This year's lecture series on sustainability focuses on West Africa, a region that is currently characterised by environmental changes, especially climate change, but also intense political conflicts and upheavals. Speakers from academia and practice will shed light on various aspects of migration and (sustainable) development in West Africa.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Zwei Menschen blicken auf einen See](/fileadmin/_processed_/6/f/csm_csm_COLOURBOX42955790_eba6895298_6e641cc431.jpg)
Humans are shaping the earth's surface so strongly today that this will still be recognisable in the distant geological future. ‘Anthropocene’ is the name for this hypothesis and for the postulate derived from it that a new geological age should be proclaimed for both scientific and political reasons. The lecture series reports on the changes and the scientific discussions surrounding the term.
Admission is free.
What is the climate crisis doing to our society? Why do political and social action still lag behind the demands of science? Why do some forms of protest polarise more than others? These questions are at the centre of the new event series ‘Focus on Climate - Moving from Talk to Action. Fundamentals of climate change’, which was launched on 28 April 2023.
Climate change and the associated effects on our planet are among the most pressing issues of our time. The open seminar series ‘Focus on Climate’ is dedicated to the social and political handling of the climate crisis against the background of various scientific disciplines.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Ringveranstaltung „Nachhaltigkeit und Konsum“](/fileadmin/_processed_/c/e/csm_COLOURBOX32829346_af59bd948d.jpg "[Translate to Englisch:] Ringveranstaltung „Nachhaltigkeit und Konsum“")
Everyone consumes. Every day. As purchasing decisions are influenced by personal habits and attitudes, it is not guaranteed that we will make conscious consumption decisions at all times. But this is exactly what sustainable consumption means: conscious, responsible consumption that ‘takes a closer look’ and scrutinises the costs of one's own individual consumption for people and the environment.
In Sustainable Development Goal 12 ‘Responsible consumption and production patterns’, the guiding principle of sustainable development addresses the interplay between individual consumer, usage and disposal behaviour and international value chains and asks how the interaction between the two can be made more ecologically and socially compatible.
As sustainable consumption affects everyone's everyday life and lifestyle, we are dedicating this Ringveranstaltung lecture series ´Sustainability and Consumption` „Nachhaltigkeit und Konsum“ in the winter semester 2022/23 to the discussion of this important sustainability topic.
Coffee, cocoa and other crops are grown worldwide in the tropics and subtropics and contribute immensely to the income of many countries in the South. But what is the ecological footprint of these cash crops and who earns from them? And are there ways to make cultivation more ecologically and socially sustainable? These questions are being discussed in an ongoing advanced seminar, which is currently also developing its own website. As part of the ‘Sustainability and Consumption’ series of events organised by the Sustainability Hub at the University of Passau, Professor Schmitt will give an overview of the conditions under which tropical cash crops are cultivated and, together with students taking part in the seminar, will discuss the initial results of the seminar.
Admission is free.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Kaffeeplantage](/fileadmin/_processed_/b/8/csm_coffee-plantation-g4633167ba_640_0b784b216c.jpg)
In the winter semester 2021/2022, the Ringvorlesung lecture series ´Changing Perspectives in Scienece and Society` entered its seventh round, this time with five events on the topic of ‘Sustainability in the Context of Digitalisation’. A special focus was placed on the area of ecological sustainability and resource issues. The aim was to take a critical look at various dimensions of the digitalisation of society and the economy and the challenges and opportunities that digitalisation offers for sustainable development.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Ringvorlesung „Perspektivwechsel in Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft“](/fileadmin/_processed_/b/2/csm_Colourbox-41837372_786c99edee.jpg "[Translate to Englisch:] Ringvorlesung „Perspektivwechsel in Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft“")
Prof. Dr Martina Fromhold-Eisebith, holder of the Chair of Economic Geography at RWTH Aachen University and member of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) until 2020, kicked off the event on 9 November 2021 and spoke about the opportunities and risks of digitalisation. In particular, she referred to the WGBU's demands: digitalisation must be designed in such a way that it can serve as a lever and support for the major transformation towards sustainability and be synchronised with it.
| Dates | Lectures |
|---|---|
| 09.11.2021 | Prof Dr Martina Fromhold-Eisebith (RWTH Aachen University): ‘Our digital future’ |
| 08.12.2021 | Dr Ulrike Kugler (Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Energy Industry Baden Württemberg): ‘Data centres and sustainable digitalisation’ |
| 15.12.2021 | Prof Dr Hermann de Meer (University of Passau): ‘The energy transition thrives on participation’ |
| 02.02.2022 | Prof Dr Katharina Spraul (TU Kaiserslautern): ‘Digital innovations for the circular economy’ |
| 09.02.2022 | Mascha Brost, Jürgen Weimer (German Aerospace Centre) and Jochen Benz (ZF Mobility Solutions): ‘Automated driving and the mobility transition’ |
This winter semester also saw a lecture series from the series ‘Changing Perspectives in Science and Society’, open to members of the university and all interested parties alike. This started on Tuesday, 10 November in digital format. Here you can find the complete Programm.
