Vikings settled in Greenland in 986 AD. About five hundred years later the colonies disappeared. Scientists still do not know exactly, whether they abandoned Greenland or starved. Nevertheless some elements that led to the end of the settlements can be understood by analysing remaining objects: DEFORESTATION: The early settlers cut down the forest not knowing that regeneration would take longer than in Scandinavia, as a result wood became a scarce resource, MARGINALISATION: Trade relations with Norway decreased, because after the Crusades cheaper sources of ivory were available in Africa compared to the walruses hunted in Greenland, CLIMATE CHANGE: Climate change led to the late and unpredictable arrival of seals, an essential source of food as stocks declined at the end of winter, CONFLICTS: To create social cohesion the Vikings separated themselves from the Inuit and thus could not draw on Inuit traditional environmental knowledge. They were also involved in conflicts that reduced the labour force of the Vikings to a critical level. Many of these causes can be compared to contemporary environmental risks. Therefore evaluating the end of the Vikings in Greenland may provide an inspiring example to discuss issues of sustainability. DEALING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE: In the 14th and 15th century all over the North Atlantic, the Vikings adjusted their lifestyles but still it was impossible to survive on Greenland. Today we might slow down climate change, but it is already certain that the rise in temperatures will demand adjustments (e.g. town planning) and will result in climate refugees. TRADE RELATIONS: As trade shifted to the South and East the settlements became marginalized, a threat Europe fears today when the focus of the global economy shifts to the Pacific region. But also the question arises of how to deal with least developed countries, which are largely excluded from international trade. MANAGEMENT OF RENEWABLE RESOURCES: The Vikings in the vulnerable settlements in Greenland developed law codes, while contemporary issues such as overfishing and unsustainable logging of wood, especially in the rainforest, are unsolved problems and demand regulations. The interdiscilinary project team of Wissenschaftsladen Bonn (D), Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transistion (DK), BAOBAB (AU), Faculty of Education of Edge Hill University (UK) and Projektagentur Andreas Joppich (D) supported by the Danish National Museum and the Danish History Teachers Association will develop workshop material based on the research about the Viking settlements in Greenland. Children can explore the artefacts found by researchers in the ancient settlements and apply scientific methods of analysis to interpret what has led to their end. Newspaper articles allow the students to compare their findings to modern issues of sustainability and draw conclusions for lifestyles and policy making. Their ideas for environmental policies are compared to European environmental policies, so that the students can understand regulations and participate in political decision-making. The resource materials, which can be provided by the partner organisations but also lent to schools for the application in lessons of history and geography, includes reconstructed artefacts, maps, guidebooks on research methods, newspaper articles, maps and data sets on contemporary issues, along with guidelines for comparing the findings to modern times. An outdoor setting offers the children a more adventurous experience as the items may be hidden and have to be discovererd first. Some outdoor games are used to create an adventurous atmosphere and stimulate the cooperation of the children. The workshop provides an example of how competence-centred education can be put into practice and therefore supports the efforts of the European Union and national governments to replace knowledge-centred practices in schools. To support this goal, the project partners also formulate a survey based recommendation on learning through inquiry and its benefits for the development of competences, especially learning to learn and scientific approaches but also social and civic competences, language and mathematics. Based on the experience, guidelines for learning through inquiry are produced, integrated into the manual, and transferred to a concept for train-the-trainer seminars. An instruction for self-assessment in the manual will make teachers aware of the learning impact on students and allows a promotion of learning through inquiry even after the project has ended. In addition, the method supports interdisciplinary teaching and thereby more cooperation in schools. A recommendation for the integration of the workshop in the curricula of history and geography is prepared for each country. Scientific articles documenting the analogies and differences of the Viking age and contemporary challenges give value to the linkage.