Cities are central to achieving the climate goals, was the tenor of the second SDG Day. It featured a keynote address by climate economist Gernot Wagner, workshops and a panel discussion.
Vienna, November 23, 2022 – For the second time, FHWien der WKW organized an SDG Day on November 17, 2022 – and for the first time, students, teachers, researchers and representatives of companies met for this purpose on the campus of the university of applied sciences for management and communication. The day focused on SDG 11, the United Nations’ eleventh Sustainable Development Goal: sustainable cities and communities. Around 150 participants at the SDG Day dealt with this topic and concluded: Climate-friendly designed cities play a central role in achieving the climate goals.
Communicating sustainability knowledge with Improvisational Theatre
The event kicked off with interactive workshops that provided valuable ideas particularly for lecturers and students. In the first workshop, lecturers received tips on how to integrate sustainable and responsible business practices into every course. In three other workshops, participants learned how the simulation model En-ROADS helps to address climate change, how exercises from Improvisational Theatre help to convey sustainability knowledge, and how to calculate one’s own carbon footprint.
A plea for a climate-friendly city life
The online keynote, entitled “Cities and the Climate Crisis”, was given by Gernot Wagner, professor at Columbia Business School in New York. The U.S.-based Austrian is a climate economist and best-selling author; in 2022, Wagner was named “Austrian of the Year” in the “Success internationally” category. In his very personal talk with many references to Austria, he explained why it is better for the climate to live in the city than in the countryside or in a suburb. The keynote is available online.
SDG Awards for alumni and lecturers
Also on the agenda at the SDG Day was the awarding of graduates of FHWien der WKW who have highlighted aspects of sustainability in their theses. Katharina Lin was honored for the best Bachelor’s thesis and Astrid Koger for the best Master’s thesis. These and other theses related to sustainability are online on the SDG Day platform.
Awards were also given to teachers who integrated the SDGs into courses in an exemplary manner: The first prize went to the team David Dobrowsky, Birgit Schaller and Simone Zwickl for their digital case study on children’s rights, which was created together with UNICEF. Katharina Rotter won the second prize.
Panel discussion on “Climate Neutral Cities”
The crowning finale of the SDG Day was the panel discussion in the auditorium maximum of FHWien der WKW. Chaired by Carmen Dilch from the Real Estate Management study programs at the university of applied sciences, the panel included Hubert Rhomberg, CEO of Rhomberg Holding and CREE, Lina Mosshammer from VCÖ – Mobilität mit Zukunft, Rosemarie Stangl from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences BOKU and Anna-Vera Deinhammer from the Austrian Society for Sustainable Real Estate. “The most sustainable way of building is not to build,” declared Hubert Rhomberg – a statement that went largely unchallenged. There was also agreement that efforts to make cities climate-neutral must be intensified.
The SDG Day 2022 of FHWien der WKW ended with a – naturally sustainable – buffet.
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The SDG Day 2022 of FHWien der WKW focused on sustainable cities. The event concluded with a panel discussion on “Climate Neutral Cities” in the main lecture hall of the university of applied sciences.
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Copyright: Markus Hechenberger
FHWien der WKW – University of Applied Sciences for Management & Communication
FHWien der WKW is Austria’s leading university of applied sciences for management & communication. Working in close contact with Austrian corporations, FHWien der WKW offers comprehensive and practice-oriented academic programs to over 2,800 Bachelor’s and Master’s students. Two thirds of our teaching staff have a background in business. Our programs are tailored to the needs of companies, optimally preparing our students for their future careers. Since its foundation in 1994, FHWien der WKW has already produced over 13,600 graduates.
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