Internationally oriented universities are constantly becoming more active in building strong global sustainability alliances. Freie Universität Berlin has been an active advocate of sustainable development for many years. The publication ‘Universities as Change Makers: Sustainability Initiatives from Across the Globe’ is a product of a collaboration between the University Alliance for Sustainability (UAS) and the Postgraduate Program on Sustainable Development and Social Inequalities in the Andean Region (trAndeS). Both programs are joint initiatives coordinated by Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) and its international partner universities. 

‘Universities as Change Makers’ was released in English mid-2020 and the Spanish translation just followed this month! The publication features 12 sustainability initiatives implemented at universities around the globe. The stories from Canada, Chile, Colombia, China, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Peru, and Russia prove that universities can play a significant role as drivers of change on campus and beyond. It is therefore an important mission for sustainability actors to discuss both the success factors and the challenges of these projects. Due to the enormous practical know how, these initiatives have the potential to become model projects for other institutions around the globe.

On March 25^th, 2021 we invite you to our online event facilitated via an online collaboration platform, Lounjee. The discussion aims at sharing the learnings from the initiatives and networking between different sustainability actors from the academic sector and beyond. 

Ana Sabogal from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) will introduce the sustainability strategy including environmental education as part of the curriculum, projects, and activities on and off the campus in the talk The Sustainable University: Teaching, research and management for sustainability at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP). The initiative is pioneering among the Peruvian universities and aims at involving professors, students, and administrative staff.

Karola Braun-Wanke (Freie Universität Berlin) will elaborate on the innovative workshop formats bringing school students to the university. The workshops aim at both raising awareness for sustainability issues among children and teenagers and demonstrating them the relevance of science for our common future. Activities include exploring the cycle of water, making bioenergy, and creating stop-motion movies focusing on water use.

In a subsequent round of exchange, the participants are invited to share ideas and reflect on the chances and challenges of promoting sustainability at universities around the globe. Moreover, possibilities of transferring experience and knowledge will be discussed as well as the question, how the role of academic institutions as change makers can be combined with their activities in research and teaching. Additional materials and information will be provided on the Lounjee platform after registration. Participants have the opportunity to interact and network prior and after the event on this platform.

Publication Release and Online Discussion: Universities as Change Makers: Sustainability Initiatives Around the Globe

Language: English

Date: March 25, 2021, 4:00-6:00 pm Central European Time

Registration: Please kindly register for the event via this link: https://www.programa-trandes.net/PM-registro.
You will receive access information a few days before the event. After receiving the access link, please make sure to sign in to Lounjee as soon as possible to acquaint yourself with the platform and benefit of the networking offers.

Contact: contacto@programa-trandes.net

Link to publication: “Universities as Change Makers: Sustainability Initiatives from Across the Globe”