Sustainable Summer Universities

Written by Maartje Zaal Member of AEGEE-Eindhoven, Sustainability Committee

This year, the topic of sustainability gained more momentum than ever! At Autumn Agora Salerno, the Sustainability Manifesto and the new Strategic Plan were signed. The Strategic Plan includes new organisational improvements related to sustainability and the new Focus Area on Climate Emergency. This agora also gave birth to the Sustainability Committee. Before that, the summer of 2019 was already full of sustainability, thanks to the Summer Universities!

Preparation by the Society and Environment Interest Group (SEIG) The SEIG team worked hard to prepare a set of workshops on topics ranging from Introduction to Sustainability, Circular Economy and to Change-Making, Minimalism and Sustainable Cities and made them available for all. As a result of SEIG’s preparation, as well as that of others, there were in fact seven Summer Universities on Sustainability! For example, AEGEE Kraków & Wrocław cooperated with the Civic Education Working Group to train Earth’s Superheroes! SEIG’s trainers were Maartje Zaal and Diederik de Wit. Diederik gave a workshop on Circular Economy, next to a beautiful lake in Estonia, during the legendary Summer University of Tarthoven. After that, he travelled to Slovenia as a trainer of the “SLOw Summer Humor” SU, organised by AEGEE-Ljubljana & AEGEE-Maribor. In this stunningly beautiful and green country, the topic of sustainability fitted perfectly and inspired the participants. The sessions ranged from introduction to Sustainability, to the Fashion Industry, to Changemakers in Society. Besides the more serious sessions there was also time for more leisurely activities, such as a sustainability pub quiz and theatrical performances on a chosen sustainability related topic Smells Like Green Spirit Vol.2

Maartje went to Croatia to be a trainer at “Smells Like Green Spirit vol. 2”, which was a huge success. The organisation was great and sustainability was also integrated in other parts of the Summer University, besides

the sessions. For example, the participants went to a permaculture estate, did a beach cleaning and separated their waste. The workshops took place on the top of a mountain, in several parks and even one on a little island that they arrived at swimming.

The participants started off with a sustainability bingo. Then they learned “A Systems Perspective”. They dived into the notion that everything in our world is interrelated and we are all connected to our surroundings. We need clean air, water and fertile soil. The way we live and act right now, pollutes that air, water and soil. As it is hard to change our behaviour from one day or the other, they learned that it is a process that takes time

“A positive approach here is important.You want to give people alternatives and possibilities.”

“The kick start of a year where AEGEE uniquely makes steps to a more sustainable future”

and in which people need to take up different roles. A positive approach here is important. You want to give people alternatives and possibilities, which is empowering, instead of blaming people, which is disabling.

That sustainability can be very fun, was proven with the SU Ranking, where Smells Like Green Spirit Vol. 2 became second! On top of that, two of the participants of this Summer University joined the new Sustainability Committee.