Green Digitalization Course

The Green Digitalization course aims to connect the most salient topics in green economy with digitalization.

To achieve that objective, during the course the students analyze relevant topic in green economy, they build an economic model to study that topic and they develop an app to conduct all the economic simulations in the economic model.

To develop the app, the course is organized in three blocks that complement each other. First the students design the layout of the app by using HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Flask. Second, they program the economic simulations by using Python and SQLAlchemy. Finally, they deploy their apps in the server, by using GitGub, Heroku, and Amazon Web Services.

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Ch1: We install Python and Visual Studio Code. We learn to create virtual enviroments, and we create our first Flask app.

Chapter 1

Ch2: By using Flask routes, we design the basic structure of our app (home page, and app calculator page).

Chapter 2

Ch3: We learn the basic elements of HTML (head and title), and we study the main elements and properties of the head and title.

Chapter 3

Ch4: We develop the HTML and CSS file to design the navigation bar, the header and the developers sections in our home.html file.

Chapter 4

Ch5: We develop the HTML and CSS file to design the methodology.html and carbon_app files. We also learn how to use Bootstrap.

Chapter 5

Ch6: By using Blueprints, we change the structure of our app creating a package that will be hosted in the platform Forward.

Chapter 6

Ch7: We create an account in GitHub and Amazon Web Services (AWS). We deploy our app in AWS by using Elastic Beanstalk and CodePipeline.

Chapter 7

Ch8: We learn how to create forms to interact with the user. We protect sensitive information creating environmental variables.

Chapter 8

Midway conference: The students present their apps and their business models. They also explain their team work strategy.

Midway Conference

Ch9: We connect our app to a database by using Flask-MySQL. We create queries to access users information.


Chapter 9

Ch10: We learn to customize validation messages, and we focus on the log in, log out, and authentication functionalities.

Chapter 10

Ch11: By using Python, we develop the mathematical machinery to work out users' transport carbon emissions.


Chapter 11

Ch12: We deploy our app connected to a PostgreSQL database in Amazon Web Services by using a Relational Database Service.

Chapter 12

Ch13: We develop some basic queries to access users' carbon emissions data and we display that information by using tables and chart.js.

Chapter 13

Ch14: We deploy our app in Heroku. We create a PostgreSQL database and connect it to our app by using environmental variables.

Chapter 14

Lysdagen Conference: The students share their apps with Startup Lab and Bergen municipality who also present their own projects.

Lysdagen Conference

Frequently Asked Questions

Assignment at NHH.

Portfolio in groups of 6-7 students consisting of the following parts:

  • Essay on transport carbon emissions (7-8 pages).
  • Developing an app to assess transport carbon emissions.
  • Weekly challenges.
  • Final conference presentation.
  • A final grade will be allocated to each group.
All parts of the portfolio must be conducted in the same semester.

The essay and the presentation in the final conference will be evaluated by the course responsible and an external evaluator.

An assessment in FOR19 will not be organised in the the non-teaching semester. As of autumn 2023, only mandatory bachelor courses with an individual assessment will have an assessment in the non-teaching semester. This only applies to students with a valid course approval. The retake options that apply at all times are decided by the dean for the bachelor program and will be published in the course description.

Assignment at HVL.

Portfolio in groups of 6-7 students consisting of the following parts:

  • Essay on transport carbon emissions (7-8 pages).
  • Developing an app to assess transport carbon emissions.
  • A final grade will be allocated to each group.
Every week, each group of students will have five minutes to present their proposed solution for the “weekly challenge” about the topic that we covered the previous week. The “weekly challenge” does not account for the final grade, but it is a requirement for the course approval. At the end of the course, I organize a conference where all the groups present their apps. The presentation does not account for the final grade, but it is a requirement for the course approval.

All parts of the portfolio must be conducted in the same semester.

Requirement for course approval - only for students at HVL -

There are two requirements that each student must fulfil to be qualified for the final exam.

  • Every week, each group of students will have five-ten minutes to present their proposed solution for the “weekly challenge” about the topic that we covered the previous week. The “weekly challenge” does not account for the final grade, but it is a requirement for the course approval.
  • At the end of the course, I organize a conference where all the groups present their apps. The presentation does not account for the final grade, but it is a requirement for the course approval.

