A talk with former environmental minister Steffi LemkiSustainability Week: Sustainability Initiatives at the University

Photo: University of Hamburg / Esfandiari

There will be several Sustainability Week activities inside and around the tiny house on the Von-Melle-Park campus.

The event, organized by the University of Hamburg’s Sustainability Office, is open to students, researchers, teaching staff, and University employees as well as the general public and anyone interested in sustainability. “The Sustainability Week is a great opportunity for our University to become a place for exchange on the topic of sustainability and to foster dialogue between scientists, students, and the broader public,” says Prof. Dr. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons, the University of Hamburg’s chief sustainability officer. “Our goal is to develop solutions to today’s urgent challenges and to generate knowledge for a transformation towards sustainability.”

The 5-day program starts on Monday with a live screening of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, an initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the UN development program, the City of Hamburg, and the Michael Otto Foundation.

At the St. Katharinen church, Earth systems expert Prof. Dr. Dirk Notz from the University’s Institute of Oceanography will talk to the former federal minister for the environment Steffi Lemke and cofounder of the educational program Malizia My Ocean Challenge Birte Lorenzen-Herrmann about the risks to the oceans.

There will also be workshops on different topics at the University. A science slam will be devoted to sustainable activity, social involvement, and digital connection.  For 10 minutes, young researchers present their research projects, in a fun, interactive setting. On World Bicycle Day, there will be various activities, such as maintenance opportunities and posture checks on campus. TheWeek@Campus series targets teachers and teacher training students and at the Open Plenum 6.0, the Sustainability Office will present and discuss the current state of transformation and the latest research findings.

Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, president of the University of Hamburg: “The Sustainability Week epitomizes our self-image as a University for sustainability. We take on social responsibility and actively shape transformation. The exchange with committed researchers, personalities such as Steffi Lemke, and experts in different fields shows how important interdisciplinary dialogue is for innovative solutions. I invite everyone to join us as a University of Excellence in shaping a more sustainable future.”

See the University’s sustainability pages for the program and link to sign up, which is required for a few of the events.