Student projects as proof of performance and commitment
Sustainability in the sense of the Brundtland definition ‘ensuring the needs of present generations without compromising the fulfilment of the needs of future generations’ is an anthropocentric concept. Accordingly, Education for Sustainable Development is designed to give learners the skills to decide and act in the interests of sustainable development.
Municipalities are important places for the implementation of ESD. This is where people act and where formal and informal education takes place. Local government is only one of the many actors involved.
Real-world laboratories are places where transformative research is carried out. Depending on the focus, the aim is to initiate and evaluate social or technical changes. The research usually originates from universities and is part of the third mission – ideally integrated with teaching and research.
In 25 years of joint work, the university’s student projects in particular have initiated projects in the city and supported Local Agenda 21 in particular. We show the projects from the perspective of the university and civil society. In particular, ESD and the motto “Aalen nachhaltig-erleben” are central elements of the co-operation in the area of sustainability.
Ulrich Holzbaur is head of the Steinbeis Transfer Centre for Applied Management and spokesman for the ESD agenda group in Aalen. He was previously a professor at Aalen University for 32 years, most recently for Project Management and Sustainable Development.
