Sustainability is a central theme to Una Europa and a topic that many of our researchers, staff and students are deeply passionate about. While our universities are highly skilled when it comes to sustainability research and knowledge production, there can be a gap between this research and translating it into practice. How might universities across Europe - and the world - address that gap and what is the university’s role and strength in a fast-paced world where we need solutions for sustainability not in 5 years, but now?
While universities might not be the most readily adaptable to change, they have a unique position at the intersection of research, education, and societal impact. This gives universities the opportunity to push for change, by educating and engaging students to become leaders for a more sustainable future and by taking our valuable research and applying it concretely to society. We need new educational formats, such as the Una Europa micro-qualification on sustainability and the Climate University, to implement new pedagogies and learning methodologies. We need to not only think of transferring knowledge but also allowing students to put that knowledge into practice right away. Finally, we need to remain lifelong learners and understand that we all have a role to play, right now.
In this tenth episode of the Una Europa podcast we meet Jaakko Kurhila, Chief Digital Officer at the University of Helsinki; Laura Riuttanen, University Lecturer in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Helsinki and coordinator of the Climate University and the Una Europa Micro-qualification in sustainability; and Wilhelm Blomberg, an environmental activist and student of educational sciences at the University of Helsinki. Our three guests discuss key issues in climate education, sustainability and learning, and provide their best advice for how universities can lead efforts for a more sustainable future.