Accord. It is a small institution, with around 500 students a year. AEF has an institution wide-approach to their program with their Sustainability Action Group representative of faculty, staff, and leadership turning the Accord into practical action within the entire institution.

79 students, faculty and staff have completed accredited Carbon Literacy training through their program. In August 2026 AEF was accredited as a Carbon Literate Educator at Bronze level, with a third of its staff certified. Not just students are gaining knowledge, but educators are also developing their climate literacy and gaining the knowledge to integrate climate awareness more effectively into their teaching. A four-day Sustainability Week was launched in 2025 by AEF’s Sustainability Group. It included an in-house Carbon Literacy certification with personal Carbon Action Plans, plus clean-ups with Angeli del Bello, upcycling with ZeroLab, and tree planting in Tuscany. Students and partners have planted 273 trees across five Tuscan municipalities since 2023. AEF is dedicated to getting students and staff learning beyond just in the classroom through real engagement with the environment and collaboration with other organisations making a difference around them. These details show that sustainability is supported by tangible activities, staff development and community partnerships, which is where the real change happens.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals are built into syllabi across subjects, building the framework for their curriculum and out of school projects. AEF is creating programs based on the goals set by both CANIE and the UN’s SDGs. From orientation and academics to experiential learning, community engagement and student leadership, sustainability is incorporated seamlessly into the study abroad experience of students at AEF. The community of support among students, faculty, and staff, is what sets this programme apart.

The judges agree that AEF has done a brilliant job of incorporating the goals of CANIE into their initiatives. One judge said AEF has "taken the CANIE Accord to heart in all that they do and in ways that very few others have done." Another highlighted how AEF’s reporting provides an excellent example of transparency for other signatories to follow. The initiative is a great example of how a shared commitment to the environment can bring an entire institution together to create meaningful change, showing that collective action can have a far greater impact than individual efforts alone! AEF publishes a CANIE Accord Progress Report against the commitment framework, and is running long-term research on how study abroad changes students' sustainability knowledge and behaviour. They have carried out a variety of different activities while also conducting research to help establish how these activities translate into longer-term changes in students’ sustainability knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. CANIE celebrates AEF as an exemplary institution demonstrating how sustained commitment and collaboration can embed sustainability throughout study abroad. Congratulations to Accademia Europea di Firenze on winning the CANIE Award 2026!

Congratulations to Accademia Europea di Firenze. Would your organisation like to join them as a CANIE Accord signatory?