Under the guiding principle “We make Sustainability a Priority”, the participants of this year’s summer school focused on the topic “Coastal Futures – Building Sustainability on Regional Potential”. The international students, who came from countries including Canada, Vietnam, Brazil, Nigeria, and Poland, learned about scientific approaches and specific projects that tackle the effects of climate change and promote sustainable development in coastal regions.
Following the three-day online introduction, the 30 students travelled all over Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The programme led them to the state’s university towns and a selection of projects. A podium discussion on sustainable development in the Baltic Sea region at MakerPort Stralsund marked the start of the in-person phase.
From peatlands to sponge cities
The participants visited the rewetted peatland near Drammendorf on Rügen. There, they learned about the role peatlands play in climate protection and how experts scientifically accompany the renaturalisation and development of these areas. On Hiddensee, they explored landscape development, nature conservation, and tourism – and approached the issue of how to unite the protection of delicate habitats with their use.
Concrete solutions were also the focus of their visits to the university sites. On Wismar’s Poel Campus, the students looked into sustainable approaches to agriculture and food. They also visited an aquaponics setup at the University of Rostock that combines fish and plant production. Further parts of the programme introduced participants to renewable energies, a circular economy, and the concept of so-called sponge cities – an urban development concept designed to make urban areas more resilient to heavy rainfall and heatwaves.
In Neubrandenburg, participants learned about sustainable nutrition and food production for children. In a lecture and tour of a food technology lab, students gained an insight into current scientific and practical approaches. In Greifswald, students were introduced to the university’s and town’s sustainable projects. In discussion rounds, they also considered the issue of how science and society can join forces to initiate change.
Joint approaches to sustainability
“The big questions regarding sustainability are decided on site,” explains Lydia Bandow, SustainMV Coordinator at the University of Greifswald. “Our participants experience which challenges are faced by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as a coastal state – and which ideas and solutions are already being put into action. The international exchange provides new perspectives to regional issues.”
SustainMV thus brings global experience and regional practice together. The summer school shows that topics such as climate protection, food, energy, and tourism must not be thought separately and that higher education institutions play an important role in developing solutions together with society and the local region.
About SustainMV
SustainMV is a joint project run by all of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s higher education institutions: the Universities of Greifswald and Rostock, the Rostock University of Music and Drama (hmt Rostock), Hochschule Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design, Hochschule Stralsund University of Applied Sciences, and Hochschule Neubrandenburg, University of Applied Sciences. The statewide collaboration unites the universities in a joint initiative for sustainable development and international exchange. The project is funded by the Ministry of Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
To the SustainMV website
To the SustainMV image film
Contact at the University of Greifswald
Lydia Bandow (SustainMV Coordinator)
International Office
Domstraße 8, 17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420 1337
infosustainmvde
Contact at the University of Rostock
Anke Reule (SustainMV Coordinator)
International Office
Kröpeliner Straße 29, 18055 Rostock
Tel.: +49 381 498 1219
infosustainmvde