| Dates | Lectures |
|---|---|
| 10.11.2020 | Sustainable agriculture - good enough for the future? Prof Dr Maria Finckh, University of Kassel & Prof Dr Hartmut Graßl A joint event with the VDW (Association of German Scientists) |
| 17.11.2020 | Dilemmas of sustainability Prof Dr Anna Henkel, University of Passau (as part of https://hochschultage-bayern.de) |
| 01.12.2020 | Sustainable consumption as a moral distinction? Prof Dr Christian Neuhäuser, TU Dortmund University |
| 15.12.2020 | Asceticism and Voluntary Simplicity: A way out of the climate catastrophe? Prof Dr Suleika Bort, University of Passau & Prof Dr Dr A. Kieser, University of Mannheim |
| 12.01.2021 | Sustainability policy during and after the pandemic Prof Dr Konrad Ott, Kiel University |
| 26.01.2021 | Can there be car-free cities? Early visions and current debates Prof Dr Jörg Trempler, University of Passau |
| 02.02.2021 | Megacities - part of or solution to the global ecological challenge? Prof Dr W. Gamerith, Special Representative for Sustainability at the University of Passau |
The lecture series on sustainability continued in the 2018/19 winter semester - this time under the title ‘Business & Responsibility’. Scientists from German and Austrian research institutions as well as practitioners presented their approaches every (almost) 14 days from 23 October, focusing in particular on innovative approaches to sustainable forms of business. You can download an Eine overview of the contents od the individual events here.
| Dates | Title |
|---|---|
23.10.2018 | Social entrepreneurship: social, sustainable, profit-orientated - is it possible? |
06.11.2018 | Regional corporate responsibility - opportunities and challenges |
20.11.2018 | CSR - more appearance than reality? |
04.12.2018 | The common good region of south-east Bavaria - practical realisation of the common good for citizens, companies and local authorities. |
18.12.2018 | CSR in theory & practice - application using the example of the Heilbronn Declaration |
15.01.2019 | The responsibility of companies for human rights |
29.01.2019 | BMW in responsibility - CSR in the automotive industry (working title) |
The lecture series ‘Changing Perspectives in Science and Society’ also took place in the 2017/18 winter semester. Here you can find the completeProgramm.
Due to its density, the city as a living space promises close networking and exchange, easy access to services and participation in cultural and political events. The quality of public space is shaped by aspects as diverse as mobility concepts, affordable housing and its characteristics for newcomers, children and the poor. The joint lecture series ‘Urban living spaces between participation and value creation’ in the 2016/17 winter semester explored this area of tension between democratic and commercial interests. The aim was not only to take a critical look at various urban dimensions, but also to explore the question of urban development that meets the challenges of a global world. What can an urban environment contribute to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals?
For the first time, the Chair of Comparative Development and Cultural Research and the Passau Architecture Forum organised this public lecture series together with the University of Passau's ‘Workshop on Sustainability’ to present and debate ideas from science and planning practice for innovative urban futures.
| Dates | Events |
|---|---|
| 03.11.2016 | Destroy in order to preserve? Flood protection in the area of conflict between property protection, cityscape preservation and public participation. Panel discussion with: Christa Gottinger (Höllgasse businesswoman), Peter Haimerl (architect, visiting professor for urban intervention in public space, University of Kassel), Manfred Sturm (city councillor), Karl Synek (city councillor), Anette Wolf (resident & restaurateur in Unterer Sand). |
| 17.11.2016 | Urban sustainability transformation in the context of climate change and participation. Dr Kerstin Krellenberg| Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology | Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ-Leipzig |
| 08.12.2015 | In search of resonant ways of life between urban utopia and rural pragmatism. Prof. Dr Eberhard Rothfuß | Chair of Social and Population Geography | University of Bayreuth |
| 12.01.2017 | Share the city fairly. Ass. Prof. Dr Doris Damyanovic | Institute of Landscape Planning | University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna |
| 19.01.2017 | Vietnam's metropolises - challenges and solutions for sustainable urban development. Dr Michael Waibel, Institute of Geography | University of Hamburg |
| 26.01.2017 | Home not Shelter. Prof. Dr Ralf Pasel | Institute of Architecture |TU Berlin |
| 02.02.2017 | Turning points in residential construction. Prof. Dr Thomas Jocher| Institute of Housing and Design (IWE) | University of Stuttgart |
If you look at the earth from a great distance, you could come to the conclusion: The world continues to turn while humanity goes round in circles. Every era and every society has experienced objective and subjectively perceived crises and threats. Today, too, we are faced with a multitude of challenges that seem to be closely interwoven. Around the world, many of the old social and economic orders are in the process of disintegration, accompanied by and/or caused by the various effects of globalisation. Science is also finding it increasingly difficult to provide explanations or even answers to the social and political problems and challenges of the Anthropocene. However, there are pioneering thinkers who have adopted new and unconventional ways of thinking and have already changed their perspective. Scientists from German, Austrian and Swiss universities presented their ideas and approaches every two weeks from 22 October.
