Student sustainability week Switzerland

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Logo of the student sustainability weeks

The Student Sustainability Week Switzerland ( Sustainability Week Switzerland , SWS ) is a student initiative in Switzerland that its focus on sustainability sets. It takes place every spring at Swiss universities in the form of local sustainability weeks (NHW). The SWS supports students in bringing sustainability into all aspects of Swiss higher education institutions. The aim is for students in Switzerland to turn their institutions into models of sustainability.

The SWS will be funded by the Mercator Switzerland Foundation and the “U Change” program until the end of 2020 . The SWS uses most of its financial resources to support local NHW. These are usually co-financed by their own universities.

history

The first sustainability week, which was organized by a few students, took place in spring 2013 at the University of Zurich . In the second year, i.e. 2014, the Sustainability Week was held at both the University of Zurich and the ETH Zurich , in the third year at the five largest Zurich colleges and universities, i.e. the University of Zurich, the ETH Zurich, the University of Education Zurich ( PHZH), the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). 2017 founded a team of former organizers of Zurich, the umbrella organization for sustainability week Switzerland or the Sustainability Week Switzerland (SWS), to spread the concept of sustainability week among all universities in Switzerland. In 2018, sustainability weeks were held in twelve Swiss cities. In 2020 the umbrella organization supported 15 sustainability weeks at 36 Swiss universities. The Sustainability Week International (SWI) was founded in 2019 from the SWS, spreading the concept internationally. In March 2020, the SWI counted twelve Local Sustainability Weeks (LSW) on five continents.

In 2020, NHW was organized in the following cities and universities
city Colleges
Basel University of Basel , University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland Basel
Bern University of Bern , University of Education Bern , University of Applied Sciences Bern
Chur University of Technology and Economics Chur , University of Education Graubünden
Freiburg University of Freiburg , University of Applied Sciences Freiburg
Geneva Université de Genève , The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID)
Lausanne Campus Université Lausanne + EPFL , Haute École de travail social et de la santé Lausanne , Haute école pédagogique Vaud , Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne , La Source - Institut et Haute école de la santé
Locarno SUPSI - Dipartimento formazione e apprendimento
Lucerne Lucerne University , College of Education, Luzern , Lucerne University
Lugano Franklin University Switzerland , Università della Svizzera Italiana USI , SUPSI
Neuchâtel University of Neuchâtel
Rapperswil Rapperswil University of Technology
St. Gallen University of St. Gallen HSG , University of Education St. Gallen , FHS St. Gallen University of Applied Sciences
Valais Les Roches
Windisch University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland Brugg-Windisch
Zurich Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ETHZ, University of Zurich , Zurich University of the Arts , Zurich University of Applied Sciences , Zurich University of Education

structure

The structure of the sustainability weeks

Sustainability Week Switzerland (SWS) and Sustainability Week International (SWI) act as umbrella organizations for the sustainability weeks and assume a coordinative role. The SWS is a project of the Swiss Association of Student Organizations for Sustainability (VSN). The commitment is voluntary at all levels (SWI, SWS and NHW). The NHW organize themselves largely autonomously. The structure and size of the NHW organization teams vary greatly in the different cities. Often the NHW is co-organized by student organizations active in the field.

In order to lay the foundations for a Swiss-wide, networked movement, the SWS organizes three events per year at which NHW organizers come together and are supported in planning. In autumn there is a “kick-off” weekend at which the principles of the SWS are presented. In November, the representatives of the local NHW meet again in order to advance the planning of their NHW in specific workshops. After the NHW has taken place in the spring, the national de-briefing takes place, where a balance is drawn and the organizers of the NHW can discuss difficulties and successes. At the start of the NHW, an opening event is organized in a different city every year.

Awards

The NHW Zurich has received three awards for its commitment: ISCN Award for Student Leadership, recognition from the Global Clinton Initiative University in the field of environment and climate change, GUPES Green Gown Awards as “Highly Commended Award”.

The SWS was a finalist for the Sustainable Campus Excellence Award in 2018 and won the YoungCaritas Award in 2019, which recognizes the social commitment of young people. The SWS also belonged to the first group of the Universitas21 funding program.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ About us - Sustainability Week Switzerland. Retrieved April 23, 2020 (UK English).
  2. ↑ Sustainability Week: Archive. Retrieved April 23, 2020 .
  3. ^ Sustainability Week International - Together for Sustainability. Accessed April 23, 2020 (German).
  4. ↑ Swiss Association of Student Organizations for Sustainability. Retrieved April 23, 2020 (American English).
  5. ↑ Sustainability Week wins ISCN Award for Student Leadership. Retrieved April 23, 2020 (English).
  6. ↑ Swiss Sustainability Week! In: The IHEID Environmental Committee. March 9, 2018, accessed April 23, 2020 .
  7. ↑ GUPES GGA Highly Commended: Sustainability Week Zurich | Sustainability Exchange. Retrieved April 23, 2020 .
  8. ↑ webgearing ag ( http://www.webgearing.com ): youngCaritas Award. November 28, 2019, accessed April 23, 2020 .