The students write a 8-9 pages (no more) essay. To write the essay, the students must search in scientific papers and official documents to develop a solid methodology to work out transport carbon emissions. The quality of the essay will be based on the methodology, and the quality and originality of the exposition. The students can present exclusively the methodology, or can also illustrate the methodology with examples, or any other resource they consider appropriate. The entire idea of the course is to help the student not find a job, but to create their own companies. In the essay, the students can also develop the business model for their app.

Based on the methodology and the business model presented in the essay, the students develop and app. The app will be developed step by step during the course. At the end of the course each group have its own app running on Amazon Web Services. To have a good grade, the apps must have all the functionalities developed during the course. The students could also change the layout of their apps if they want. The students have a lot of freedom to develop their own app. However, to have a good grade, the students must guarantee that the app have all the functionalities learned during the course, and have a nice and intuitive layout.

During the course, I will teach the students to create their own GitHub repository, and their own accounts in Amazon Web Service. After each lecture, the students will update the GitHub account based on the content covered in that lecture. By doing that, the students will have their own apps running in Amazon Web Service. Before to take the exam, each student must send me the links to their GitHub repositories and Amazon Web Service, so that I can verify that they have followed the course.

At the end of the course, I will create a package with the students’ apps. Therefore, each group will have its own app hosted in the platform Forward. This will help the students to have a portfolio of apps publicly available at no cost, since the students’ apps will use the databases and the resources of Forward.

The essay and the development of the app is conducted in random groups of 6-7 persons. In the future the students will need to work with persons from different background, and write and essay and develop in that environment helps them to make that transition smoothly.

At NHH

The course starts on Monday 8th January, and finishes on Wednesday 17th April. The course will be taught for 15 weeks, and we will cover 14 chapters. Therefore, we will cover approximately one chapter per week.

The key dates for the course are the next ones:

  • Wednesday 06th March: Midway conference. The midway conference will be around 06th March. The date will be flexible since the conference will be after chapter 8.
  • Wednesday 17th April: Deadline to submit the final version of the paper with your methodology.
  • Monday 22nd April: Final exam.

At HVL

The course starts on Tuesday 9th January, and finishes on Wednesday 17th April. The course will be taught for 15 weeks, and we will cover 14 chapters. Therefore, we will cover approximately one chapter per week.

The key dates for the course are the next ones:

  • Wednesday 06th March: Midway conference. The midway conference will be around 06th March. The date will be flexible since the conference will be after chapter 8.
  • Wednesday 17th April: Deadline to submit the final version of the paper with your methodology.
  • Wednesday 24th April: Final exam.

At HVL, the lectures are on Tuesdays (10.15-12.00) in J204 (36), and Wednesdays (08.15-10.00) in Aud D426. At NHH, the lectures are on Mondays and Wednesdays (14.15–16.00) in Aud J.

Each chapter has its own webpage. To make the course more effective, and to facilitate the learning process, each chapter has its own YouTube video(s), and its own GitHub repository(ies). The students must watch the videos and follow the directions in the videos before each lecture.

In each lecture, we go through the material covered in the videos, and we will type all the code. So, that at the end of the lecture we are sure that all the students understand the material covered in each chapter. In the lectures, we will work in groups. So, the students can help each other.

Each week, I will propose a “weekly challenge” to the students. The students will work on that challenge together, and the subsequent week we will propose the solutions to the challenge in the lecture. Each week, all the groups will present their solution in the weekly challenge. To facilitate the cooperation to solve the weekly challenge, we will use a chat where all the students from HVL and NHH will participate. I will participate also in that chat proposing ideas to solve the weekly challenge.

All the lectures will be streamed by using Zoom (https://nhh.zoom.us/j/6343089435).

If any student/group needs help, please let me know, and we will meet to solve any problem/doubt that you might have. You can ask me for a tutorial during the lectures or drop me a line by using Canvas or my email (mario.paz@nhh.no).

If you cannot meet physically, please drop me a line, and we set an appointment at a different time, or by using Zoom (https://nhh.zoom.us/j/6343089435)