| Time and place | Events |
|---|---|
22.10.2015 18-20 Uhr WIWI HS6 | On the road to sustainable development - challenges and potentials for research and teaching |
| 05.11.2015 18-20 Uhr WIWI HS6 | ‘As if the earth had long since stopped talking to us’ - On resonance with nature and its loss. Prof Dr Angelika Krebs, Chair of Practical Philosophy, University of Basel |
19.11.2015 17-18 Uhr (s.t) | Ecologically sustainable data centres for smart cities - the All4Green and DC4Cities projects Prof. Dr Herrmann de Meer, Chair of Computer Science with a focus on Computer Networks and Computer Communication, University of Passau |
| 03.12.201518-20 Uhr WIWI HS6 | No time for sustainability - The limits of sustainability using the example of the Simpsons Prof Dr Michael Suda, Chair of Forest and Environmental Policy, Technical University of Munich |
| 17.12.2015 18-20 Uhr WIWI HS6 | Sustainability as a corporate challenge and opportunity: here to stay! Prof Dr Markus Beckmann, Chair of Corporate Sustainability Management, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg |
| 14.01.2016 18-20 Uhr WIWI HS6 | ‘Global climate policy in the Anthropocene - how successful were the Paris climate negotiations?’ |
| 28.01.2016 18-20 Uhr WIWI HS6 | Global Care Gaps, Care and Care Work: On Capitalism, Inequality and Perspectives of Sociology in the Face of Care Crises. |
We cordially invite you to take part in the next meeting of the Sustainability Round Table.
As part of our climate protection concept for the university, we are focussing more strongly in the new year on measures that we want to implement on campus over the next 10 to 15 years. Five workshops on the topics of nature and the environment, energy, procurement, mobility and waste/water are being organised for this purpose.
We cordially invite you to take part in the next meeting of the Sustainability Round Table.
To make sustainability and climate protection more visible on campus, the Sustainability Hub invites you to join in and take action. To this end, we are setting up the ‘Sustainability Round Table’, a networking format for the entire university family - especially for academic support staff and students. We meet regularly to provide information and discuss the status of activities and initiatives on campus.
At the next meeting, student university groups will present their diverse sustainability activities on campus and beyond and invite you to exchange ideas. The meeting will take place on Monday, 06 November 2023 from 16:00 to 17:30 in the Dilab Lecturers' Room NK211 . Come and join us!
Featured initiatives:
enactus
GHG
Fairteiler/Foodsharing
Fridays for Future
Student garden
HG Sustainability
To make sustainability and climate protection more visible on campus, the Sustainability Hub invites you to join in and take action. To this end, we are setting up the ‘Sustainability Round Table’, a networking format for the entire university family - especially for academic support staff and students. We meet regularly to share information and discuss the status of activities and initiatives on campus.
Next meeting:
The next meeting will take place on 24 July 2023 from 16:00 to 17:30 in the Nikolakloster (NK), room 212 (teacher:inside room of the DiLab, Innstraße 40). We would like to present the existing activities in the area of climate protection and sustainability. How is the university heated? Where do the office supplies come from? What happens to the waste? We want to answer and discuss these and other questions.
To make sustainability and climate protection more visible on campus, the Sustainability Hub invites you to join in and take action. To this end, we are setting up the ‘Sustainability Round Table’, a networking format for the entire university family - especially for academic support staff and students. We meet regularly to provide information and discuss the status of activities and initiatives on campus.
The first meeting on 20 June 2023 from 16:00 to 17:30 in ITZ SR017 will focus on the newly created positions for sustainability at the university, highlight interesting fields of action on campus and discuss the next steps of the round table.
The ‘Wegrowth’ series of events - a student project that created desire and anticipation for a climate-friendly and socially just future - attracted many students with its colourful programme! The series presented the diverse solutions for a better world and called on students to put them into practice, overcome obstacles and question the status quo.
