UNESCO and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research have presented National ESD awards to a total of 32 actors who are leading the way with innovative educational offerings that empower people to play an active role in creating a sustainable future. The judges panel was impressed by the University of Bonn’s exemplary commitment to these efforts, demonstrating a particular focus on realizing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Jennifer Sobotta, Head of the Sustainability Unit, and Pia von Falkenhausen, Advisor to the Vice Rector for Sustainability, accepted the award yesterday on behalf of the University.
ESD seminars for participatory learning
“We are very proud to receive this award, as integrating sustainability into teaching is a core element of our sustainability strategy,” said Professor Annette Scheersoi, Vice Rector for Sustainability. This commitment is evident from the numerous innovative ESD-relevant courses offered, including the interdisciplinary project seminar StadtKlimaWandeln on environmentally friendly transformation of urban landscapes. Students of different subjects work together in this seminar to develop ideas and project concepts for how redesigning greenspaces in the city of Bonn for climate-resiliency and enhanced biodiversity. Another noteworthy initiative is the CampusAckerdemie pilot project, which integrates ESD into teacher education. Students enrolled in teaching degree programs plant, sow, cultivate and harvest up to 30 different kinds of vegetables on the University's own farming plot in this project, thereby developing the core agricultural competencies they will need to be high-impact teachers in school gardens later on. Supplementary workshops training students on pedagogical techniques are also part of the project experience.“ ESD projects like StadtKlimaWandeln and CampusAckerdemie are specially designed to be participative in nature,” Professor Scheersoi noted, “Thus we are greatly pleased that the judges panel has recognized our efforts.”
The National Education for Sustainable Development awards
These National Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Awards are presented to organizations, networks and municipalities committed to bringing about a better, more sustainable society within the UNESCO ESD 2030 program framework. The formal title for the ESD 2030 program is “Education for Sustainable Development: Towards Achieving the SDGs”. The program purpose is to broadly anchor ESD throughout the educational system.
Further information on the StadtKlimaWandeln project:
https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/universitaet/ueber-die-uni/nachhaltige-uni/eigene-nachrichten/neue-ideen-fuer-duene-und-hundewiese
Further information on the CampusAckerdemie project:
https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/university/about-the-university/sustainable-university/campusackerdemie?set_language=en
Further information on the UNESCO ESD 2030 program:
https://www.unesco.de/bildung/bildung-fuer-nachhaltige-entwicklung/unesco-programm-bne-2030