Introducing the sustainable quartet

Good response and lively discussion at the 4th SustainabilityTALK at HoST.

The range of topics was broad, the discussion lively and the response great: more than 50 participants experienced an informative and very entertaining evening at the 4th Sustainability TALK on 15 November at the invitation of Vice President Prof. Dr Susanne Rägle and the Sustainability Office in the House of Science and Transfer (HoST).

The TALK organisers, Marina Ringwald and Kirsten Morrigl-Neynaber from the Sustainability Office, were able to win Katja Diehl as keynote speaker, who has gained nationwide recognition as an activist and author. At the centre of the evening and the discussion moderated by Diehl following her keynote speech were the new sustainability professors: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Dieterle (Sustainable Open Space and Urban Design/Faculty 1), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bhavin Kapadia (Sustainable and Modern Drives/Mobility Faculty 2), Prof. Dr Timo von Wirth (Socio-Economic Transformation with a Focus on Sustainable Mobility in Urban Regions/Faculty 3) and Prof. Dr Caroline Schmitt (Ecosocial Work and Care/Faculty 4).

Before the four presented themselves and their respective research, Katja Diehl presented her theses on mobility concepts that put people, not cars, at the centre. She backed up her demand ‘It must be allowed to say that you don't want to drive’ with positive examples such as that of the city of Hanover, which proves that a city centre concept with more quality of life, in which cyclists and pedestrians have priority over car traffic, is not a utopia. Her appeal that new rules are needed, not bans, in order to build an attractive and climate-friendly future for everyone, led directly to the presentation round.

Wide range of scientific expertise

The sustainability professors - one in each faculty - provide scientific support in the implementation of the sustainability strategy. The Vice President described the fact that all four are now on board as a ‘milestone’. Their research and teaching priorities, which she briefly outlined to the audience, highlighted the breadth of their academic expertise.