‘The shopping revolution 2.0 - Why consumers don't use their power enough’ was the title of the lecture by Dr Tanja Busse, to which the Sustainability Hub of the University of Passau had invited on 14 December 2022, 6 pm, in the Innsteg auditorium/room 007 (Innstr. 23). The journalist and author has been working for years to improve living and working conditions in a globalised world.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Dr. Tanja Busse](/fileadmin/_processed_/9/4/csm_TanjaBusse_NurMitCopyrightGeorgSchweisfurthVerwenden_c1c97d2ab4.jpg)
Municipalities have a decisive role and responsibility in the concrete implementation of climate protection and adaptation measures. The department of Kédougou in Senegal and the district of Passau presented their joint project ‘Municipal Climate Partnerships’ at the University of Passau on Thursday, 27 October 2022. Ms Coiffet from the University of Passau's Language Centre explained how students from Passau can also get in touch with students from the Département of Kédougou and thus make a concrete and practical contribution to climate protection.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Zwei Hände, die eine junge Pflanze schützen](/fileadmin/_processed_/5/0/csm_csm_Nachhaltigkeit_Pflanze_143d68ac67_a36e1b3ac4.jpg "Dr. Tanja Busse")
The Institute for Applied Ethics in Business, Education and Training (Ethik WAW) celebrated its 20th anniversary with an event on 16 September 2022 from 2 to 4 pm.
![[Translate to Englisch:] 20 Jahre Institut Ethik WAW und Projektauftakt Ökosoziale Transformation](/fileadmin/_processed_/1/9/csm_Nachhaltigkeit_6df4f9bd66.jpg)
As a scientific competence centre for questions of economic and business ethics and sustainability, our focus is on the following key areas:
These three areas characterise the work and, above all, the future direction of the institute. This day also marked the launch of the ‘Eco-social Transformation’ project of the diocese and the University of Passau.
| Programm | Speaker:in |
|---|---|
| Greeting | Prof Dr Bernhard Bleyer |
Impulse of the President | Prof Dr Ulrich Bartosch |
| Impulse from the bishop | Bishop Dr Stefan Oster SDB |
| Looking to the future - sustainability transformation in companies | Nadine-Lan Hönighaus Econsense |
Closing words | Dr Annekatrin Meißner |
| Stand-up reception and networking | |
Venue: Lecture theatre 9 (Audimax), Innstraße 31, Passau
Representatives from the Church and science came together at a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from 6 to 8 June 2022 to discuss the paths and possibilities of an ‘integral ecology’.
Natural sciences and theology are concerned about mankind's growing demands on nature and are focussing on the question of whether a combination of scientific and rational approaches with elements of spiritual experience can counteract this problem. ‘The world's ecological crisis is also a deep social crisis. It requires the co-operation of all people of good will to lead the global community towards a sustainable way of life. Sober science and spiritual experience can contribute to this together,’ says Prof Dr Ulrich Bartosch, President of the University of Passau.
![[Translate to Englisch:] (v.l.) Paolo Conversi, Ph.D. (Päpstliche Universität Gregoriana, Rom), Prof. Dr. René Micallef SJ (Päpstliche Universität Gregoriana, Rom), Thiago García (Engagement Global, Bonn), Prof. Dr. Nuno da Silva Gonçalves SJ (Rektor, Päpstliche Universität Gregoriana, Rom), Prof. Dr. Ulrich Bartosch (Präsident, Universität Passau), Christian Meier (Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt), Prof. Dr. Gerard Kevin Whelan SJ (Päpstliche Universität Gregoriana, Rom), Foto: Mara Petermann (VDW)](/fileadmin/_processed_/2/4/csm_Bild1_Konferenz_Integral_Ecology_bb5aad0c82.jpg)
‘innovative. sustainable. urban.": Under this motto, a symposium on the development prospects and potential of the city of Passau took place on 28 January 2022 as part of the Master's degree programme in Geography. In 18 short keynote speeches, students, researchers and Passau citizens presented their ideas and visions for Passau.
Get to know the event programme and the topics of the presentations.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Symposium zu den Entwicklungsperspektiven und Potenzialen der Stadt Passau](/fileadmin/_processed_/7/6/csm_Symposium_Innovatig-nachhaltig-urban_6a0a1a5573.jpg)
In June 2020, the Sustainability University Group organised two expert talks via ZOOM with players from the textile industry:
Speaker: Katharina Schaus, it fits - Organic Textile Partner.
