Main goal of sustainability education is to point towards solutions

At Utrecht University, every student should be familiar with sustainability issues, regardless of their major. A group of lecturers and researchers founded a community called Sustainability Education & Engagement, which is using the game Utrecht2040 as a tool to achieve that goal. The game focuses on finding solutions to sustainability issues, which helps mitigate students’ fears about the climate.

Sustainability is a topic many students care about as it concerns their future. Some participate in protests, such as those held on the A12 motorway calling on the Dutch government to halt subsidies to fossil fuel companies or the occupation of a UU building to demand the university to stop collaborating with the same type of company. The university also claims to value sustainability, through initiatives like the Green Office. 

Regarding education, UU offers multiple majors, minors, and electives about sustainability. UU's Strategic Plan from 2016 states that all students should become familiar with sustainability concepts, regardless of their major. The most recent Strategic Plan, published in 2020, focuses on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), seventeen goals established by the United Nations to move towards a more sustainable world and combat climate change. According to the university, these goals will help students and staff contribute to a better world. 

Source: DUB