Recognition and appreciation for teachers who lead the way in sustainability

First presentation of the Sustainability in Education Award during Sustainability Day @ TU/e.

A sustainable future lies in the hands of future generations, but it is up to today’s TU/e professionals to prepare them as well as possible. That is the idea behind the Sustainability in Education Award, which will be presented for the first time on Thursday, October 3, to teachers who are weaving sustainability into their teaching in an inspiring and successful way.

That award ceremony is one of the program components of the Sustainability Day @ TU/e, a whole day dedicated to sustainability at and by the university. Other activities include an exhibition, networking opportunities, a symposium, workshops, and the inauguration of TU/e sustainability ambassador Anna Wieczorek. The common thread throughout the program is the message to "join forces, take responsibility, and enable transformation," according to the organization.

Education focused on major societal challenges
The reference to responsibility is explicitly reflected in the idea for the Sustainability in Education Award. This "recognizes the efforts of teachers and teaching groups who invest in educational development and direct their teaching toward addressing grand societal challenges such as climate change, social inequality, and biodiversity loss."

A total of 53 entries by 20 teachers (groups) were in the race, from which the jury - consisting of four students from the Go Green Office and five members of the Sustainability Advisory Council - ultimately selected three finalists. They will all be on stage during Sustainability Day @ TU/e and will then hear, together with the audience, who the winner is and thus who can spend 2,500 euros as they wish on the award’s purpose. Who are the finalists, and what are their ideas? We introduce them below.

Read more about the nomination process and some of the other entries in this article from Cursor: How TU/e makes education more sustainable

’Sustainability is not just about smart designs or materials’

"The main message I want to give students is that sustainability is not just about smart designs or materials. Above all, I hope to get the new generation of designers to develop a different view of how many things we make, which is generally ’too many’, and how this has been pretty much the same since the Industrial Revolution. Maybe we can - or should - change that."

"This also means changing our current capitalist system: how can we design new stuff in the future, or should we do so at all? Specifically, I ask students, for example, to think about a different approach to everyday products. Something that is mainly practical and is often thrown away after a few years. For example, a great student last year focused on vacuum cleaners. How can you turn such a product into something to cherish and use for generations?"

"In my living room is a stereo from the 1960s that belonged to my father-in-law. The design from that era - the way the buttons are conceived, the material used - is almost an art form. If we can make other products, such as smartphones or even blenders, timeless in the same way and add emotional value to them, we will use things much more sparingly. I therefore advise students to find inspiration outside the academic world: visit repair cafes or talk to your grandparents about how they used to take care of their stuff."

Photo: Master Digital Design-HvA

’Think in terms of small contributions that together solve bigger problems’

"We have been working together as a group for several years now. While each of us brings their own talents and expertise, we share a common goal: Equipping our students with the right tools for today’s complex challenges towards a better world. Our diverse perspectives help us stay sharp, spark new ideas, and keep us aligned. Our students also work in interdisciplinary teams to explore new ideas, experiencing the value and fun of cross-disciplinary collaboration in building a sustainable future."

"We teach students to think in terms of small contributions that together solve bigger problems. A key framework for this is Marianna Mazzucato’s Moonshot Guide, inspired by the Apollo program: We are sending a person to the moon and are bringing him back alive-what steps do we need to take to achieve this? In other words, dare to think big, then break it down into smaller, manageable parts. We practice this with students on a grand societal challenge of their own choosing."

"In our classes, we draw on frameworks rooted in three major scientific fields. The first is System Theory (our society is complex and interconnected, with large uncertainty and potentially unexpected consequences), the second is Futures Studies (what futures are conceivable, and where do you want to go), and the last is Transition Science (how do you achieve this envisioned future, and how do you avoid getting discouraged along the way). Unfortunately, there are no silver bullets to success. Therefore, we teach students to always read the specific context they are working in and consider all the conditions necessary."

Photo The Built Environment teaching group (clockwise): Johan van Zoest, Ewelina Schraven, Chris Steenhuis, Patrick Limpens.

’My starting point is precisely the endpoint for the student’

"Ever since 1995, I have set up about ten courses on sustainability and systems thinking. What we now call Challenge Based Learning has always been my starting point: a problem-driven search for solutions. I am one of the few at TU/e who first went into teaching and only then started doing research."

"That characterizes my approach. What does a student need to make a real difference later as a young professional? So, I start the course design from a completely different approach: what do I want them to learn, what are the key points, how can we test that, et cetera. In fact, my starting point is precisely the endpoint for the student. And that sometimes results in very creative outcomes. For example, we once taught a course in virtual reality, where the students were all present through life-size screens."

"What I think is crucial in delivering innovative and pragmatic education is to have an entrepreneurial mindset. Not waiting for an idea to get through all the barriers or sometimes incomprehensible rules, but just going for it. Seeing problems, figuring out what is needed, what is not working, and finally making sure it does work. That makes it fun because that’s how you get ahead. Does everyone still look happy during class? Then you know you’re doing a good job. Inspiring students is the most important factor. Then they start searching for themselves because they want to achieve something."

Photo: Vincent van den Hoogen

Arjan Kirkels
Industrial Engineering
and Innovation Sciences