The expert Katharina Schaus, it fits - Organic Textile Partner(https://www.itfits.de) shared her many years of expert knowledge with us and introduced us to the extensive labelling landscape of sustainable textiles. She explained the general basics and portrayed individual textile labels according to a standardised, structured observation grid.
Speaker: Martin Kluck, Kipepeo Clothing,
Martin Kluck, founder of Kipepeo Clothing (https://www.kipepeo-clothing.com/de/ ), took us on the journey of one of his fair and sustainably produced T-shirts in East Africa and gave us an understanding of the textile supply chain.
Despite international political efforts, climate change is progressing inexorably. The effects are also being felt more clearly in southern Germany. In view of the increasing urgency, the question arises: How can climate change be shaped politically?
Given the pressure to act, democratic processes appear too complex to be able to implement decisions quickly. Sceptics therefore assume that democracy must be restricted in the fight against climate change. This is countered by the argument that values and attitudes cannot be changed ‘from above’. The restriction of individual freedoms is countered by an increase in citizen participation.
The panel discussion centred on the question: Will social freedoms have to be drastically restricted in the future? Or can the climate turnaround only be achieved ‘from below’ - through a higher degree of social participation?
Afterwards, the following discussed with each other:
The discussion was moderated by Helmuth Rücker (PNP).
Event as part of the ‘WEEKS ON DEMOCRACY’, organised by Werkstattgespräch Nachhaltigkeit (Rerferat I/2), Regional Network Office Sustainability RENN Süd, Weeks on Democracy Passau
The Sustainable Weeks 2024 at the University of Passau took place from 10 to 22 June 2024 and offered a diverse programme on the topic of sustainability. The events included workshops, lectures and film screenings, such as the university cinema with the film ‘Tomorrow - The World is Full of Solutions’. Other highlights included morning yoga, a plant swap party and the Sustainability Day with a celebratory event and subsequent discussion. Topics such as microplastics, mobility concepts and the conscious use of food took centre stage.
Alongside Europe and digitalisation, sustainability is one of the three major focal points of the University of Passau's profile. On ‘Sustainability Day’, which the university celebrated with a festive event on Thursday, 20 June 2024, keynote speaker Christiane Grefe described sustainability as a survival strategy in her lecture ‘The grounded society - Why sustainability needs a new policy for land and soil’.
Afterwards, the ‘Prize for Sustainability-Related Research’ was awarded to Dr Paul Hamann-Rose and the ‘Prize for Sustainability Activities on Campus’ to the student initiative ‘Innwerk’. The Studierendenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz received an honourable mention for its commitment to sustainable catering and procurement.
The Sustainability University Group is organising the Sustainable Weeks at the University of Passau from 16 June 2023 to 27 June 2023. In cooperation with other university groups, such as ProVeg and Fridays for Future, a varied programme of exciting lectures, workshops and activities is planned. For example, the student garden will also be presented for the first time.
Further information on the content of the Sustainable Weeks and the schedule can be found here and on the Instagram channel of the Sustainability University Group @nachhaltigkeit.passau.
As part of the ‘Sustainability and Consumption’ series of events, the Sustainability Hub at the University of Passau organised a company tour of Biobäckerei Wagner GmbH in Tiefenbach. What does it mean to market organic products honestly, fairly and regionally in times of crisis? The participants learnt this during the tour of the Wagner bakery. They also learnt about the problems that the gas price poses for a small company with high energy requirements.
The ‘Sustainability Day’ on Thursday, 20 October 2022, 6 p.m., in the Audimax of the University of Passau (Innstr. 31) was another highlight of the celebratory programme ‘400 years of academic tradition in Passau’, which addressed the challenges of the present and looked to the future.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Wachsende Pflanze wird in Händen gehalten.](/fileadmin/_processed_/7/7/csm_COLOURBOX44456962_b4ee0f85be.jpg "environment Earth Day In the hands of trees growing seedlings. B")
| Programm | Speaker:in |
|---|---|
| Greeting | Prof. Dr. Ulrich Bartosch |
| Video greeting | Staatsminister Thorsten Glauber, MdL |
| Impulse | Prof. Dr. Werner Gamerith |
| Lecture | Prof. Dr. Hubert Weiger |
| Award ceremonies | |
| Ludwig Zistler honoured for his professional life's work | |
| Award for sustainability at the University of Passau 2022: ‘Sustainability activities on campus’ | |
| Sustainability Award at the University of Passau 2022: Research with a focus on sustainability | |
| Closing words | Prof. Dr. Ulrich Bartosch |
| Reception |
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Do you have sustainability-related questions or suggestions? Send us an email at nachhaltigkeit@uni-passau.de.
