Écotopie - laboratoire d'écopédagogie

What Écotopie - laboratoire d'écopédagogie does

Écotopie - Laboratoire d'écopédagogie is a Belgian non-profit association (ASBL), founded in 1991 and headquartered at Rue Fusch 3 in Liège (Wallonia). It functions as a laboratory and reference center at the intersection of environmental education (Éducation relative à l'Environnement) and permanent education (éducation permanente), developing and disseminating critical, participatory, and transformative pedagogical approaches to socio-environmental issues. The organization is staffed by 5 permanent employees supplemented by approximately 10 occasional contractors.

Its core offering is a portfolio of professional training services, split between scheduled programs (Formations programmées, e.g., Écopédagogie en action, fresque/climate, eco-anxiety, ecofeminism, storytelling, engagement) delivered as half-day to 12-day modules, and bespoke programs (Formations sur mesure) designed for constituted groups of 6-16 participants. Pricing is differentiated by audience: €40-300 for professionals, €10-120 for individuals, with implicit offsetting via the Fonds 4S for workers in CP 329.02/329.03. Complementary revenue comes from low-price educational tools (€5-10 paper versions) and free downloadable PDF publications, plus institutional subsidies from Wallonia and Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, and project-based funding such as the 2022-2025 Erasmus+ ECoNNECT consortium covering France, Belgium, and Greece.

Underlying 'technology' consists of proprietary pedagogical frameworks — notably the Questions Socialement Vives (QSV) method, the Écopédagogie participatory action-research framework, and a published analytical framework for evaluating transformative tools like the Climate Fresque — together with physical pedagogical artifacts (Éventail de l'écocitoyennet é, Les saisons de l'engagement, MILITENS', Le jeu des noeuds). Distribution is direct and venue-based, with training delivered across a network of partner venues in Liège, Brussels, Louvain-la-Neuve, and Namur, and digital self-serve reach via the ecotopie.be website, newsletter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Customers are environmental educators, teachers, socio-cultural professionals, and eco-advisors primarily across Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

Name

Écotopie - laboratoire d'écopédagogie

Legal name

Écotopie ASBL

Website

https://ecotopie.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Écotopie is a Belgian non-profit ASBL (founded 1991, Liège) that designs and delivers eco-pedagogy training, educational tools, and research for environmental educators, teachers, and socio-cultural professionals across Wallonia and select European partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO), Sustainability Engagement, Training & Behavior Change Programs (On-site) (BPABALAK), Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)

Keywords

• Environmental education training
• Eco-pedagogy programs
• Transformative pedagogy
• Pedagogical tool development
• Participatory action research

Headquarters

HQ city

Liège

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Services: Écotopie generates revenue through scheduled training programs and custom training services delivered to professionals in environmental education, animation, and the socio-cultural sector. Training fees are charged per participant with differentiated pricing for professionals and individuals.
2. Educational Tools and Publications: The organization sells educational tools (posters, pedagogical guides) in paper format and provides free PDF downloads of publications. Tool prices range around 5-10 euros for paper versions.
3. Institutional Funding: Écotopie receives financial support from Wallonia and Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles as part of their institutional mission in permanent education. Additionally, the organization can access funding from the Fonds 4S for training workers in specific professional categories (CP 329.02 and 329.03).
4. Research Project Funding: Écotopie participates in European research projects like ECoNNECT (Erasmus+), which provides funding for developing nature education and citizenship training programs across European partner countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Écotopie is a non-profit environmental education laboratory that designs and delivers professional training programs (formations programmées and formations sur mesure) in eco-pedagogy, climate education, eco-anxiety, engagement, and storytelling for animators, teachers, and socio-cultural professionals. The organization also develops and sells proprietary pedagogical tools (posters, board games, and visual aids) and publishes research, analyses, and educational studies. Customized training programs are offered for constituted groups, and the organization participates in collaborative research projects including the European ECoNNECT initiative.

