A Week of Sustainability at INGENIUM Universities

For the first time, Sustainability Week, was held across all universities within the INGENIUM Alliance, on 14-18 October. The idea originated from Work Package 7, which focuses on Sustainable Development within INGENIUM. Through a series of inspiring lectures, interactive workshops, and open discussions, sustainability was explored from social, economic, and ecological perspectives.

With the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a foundation, Sustainability Week creates a platform for both dialogue and collaboration. Activities on this important theme took place throughout the Alliance, both onsite and online, during this first dedicated week.

“We offer a combination of education and inspiration to further encourage both students and staff to understand the benefits of sustainable and regenerative practices. We want to raise awareness and encourage to take action.” 
Christine Mulder, Innovation Advisor at the University of Skövde and Project Leader for the extensive sustainability work within INGENIUM managed by Work Package 7.

Rallying the INGENIUM Community Online

The ten universities have put together a diverse program of activities throughout the week, taking place both in person and virtually. The online events enabled students and staff from all INGENIUM to participate. The week kicked off with a webinar hosted by Catherine Carty, UNESCO Chair Manager, at MTU. It was followed further in the week by a session led by Maria Cederlund, Student Counsellor, at the University of Skövde addressing the challenges of balancing studies with everything else life brings. Students from University of Oviedo, Medical University of Sofia, Technical University of Iasi and the University of Skövde joined the webinar and received valuable advice.

A wide range of activities with sustainability in focus

Across the different campuses it was a very busy week with a wide range of activities. Here are just a few examples on how Sustainability Week looked like across the Alliance:

  • hands on workshop about natural dye print;
  • workshops on how to adopt eco-friendly practices;
  • a lunch ‘n learn about wildflower planting;
  • an interactive workshop on inclusion and intercultural competence;
  • workshop on sewing to encourage both students and staff to repair, reuse and recycle both clothes and other textiles.

Also, Irish students got the opportunity to discover the power of how nature can boost our well-being in their outdoor classroom at MTU Kerry. While in Romania, over 150 students and staff volunteered for the INGENIUM Sustainability Week at TUIASI with various outdoor activities that focused on reducing carbon footprint. One of the most noticeable was the campus-wide tree planting and campus clean-up event. The participants got a chance to discover how they can contribute to a positive environmental impact and how even the smallest actions can be transformed into significant steps for a sustainable future.

Waffles and flea market

At HKA’s campus, staff working with INGENIUM set up a Wheel of Fortune featuring a quiz about INGENIUM and sustainability. Students had the chance to spin the wheel, answer questions, and were rewarded with waffles, which was, unsurprisingly, a big hit with them. The student organization “Healthy HKA” also participated in the week, offering chocolate-covered fruit, and there was a flea market on campus as well. URN organized several activities, including a workshop titled “Designing the University for Biodiversity”.

Students ideas to make campuses more sustainable

New pop-up meeting spaces have been created to spark discussions about sustainable development. Stands with SDG cubes, snacks, and coffee encourage students to share their ideas on how to make campuses more sustainable. Some of the suggestions included increasing the use of solar power, offering bike rentals, providing more online course materials instead of printed ones, organising flea markets, and holding workshops on social sustainability. Students also proposed adding recycling machines on campus where money could be credited to student cards for use in campus shops.

While the activities during INGENIUM’s inaugural Sustainability Week are diverse, the most important takeaway is that this week was more than just an event – it’s a call to action.