ESD - Education for sustainable development 

Education for sustainable development is not only about teaching sustainability topics, such as climate change mitigation or biodiversity, but also enables students to think critically and reflectively. Participatory techniques are used to enable collaborative and transformative learning interactively. The concept promotes independent and self-determined knowledge acquisition that is closely oriented to the realities of student life. Students can acquire future-oriented competences and are enabled to understand and evaluate sustainability challenges as well as to identify and explore opportunities for change and action. Diversity of perspectives, different dimensions of sustainability, and potential objective-conflicts are central elements of ESD. As a university, we have a key role to play in imparting these skills - and we also want to incorporate the suggestions and ideas from the classroom and student perspectives into our everyday university life and operations. 

Award presentation of the N-ERGIE prizes, from left to right: Daniela Tröster (N-ERGIE), Jan Niessen, Florian Matzak, Katrin Schwanke, Michael Domes (Project team CZ, Ohm), Christina Zitzmann (Ohm) (Photo: Melanie Scheller)

Sustainability prize awarded for the first time!

The “Zukunftspreis” from the Innovation und Zukunft Stiftung (IuZ) recognises final theses and educational research projects in the areas of sustainability, education for sustainable development, and climate change mitigation.

The Innovation und Zukunft Stiftung (IuZ) promotes and supports civil society and policy, science, and research for the betterment of humankind and the environment. One of their central aims is to achieve sustainable education to better understand the global effects of our behaviour. The foundation recognises projects that are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and that contribute to societal transformation.

This was the first year the prize was awarded. Prizes were awarded to:

  • Prof. Tobias Gaugler and Prof. Jan Niessen, Faculty of Business Administration, Educational research project: “ECHT-Supermarkt”
  • Laura Freitag, student in the Management in Organic and Sustainability Business programme, final thesis: “Nachhaltige Ernährung in der Außer-Haus-Verpflegung: Methoden und Instrumente zur Förderung gesunder und nachhaltiger Ernährungsentscheidungen am Beispiel eines Frühstücksbuffets” (Sustainable nutrition in the catering industry: methods and instruments to promote healthy and sustainable nutritional decisions using a breakfast buffet as an example)

Congratulations!

www.innovationzukunft.org