Climate-N Project Welcomes Students from Erfurt University of Applied Sciences to the University of Erfurt Campus

How can Thuringia's universities bring about social change by taking sustainability principles into account? How can cooperation between Thuringian universities achieve a significant step towards sustainability in Thuringia? As part of the KLIMA-N project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), four Thuringian universities are cooperating and contributing their strengths and expertise to jointly address key issues of sustainability and social change on their respective campuses. Representatives from the University of Erfurt, University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences and Ilmenau University of Technology are involved in the project. Together, they are focusing on key topics relating to education for sustainable development, energy, mobility, biodiversity and sustainability communication, thus combining their respective expertise and perspectives for a successful knowledge transfer.

Adjunct professor Bettina Hollstein, who supervises the Education for Sustainable Development (BNE) subproject at the University of Erfurt, welcomed Professor Björn Machalett from the UAS and his students, who were able to gain a first impression of the implementation of the topics of sustainability, biodiversity and mobility on the Erfurt campus: "This campus tour was a milestone in our project because it not only brings students from both universities together, but also enables an exchange on the various sustainability topics and, above all, mutual learning."

During their visit, the students were given a guided tour of the campus by the head of the University of Erfurt's operational technology department and a campus gardener, who gave the students a presentation on the areas to be landscaped on campus, the rainwater collection centre and the campus buildings powered by solar energy, among other things. The students in the campus educational garden were particularly interested in Katy Wenzel's explanations of how prospective primary school teachers at the University of Erfurt learn about soil cultivation, growing, propagating, caring for and harvesting vegetables, herbs, fruit trees and ornamental plants.

During the visit of the guests from the University of Applied Sciences, Bettina Hollstein emphasised that sustainability must be understood beyond the environmental aspects. It is "a source of inspiration for the organisational design of the campus as a place of teaching and learning and has a positive effect on teaching and research. The Climate-N project and the collaboration with practice partners opens up new opportunities for mutual learning in the field of sustainability. In addition, cooperation with the University of Erfurt's Founders Service could also offer students the opportunity to initiate new start-ups and spin-offs with a focus on sustainability."