29/04/2024

The second Sustainability Forum offered around 300 participants from all areas of the university a diverse program as part of this year's guiding theme of Planetary Responsibility / In 2025, the Faculty of Human Sciences will co-host the third Sustainability Forum

Last year's first Sustainability Forum was very well received and opened the door to interdisciplinary exchange and cross-status collaboration in the field of sustainability at the University of Cologne. This year's event also generated a great deal of interest within the university community. Around 300 participants from the most diverse areas of the university proved that the topic of sustainability has found its place in the breadth of the university community.

Prof. Dr. Kirk W. Junker, Vice-Rector for Sustainability, opened the forum under the guiding theme of Planetary Responsibility. "The mission of sustainability for our university as an institution is for all of us as its members - students, staff and academics - to make making sustainable decisions part of our habitus. In this way, we as a university community can cooperatively develop a sense of responsibility in light of the planetary boundaries of our earth. For us as an institutional body, this fundamentally means conducting interdisciplinary and action-oriented research, teaching and learning in a skills-oriented way and engaging in social exchange beyond the boundaries of the university," Prof. Junker told the participants at the beginning of the event. Prof. Hennrichs, Vice Dean for Planning, Finance and Equal Opportunities at the Faculty of Law, agreed and reflected on the faculty's diverse activities in the field of sustainability and the challenges in relation to sustainability from a legal perspective.

Panel discussion part of the Sustainability Forum for the first time

This was followed by a three-part series of lectures by academics from the University of Cologne, all of which focused on this year's guiding theme. In her lecture, Prof. Dr. Dr. Frauke Rostalski from the Faculty of Law discussed whether sustainability should always be considered as an ethical and legal imperative in times of climate change. Prof. Dr. Franz Krause from the Faculty of Humanities presented perspectives from the environmental humanities in relation to sustainability and ethics. Prof. Dr. Axel Ockenfels from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences concluded the series with insights into climate protection in science and practice and the associated need for international cooperation.

For the first time, a one-hour panel discussion was part of the program at the second Sustainability Forum. The participants were made up of various status groups from the University of Cologne and, after a short keynote speech by Prof. Junker on the concept of planetary boundaries, engaged in a lively discussion with the audience on the issue of planetary responsibility.

Between the program items, a poster gallery also provided space for students, employees and scientists to talk to each other, open up new perspectives and exchange ideas on projects, initiatives and hands-on activities.

"The enormous diversity of participants and exhibitors is a major highlight of today's forum," said a delighted Dr. Pamela Kilian, Head of the Sustainability Office at the University of Cologne.

Faculty of Human Sciences co-organizer of the third Sustainability Forum

The event concluded with four breakout sessions on the fields of action of the sustainability strategy. Here, too, the participants discussed and developed further possible offers in the field of sustainability at the university on an interdisciplinary basis.

The second forum thus also served to accelerate the further anchoring of sustainability at the University of Cologne and in society. This year's Sustainability Forum was organized by the Vice-Rectorate for Sustainability, the Sustainability Office and the Faculty of Law at the University of Cologne. The third Sustainability Forum next year will be co-hosted by the Faculty of Human Sciences.