Swiss Sustainability Week in Neuchâtel

Le Regard Libre Special Issue «Ecology: Toward a Complete Shift» – Clélia Paladini

From March 5 to 9, 2018, Neuchâtel will host the first edition of Sustainability Week (SDNE), an event featuring more than fifteen activities spread over five days. The program includes hands-on workshops, a play, exhibitions, film screenings, roundtable discussions, and a forest excursion. Details.

A student initiative

The Local Sustainability Week project was initiated by the Association Alternative Durable (AED) at the University of Neuchâtel, which organizes activities to combat waste throughout the year. A committee of nine students from the faculties of arts and sciences was quickly formed and secured the university’s support. The diverse, intergenerational program addresses various current issues, such as planned obsolescence, waste management, and biodiversity conservation.

A Nationwide Project

The project was initiated by the Swiss Student Federation for Sustainable Development (FDD) and students from Geneva and Zurich. Encouraged by the success of Zurich Sustainability Week, now in its sixth year, they decided to expand the concept. In 2017, «Swiss Sustainability Week» (SSW) was founded, an organization that coordinates and funds the implementation of Local Sustainability Weeks throughout Switzerland. This year, twenty universities in eleven cities are organizing their own Sustainability Weeks: Bern, Chur, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Locarno, St. Gallen, Zurich, Rapperswil, and Neuchâtel.

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The Concept of Strong Sustainability

Among the members of the Neuchâtel committee, Mathias, coordinator of the SDNE, explains: «The SDNE is based on a model that prioritizes sustainability. This means that the economic system is only one part of the social system, which in turn depends on the health of the biosphere.» The event aims to inform and propose long-term solutions. «Points of no return may be crossed in the coming years. It is us—today’s youth and our children—who will be affected. We want to show that solutions exist and that everyone can benefit from them,» concludes Mathias.

For more information, visit the event website: www.sdne.ch

Photo credit: © SSW