A sustainable future lies in the hands of future generations, but it is up to today's TU/e professionals to prepare them as well as possible. That is the idea behind the Sustainability in Education Award, which will be presented for the first time on Thursday, October 3, to teachers who are weaving sustainability into their teaching in an inspiring and successful way.
That award ceremony is one of the program components of the Sustainability Day @ TU/e, a whole day dedicated to sustainability at and by the university. Other activities include an exhibition, networking opportunities, a symposium, workshops, and the inauguration of TU/e sustainability ambassador Anna Wieczorek. The common thread throughout the program is the message to "join forces, take responsibility, and enable transformation," according to the organization.
Education focused on major societal challenges
The reference to responsibility is explicitly reflected in the idea for the Sustainability in Education Award. This "recognizes the efforts of teachers and teaching groups who invest in educational development and direct their teaching toward addressing grand societal challenges such as climate change, social inequality, and biodiversity loss."
A total of 53 entries by 20 teachers (groups) were in the race, from which the jury - consisting of four students from the Go Green Office and five members of the Sustainability Advisory Council - ultimately selected three finalists. They will all be on stage during Sustainability Day @ TU/e and will then hear, together with the audience, who the winner is and thus who can spend 2,500 euros as they wish on the award's purpose. Who are the finalists, and what are their ideas? We introduce them below.
