InnovationLab –

Training for Sustainable Projects

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Positive Externalities and Impact Measurement

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Workshop 4 - February 7, 2026

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In economics, the term “positive externalities" refers to collateral effects connected to the creation and delivery of a good, product or a service.

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Every economic activity can generate a cost or a benefit to third parties (people, communities, companies, organisations, institutions, society).

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Usually, a cost is considered negative while a benefit is considered positive.

Training 📋

Introduction to positive externalities

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💣 Examples of negative externalities

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• Water and air pollution
• Soil erosion due to commercial activities
• Industrial waste
• Traffic congestion
• Foreclosures in city neighborhoods
• Big buildings over consumption of electricity and water
• Job displacement, etc.

Training 📋

Introduction to positive externalities

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💪 Examples of positive externalities

• Mandatory public education
• Infrastructure development
• Research and development
• Building restoration
• Vaccination
• Beekeeping
• Open source tools provided by experts, etc.

Training 📋

Introduction to positive externalities

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Training 📋

Introduction to positive externalities

Positive externalities

Social entrepreneurship

Key factors for business in generating sustainable change for the communities they serve and for society:

Training 📋

Introduction to positive externalities

Provide concrete strategies in protecting nature, environment and natural resources

Allow flexibility in production and consumption of the goods, products and services

Allow or improve access to marginalized and vulnerable groups to their goods, products and services

Allow or contribute to cross-sector collaboration and stakeholder involvement

Focus on more diverse, equal and inclusive collaboration with local communities

Build trust and reliability with their societal dialogue and reporting

When working in climate change and sustainability, you start with some specific questions:

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If I open a business, how can I resolve a pressing consumer problem/ desire whilst creating value? Why is my product or service useful and how will it benefit if scaled over time? How will my product or service connect to the needs of the current generations? How will my product or service adapt to the scientific advancements in climate and nature?

Training 📋

How projects and companies in climate change and sustainability influence society in general?

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Guido Bonazzi's Company Acquafil and Econyl

Training 📋

How projects and companies in climate change and sustainability influence society in general?

I.WAI FOOD

Environmental positive externalities

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Economic positive externalities

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Socio-cultural positive externalities

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Training 📋

Types of positive externalities

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Employment

Increase in macroeconomic competitiveness

Increase of production for trade and increase in GDP

Green and circular economies

Waste reduction and transformation

Requalification of toxic environments to new harvestable land

Decrease in illness

Decrease in loneliness

Cultural heritage valorisation and preservation

Training 📋

Measurement of impact - planning and tools to be used

Outputs

Outcomes

Impact

direct products of an action/ project/ programme

short term results of an action/ project/ programme

long term effects and changes of an action/ project/ programme

Why is it important to have impact measurement?

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• It helps us consider what works (have concrete proof of what actually works)
• It helps us make activities that are more efficient in achieving end goals
• It helps us in decision-making processes
• It helps us promote and share our actions and projects with the wider public
• It helps us improve the next steps and the future of specific actions, projects and programmes

Training 📋

Measurement of impact - planning and tools to be used

Training 📋

Measurement of impact - planning and tools to be used

Clear impact plan 👇

• Define what will change with your action/ project/ programme - theory of change
• Define major goals and indicators of your impact measurement
• Define how you will involve stakeholders along the way
• Define how will you collect data for your action/ project/ programme
• Define what tools will you use to collect data periodically
• Define how you will promote and share the data and information about your impact

Training 📋

Measurement of impact - planning and tools to be used

Tools for impact measurement 👇

• Surveys and questionnaires
• Structured and in-depth interviews
• Data analytics software
• Real time tracking systems

• Cost-benefit analysis
• Return on Investment
• Social Return on Investment
• Case studies
• Participatory mapping
• Starholder workshop, etc.

Training 📋

Measurement of impact - planning and tools to be used

Long-lasting impact with sustainable projects 👇

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Collect viable data in an "Achievement Journal” and celebrate successes with your funding bodies, partners and sponsors.

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Put yourself in contact with local stakeholders and inform local communities, newspapers and universities about the positive impact of your project.

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Analyse, scale and grow along with the momentum of joy and energy of your community while communicating what you need next so people can help you achieve it.

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Think of a project in the field of climate change that you have implemented or that you want to implement in the near future and consider listing 4 positive externalities of that specific project.

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• Imagine how this project could generate positive effects in areas like public housing, mobility, community decision-making, youth work, arts, etc. Write these externalities and observe the groups of people that might benefit them.

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• This exercise is fundamental to comprehend the complex relationships between context, project activities and influences in community/ region and society in general.

Practical tasks 📋

Task 1: List of positive externalities within a climate change project

Consider the project from the previous task, in the field of climate change - one that you have implemented or that you want to implement in the near future. Identify 3 measurement tools to assess the impact of it.

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• Strive for both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

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• This exercise allows you to understand how the project influences in the short and long term a group of people, a community, a region, an industry, and even the society - when it comes to big scale projects.

Practical tasks 📋

Task 2: Identification of tools for impact measurement

Isabella Hannelore

Arcangela Mavellia

Scientific expertise

Member of the Scientific Committee of the Via Romea Germanica Cultural Route of the Council of Europe

Education

Master's Degree in International Relations (Ca' Foscari University of Venice) 2016-2018

Sciences Po Paris 2014-2016

Bachelor's Degree in Business Economics and Management Touro College Berlin 2014

Berlin Brandenburg International School, Berlin 2010

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Serial entrepreneur

Vorhilfe 2014, SAIA 2017, GreenerEU 2020, Venywhere 2021, VUL 2022

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Expert in EU funding

Member of the Skills Alliances Pact for the implementation of EU funding strategies

EU funding facilitator

GreenerEU 2050 

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CEO Isabella Mavellia

Leading Changemaker in Sustainable Tourism �+39 328 741 18 79 �+49 170 936 9338 �

📧 office@greenereu.com �🌐 www.greenereu.com

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Your choices of Today mirror the world of Tomorrow

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InnovationLab – Civic Training for Sustainable Projects

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2025-2026

il nuovo percorso partecipativo promosso da The Human Safety Net e curato da Baba Jaga, Centro di Studio e di Ricerca Internazionale sui Cambiamenti Climatici, Rete scolastica “Dialogues for Futures” e GreenerEU per attivare creatività, resilienza e pensiero critico, come leve di cambiamento.