Product overview

Écotopie operates as an environmental education laboratory offering a portfolio of scheduled and custom training programs in eco-pedagogy. The core offerings include the 12-day 'Écopédagogie en action' intensive program and specialized modules on eco-anxiety, climate education, engagement, and storytelling. The organization also produces pedagogical tools including 'Éventail de l'écocitoyenneté' (an ecocitizenship fan tool), 'Les saisons de l'engagement' (seasons of engagement framework), 'MILITENS'' (tension visualization tool), and 'Le jeu des noeuds' (systemic board game on environmental impacts). Complementing these are publications and studies on environmental education topics and collaborative research projects including the Erasmus+-funded ECoNNECT European initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Formations programmées (Scheduled training programs) Scheduled training sessions covering environmental education topics including eco-anxiety, climate education, engagement and militancy, storytelling, and eco-pedagogy, with sessions ranging from half-days to multi-day programs. Designed for environmental educators, teachers, animators, and socio-cultural professionals across Belgium.
• Formations sur mesure (Custom training programs) Bespoke training programs designed for constituted groups of 6-16 participants, lasting 2-4 days, covering topics such as climate denial, eco-anxiety, engagement, and fresque facilitation. Delivered at client locations or Écotopie's facilities upon agreement, with multi-year contract options.
• Écopédagogie en action (Eco-pedagogy in action) A 12-day intensive training program for animators to experiment and create new approaches to environmental education, combining classroom and field practice, including a residential weekend. Targeted at animators and animatrices seeking to reinvent their professional practice through transformative eco-pedagogy.
• Éventail de l'écocitoyenneté (Fan of eco-citizenship) A pedagogical tool (fan/poster with accompanying notebook) that vulgarizes and translates ecocitizenship into concrete terms, enabling educators to design outdoor nature activities. Sold as a physical product for 10-30€ and available as a free PDF download.
• Les saisons de l'engagement (The seasons of engagement) An educational tool using seasonal symbolism to illustrate different ways to engage in ecological transition, deconstructing the idea of an ideal activist and helping individuals find their own engagement style. Sold as a paper version with poster at 5€ plus shipping; free PDF download available.
• MILITENS' A pedagogical tool that displays tensions within activism and collective work, helping participants understand and navigate dynamics of engagement. Targeted at environmental educators, animators, and socio-cultural professionals.
• Le jeu des noeuds (The game of knots) A pedagogical board game developed in cooperation with Morocco to teach about human impacts on the environment in Moroccan national parks, using a systemic approach. Targeted at forest rangers, animators, and environmental educators working in conservation contexts.
• Recherches (Research services) Collaborative research at the intersection of environmental education and permanent education, using participatory action research methodologies with an emancipatory focus. Includes the ECoNNECT European project (Erasmus+, 3-year initiative starting September 2022) and research on emotions in environmental education in partnership with Université de Liège.

Quantifiable outcome

• Écotopie's research on the Climate Fresque has been used to train facilitators in transformative pedagogy approaches
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ECoNNECT (European Collaboration Network for Nature Education and Citizenship Training)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Écotopie participates in the ECoNNECT project, a three-year initiative (starting September 2022) supported by the Erasmus+ EU program. The project brings together partners from France, Belgium, and Greece to develop nature education training adapted to environmental, institutional, and socio-economic contexts of partner countries.
• Université de Liège - Laboratoire de méthodologie de la géographiecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2017Partnership for collaborative research on emotions in environmental education. Jointly organized a colloquium in 2017 and developed a collaborative research program exploring the intersection of emotions, environmental awareness, and pedagogical practices.
• Maison de la Cédraie / Parc National d'Ifrane (Morocco)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2017Écotopie (then Institut d'Eco-Pédagogie) conducted a training mission for forest rangers and animators at the Ifrane National Park in Morocco's Middle Atlas region. The mission, part of a cooperation agreement between Moroccan authorities and Belgian governments, focused on equipping park staff with pedagogical tools for environmental sensitization.
• Éducation-Environnement asblminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHost venue partner providing the Salle verte training room at the Jardin Botanique in Liège for Écotopie's scheduled training programs.
• Maison du développement durable (MDD)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership venue in Louvain-la-Neuve for QSV (Questions Socialement Vives) training workshops, organized in partnership with MDD.
• Education-Environnement asblminorOthersVenue provider for Écotopie's training sessions at the Jardin Botanique in Liège.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• L'Esprit des Lieux: French association developing pedagogical tools and training for environmental and social educators, with a comparable focus on critical pedagogy and emancipatory education approaches.
• Les Écologistes de l'Euzière: French association specializing in environmental education and training for animators, producing pedagogical tools and publications on nature and ecology—closely mirrors Écotopie's training-and-tool model in a French context.
• Réseau IDée: Belgian French-speaking network of organizations active in environmental education, offering training, resources, and pedagogical support to educators—directly comparable to Écotopie's mission and target audience in Wallonia/Brussels.
• GRAINE (Groupements Régionaux d'Associations et d'Initiation à la Nature et à l'Environnement): French national network of regional environmental education associations providing training and pedagogical resources to educators—the French equivalent of the niche Écotopie occupies in Belgium.
• Éducation-Environnement asbl: Liège-based non-profit delivering environmental education programs and training to teachers and animators, including at the Jardin Botanique—overlapping closely with Écotopie's training delivery and customer segments.
• Union Nationale des CPIE (Centres Permanents d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement): Federation of French environmental education centers delivering training, tools, and programs to educators and animators—comparable in offering, customer base, and pedagogical methodology focus.

Broad incumbents

• Natagora: Largest Belgian French-speaking nature conservation NGO, running education programs and training for members and educators—an overlapping audience with broader conservation mandate.
• GoodPlanet Belgium: Belgian branch of the GoodPlanet foundation offering environmental education programs, training, and awareness campaigns—broader portfolio but overlapping target audience of educators and the general public in Belgium.

Regional players

• CPIE de Meuse (Hauts-de-France / cross-border): Cross-border French environmental education center near the Belgian frontier offering training and tools to educators—comparable offerings in a neighboring geography.

Emerging players

• La Fresque du Climat (Climate Fresque): French-origin climate education workshop that Écotopie has analyzed through its pedagogical framework; both serve environmental educators and facilitators, though Climate Fresque is a more standardized, rapidly-scaled workshop format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Ecotopieasbl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecotopie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Écotopie - laboratoire d'écopédagogie