University of Bern students create app for sustainable consumption in Bern
The Bern tertiary students’ association for sustainability, BENE (Verein für nachhaltige Entwicklung an den Berner Hochschulen), has just issued an app for sustainable consumption in Bern. Named "BENE Stadtplan" (BENE city map) and featuring over 170 businesses in Bern, this online guide is the outcome of a project supported by swissuniversities, the University of Bern, and the SUB (student association of the University of Bern). The dedicated small team who created the app were motivated by a desire to help everyone in Bern make conscious decisions about consumption and lifestyle, based on sustainability criteria.
The abstracts and conclusions of the joint IRDO Conferences on "Socially Responsible Society", which took place virtually on 10 and 11 June 2021, have been published. The full papers will be available in September 2021. The event was supported by the COPERNICUS Alliance with a Micro Fund and featured a contribution by Anne Zimmermann and HES2020 colleagues on "Creative virtual conferencing and networking to advance higher education for sustainable development".
"Transformative learning for sustainable development fostering the doughnut economy" is the theme of the next CA Conference, which will be hosted by Hasselt University. From 5-9 September 2022, Hasselt University will open its doors for a physical conference in Belgium, but an online teaser event will already take place on Thursday afternoon, 9 December 2021. What can you expect from this virtual afternoon? Interesting keynote discussions, interactive workshops, live debates from a cosy studio and much more! Getting excited for an interactive, inclusive and inspiring afternoon full of doughnuts? Take your diary and mark the dates in the color of your favorite doughnut! More information and registration will soon be available.
The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) together with the Social Innovation Center ArantzazuLab is developing a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) to foster transition skills that are necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. With financial support through a CA Micro Fund, a workshop was organized with Prof. Jorge Riechmann (Autonomous University of Madrid). The keynote is also available as a video.
The Volunteering Program of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is a project that seeks to channel and promote students' concern for solidarity. More than a decade ago, the UPV/EHU implemented a plan for the recognition of optional ECTS credits in undergraduate studies, which resulted in over 150,000 hours of voluntary work in cooperation and social action programs so far.
University employees have a big responsibility as role models and multiplicators when it comes to sustainability, both at professional level and in their private social environment. Adapting new habits and integrating sustainable routines in daily life starts with knowing about it. The University of Graz added three new courses to its further education programme for staff members to raise awareness for sustainability issues. Both academic and administrative employees can take the courses for free and obtain a certificate.
The In Focus section of the upcoming edition of the magazine IAU Horizons will shed a light on the theme “Leadership for a Sustainable Future – Higher Education and Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals”. Interested authors are invited to share their leadership initiatives, strategic practices for SD and the impact on their institutions with a focus on whole institution approaches to SD, leadership dynamics within the institution including academic and administrative staff, researchers, project leaders, as well as student leaders. The articles are short opinion pieces of maximum 800 words. Deadline for expression of interest: 6 August 2021; deadline for submission of final contributions: 15 September 2021.
The UNESCO Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, held virtually from 17-19 May 2021, underscored the urgency with which steps need to be taken, including strong leadership to transform education and to ensure ESD is embedded as a foundational element in education systems worldwide. The 2,800 participants from 161 countries adopted the Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development in order to make ESD foundational at all levels. 
A multiplicity of educational experiences, programs, and approaches exist or are currently being designed in, on, or for mountains. This focus issue of Mountain Research and Development (Vol 40, No 4), offers some answers to the question of how education can contribute to sustainable development in mountain areas. Articles present examples and insights from around the world. Covering a wide range of formal and informal education at all levels, including practical training and lifelong learning opportunities, they provide a basis for future research, policy, and action.
A movement of French researchers invented "Camille Noûs", an imaginary scientific author intended to embody the collective dimension of scientific research. His creation seeks to underline that the sense of collective work has been devalued and forgotten during the last decades in academia, through various neoliberal research policies that prioritize competition over cooperation, and thereby favor individualism at all levels. Their manifesto points out important dimensions of research sustainability.
Frontiers in Sustainability opens a new research topic on "The Role of the Human Dimension in Promoting Education for Sustainable Development at the Regional Level". The theme is closely sociated with ESD and learning processes on regional level, where diverse actors are involved. Deadlines: Abstracts by June 2021 (not obligatory) and manuscripts by January 2022 via the Frontiers online system. 
The book "Developing Sustainability Competences Through Pedagogical Approaches. Experiences from International Case Studies" edited by Prof. Rodrigo Lozano and Dr. Maria Barreiro-Gen (both University of Gävle) integrates practice-based original research on how sustainability is incorporated in curricula, the competences being developed, and the pedagogical approaches being used to develop the competences.
The face mask has become part of our daily attire and most likely will continue to be so for some time as the main measure of protection against COVID-19. Its use has led to a considerable increase consumption and production of plastic and other materials, with a serious negative impact on the environment. The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has joined forces with two Basque companies to give a second life to used masks.
The Sustainability Journal accepts contributions to a Special Issue on "Sustainable Development Goals in Tertiary Education for Sustainability". Higher education institutions are engaged, through education, research, and regional and international partnerships. Educators and researchers have taken innovative steps towards improving education regarding sustainability challenges by implementing ambitious transitions in higher education, developing pedagogical skills and experience, and gaining in-depth knowledge and expertise. However, there is a need for increased knowledge sharing, exchange, and reflection. The Special Issue aims to promote the exchange of research on education experience and insights in this important field of knowledge on a global scale. 
The 11th World Environmental Education Congress is dedicated to "Building Bridges in Times of Climate Urgency". The WEEC will take place from 14-18 March 2022, for the first time in its history, both on-site in Prague and online. One parallel section will focus on re-thinking environmental education from an arts & ethics perspective. Abstracts can be submitted until 31 August 2021.
