COPERNICUS Alliance

In May 2022, the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will hold a free Training of Trainers open to all university and training institutions wanting to develop the theme of environment, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. The training will take place online during three days with a certificate upon completion of a post-knowledge assessment. Registration is open until 29 April.

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Three years ago, the Erasmus+ project SDGs Labs – Making the SDGs our business started with the premise that the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a huge economic opportunity for start-ups and established companies. Under the lead of Vienna University for Economics and Business universities, businesses, NGOs and start-up incubators jointly developed a free online learning tool: The SDGs Academies helps incubators, start-ups and companies to implement the SDGs into their business practices.

Missed the Higher Education Summit online teaser ("Daring to transform learning for a future-proof economy") or want to watch it again? Browse through the "Resources" section on the conference website and watch all videos on demand for free! The material contains a full recording of the online conference, the pre-recorded keynote speeches by Kate Raworth, Mamphela Ramphele, and Garry Jacobs as well as short videos featuring students, representatives from higher education and economy.

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The UPV/EHU's Department of Sustainability and Social Commitment has launched a sustainable living challenge in order to involve the university community in the fight against climate change. The initiative has been developed together with The Planet App, a mobile application designed to reduce the individual carbon footprint.

TRACCskills (Transformational, cross-cutting people skills for the SDGs) is a new EU Erasmus+ project implemented by the CA, Legacy17 (lead), and Visionautik. For 14 months, a practice-oriented compendium will be drafted and tested for use in designing and delivering high-quality, future-fit adult education. The intended users of the compendium are adult educators within the formal and non-formal sector who dedicate their work to ESD and are open to rethinking and renewing their teaching practice.

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Upon invitation by the Secretary General of the International Association of Universities, Hilligje van’t Land, the CA Leadership Team submitted a position paper to the IAU Horizons Magazine vol. 26.2. The short article (p. 46) entitled "Is striving for excellence in HEIs incompatible with partnership practices? Leadership principles for the Future We Want" emphasizes the importance of partnerships in higher education to strive for transformative learning and achieve sustainable development. Altogether, the “In Focus” section of this issue contains 34 contributions on "Leadership for a sustainable future – Higher education and Agenda 2030 and the sustainable development goals", written by university leaders from all five continents, from associations and organizations, including student organizations.

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On 9 December 2021 an international audience of over 100 participants joined the organizers of Hasselt University and the COPERNICUS Alliance for an afternoon full of doughnuts: the Higher Education Summit online teaser on the theme "Daring to transform learning for a future-proof economy". The virtual event focused on research- and practice-related issues to realize an economy that strives for a safe and just world for everyone, within our planetary boundaries. Inspiring keynote speakers paved the way for a fruitful discussion: Kate Raworth ("Doughnut economics"), Mamphela Ramphele (Club of Rome), and Garry Jacobs (World Academy of Art & Science). Discussions continued also in the interactive workshops and during the final debate involving economists, teachers, researchers, social entrepreneurs and students. 
After this successful teaser event, the organizers look forward to next year's Higher Education Summit physical conference from 6-8 September 2022 in Hasselt, Belgium!

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On the occasion of the celebration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Directorate for Equality of the University de Basque Country (UPV/EHU) organized a conference to raise awareness of this serious social problem. Among several activities, the UPV/EHU’s Protocol Against Gender Violence was presented.

With the lecture series "Climate crisis and consciousness change" and a poster exhibition on the same topic, the nine universities in the Austrian province of Styria set an example for overcoming disciplinary and institutional boundaries. The currently ongoing lecture series and the exhibition complement each other and thus address a large target group that includes both students and the general public. The aim of the lectures is not only to impart knowledge, but above all to promote interdisciplinary exchange and to involve the audience in the discussion.

The international and interdisciplinary summer universities "Alternative Economic and Monetary Systems" and "Green.Building.Solutions" share the aim of finding new pathways for a more sustainable future as well as a healthier planet. Both will take place between August and September 2022 and are open to students and professionals from all fields who strive to create a more just and green future. Among the numerous organizing partners and supporters are the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna and the Club of Rome. Registrations are open now.

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The transformative quality of adult education will shape the future in several ways. The ambition of the Erasmus+ project Online Transformative Learning (OnTL) is to explore the opportunities for and limitations of Transformative Learning in virtual settings. From 9-11 September, the project partners, including the CA Team, came together for a Transnational Project Meeting in Croatia.

Since 2003, 1,220 students have participated in Development Cooperation Projects throughout 23 countries in Latin America and Africa, by doing internships and Final Degree Projects. These projects focus mainly on the promotion of sustainable human development through fighting against poverty and inequalities.

The Bern tertiary students’ association for sustainability, BENE (Verein für nachhaltige Entwicklung an den Berner Hochschulen), has just issued an app for sustainable consumption in Bern. Named "BENE Stadtplan" (BENE city map) and featuring over 170 businesses in Bern, this online guide is the outcome of a project supported by swissuniversities, the University of Bern, and the SUB (student association of the University of Bern). The dedicated small team who created the app were motivated by a desire to help everyone in Bern make conscious decisions about consumption and lifestyle, based on sustainability criteria.

The proceedings of the joint IRDO Conferences on "Socially Responsible Society", which took place virtually on 10 and 11 June 2021, have been published. The event was supported by the COPERNICUS Alliance with a Micro Fund and featured a contribution by Anne Zimmermann and HES2020 colleagues on "Creative virtual conferencing and networking to advance higher education for sustainable development".

The University of Girona will award the distinction of honoris causa to former CA President Prof. Daniella Tilbury. Her work has contributed significantly to the progression of sustainability as a key agenda for the future of higher education, not least of all through her research and policy work in the field of Education for Sustainable Development, where she is one of the world’s lead experts.

The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) together with the Social Innovation Center ArantzazuLab is developing a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) to foster transition skills that are necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. With financial support from a CA Micro Fund, a workshop was organized with Prof. Jorge Riechmann (Autonomous University of Madrid). The keynote is also available as a video.

The Volunteering Program of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is a project that seeks to channel and promote students' concern for solidarity. More than a decade ago, the UPV/EHU implemented a plan for the recognition of optional ECTS credits in undergraduate studies, which resulted in over 150,000 hours of voluntary work in cooperation and social action programs so far.

University employees have a big responsibility as role models and multiplicators when it comes to sustainability, both at professional level and in their private social environment. Adapting new habits and integrating sustainable routines in daily life starts with knowing about it. The University of Graz added three new courses to its further education programme for staff members to raise awareness for sustainability issues. Both academic and administrative employees can take the courses for free and obtain a certificate.