2023

Amazon Week takes place from September 11-15 in Berlin and online

The Brazilian Embassy in Berlin is hosting the "Amazon Week" from September 11 to 15 with numerous cross-sector events. ZIN members Dr. Rebecca Froese and Dr. Karen Siegel will be participating as speakers on the panel "The Amazon Complex - More than a Rainforest: Scientific & Transdisciplinary Approximations".

Rebecca Froese, who joined the ZIN in January, defended her dissertation on January 16th, 2023 with a presentation on the question of how state and non-state institutions deal with the social-ecological consequences of land use and climate change and contribute to the avoidance of so-called tipping points. | Read more

ZIN Junior Scholar Anica Roßmöller gave a lecture on "The local implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: empirical insights from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu" at the IR section meeting of the German Political Science Association (Deutschen Vereinigung für Politische Wissenschaft, DVPW) on June 16. | Read More

On Friday, October 13, the University of Münster will host its 2nd Sustainability Day, featuring a variety of transfer events centered around the theme "Sustainability at the Intersection of Democracy and Social Justice". From 1 pm to 8 pm, numerous activities will take place in the city centre, the Fürstenberghaus, and the Geological Museum - many of which are organised by or involve ZIN members.

The Climate Change Centre Austria (CCCA) has announced the winner of this year's prestigious Young Researcher Award. The award goes to Dr. Halliki Kreinin, who completed her PhD last year at the Institute of Ecological Economics at the University of Economics in Vienna on the topic of sustainable work and production in relation to the 1.5 C target. She will officially receive the award on April 13 during the CCCA Austria Climate Day in Austria. | Read more

At the end of March, the EU decided that from 2035 onwards, only cars powered by electricity or e-fuels may be newly registered. There will be no more new registrations of cars with combustion engines. Against this background, a feature broadcasted on June 20 by Radio Q (a radio station run by students of the University of Muenster) takes a critical look at the topic of e-fuels. ZIN-member Prof. Tillmann Buttschardt participates as an expert. | Read more
 

On September 12, starting at 9:30 a.m., the "1st Conference on Sustainability and Data", co-organized by ZIN member Dr. Lea Püchel, will take place online. The 1st Conference on Sustainability and Data brings together sustainability and IT researchers, managers, and policymakers to share their experiences and challenges in working with sustainability data.  | Continue

As part of the joint project SUNRISE LAB, involving ZIN members Prof. Doris Fuchs and Dr. Rebecca Froese, a survey on sustainability at the University of Münster is currently being conducted among all university status groups.

On 18 and 19 January 2024, the Akademie Franz Hitze Haus (Münster) will host the symposium "Just Democracy? Socio-ecological transformation and resource distribution", which is being jointly organised by ZIN and the Academy.

You can register for the event by now.

On February 23, a guest commentary under the title "Beim Konsum ansetzen" by Professor Fuchs appeared in the German newspaper taz. The ZIN spokesperson explains why the issues of time, justice and democracy, in her view, receive too little attention in the debate on energy efficiency in transformation, among others. | Read more

The teams from the SUNRISE LAB and LATERNE projects (both involving ZIN members) cordially invite you to the event "Craving for the Academic Donut". This event will be held on October 13 from 2 pm to 5:30 pm. It is part of the 2nd Sustainability Day at the University of Münster.

The annual conference of the Centre for Bioethics of the WWU will take place on July 7 from 3pm to 6pm in the lecture theatre at Badestr. 9/10 in Muenster. The conference is dedicated to the topic  “Vom Protest zum Widerstand: das letzte Mittel der letzten Generation?” (can be translated as: "From protest to resistance: The last resort of the last generation?". In addition to Prof. Bernd Ladwig (FU Berlin), ZIN member Prof Michael Quante will also give a lecture on this conference theme.

In the 5th lecture of the “ZIN-Brown Bag Lecture Series 2023” on June 29, starting at 12:15 p.m., Dr. Rebecca Froese will talk about conflicts surrounding species protection and biodiversity. The lecture will take place in room JO 1 (Johannisstraße 4) and online.

The current issue of the university newspaper “wissen/leben” (December 2023) recently published the profile of ZIN member Professor Asmaa El Maaroufi. The article entitled "Sustainability with God's blessing” illustrates the academic career of the theologian and philosopher Professor El Maaroufi.

On January 31st 2024, the Centre for Religion and Modernity, the Seminary for Reformed Theology and the ZIN invite you to a book launch on the occasion of the publication of the book "Gottes Werk und Fleisches Lust" by theologist and ZIN member Prof Anne Käfer. The event will take place from 18:15 in JO 101 (Johannisstr. 4, 48143 Münster).

In times of multiple crises, socio-technical innovations for sustainability and a growing awareness for "green" issues, there are many developments and changes with regard to environmental and climate policy. In this situation, various actors are advocating for more ambitious climate policies in a different ways. In an  open panel discussion we would like to discuss about these developments with older and newer climate policy actors. Activists from Greenpeace, Scientists for Future, and the Last Generation will join the discussion. We also welcome representatives from BUNDjugendNRW, Students for Future and Ende Gelände on the panel. | Read more
 

One of today's challenges is the shift toward sustainability - also for universities. Münster's three major universities are therefore joining forces as part of the research project "Sustainable University Landscape Münster" and establishing the SUNRISE LAB, a superordinate "living lab" to research five other living labs in the project. At the ZIN, Dr. Rebecca Froese and Prof. Doris Fuchs will organize the living lab on biodiversity. | Read more

 

Every year, the publisher Routledge presents the "Routledge Area Studies Awards" in the categories "Impact" and "Interdisciplinarity". This year, the research project "Transformation and Sustainability Governance in South American Bioeconomies", which political scientist and ZIN member Dr Karen Siegel is conducting with other researchers, has also made it onto the shortlist in the "Impact" category.

ZIN Junior Scholar Anica Roßmöller talked about "The local implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: empirical insights from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu" at the annual conference of the International Studies Association (ISA) on March 15.  | Read more

On Saturday, June 17 from 5 to 9.30 p.m., the " Kreislauf-Dinner”, an event jointly organized by StadtLabor, ZIN, vhs and fairteilbar, " will take place at the VHS Münster. The experimental event format aims at bringing scientists, practitioners and interested citizens into an exchange about different aspects of the circular economy in four discussion rounds.  | Read More

On March 31, the kick-off event for the Citizen Science project "KompoBioPlast@Home?" will take place. In this project, citizens can contribute to research on plastic-degrading microorganisms. | Read more

Students and interested citizens are cordially invited to attend the ZIN’s open lecture series “Brotzeitkolloquium” in the summer term of 2023. This semester, the speakers will address various "Conflicts about Sustainability" by talking about insect extinction, digitalization and species protection – just to name a few examples. | Read More
 

At the end of November, ZIN member Prof. Anne Remke participated as a guest on the "Fokus Frieden" podcast. The episode focusing on "Electricity and security of supply - how do we prevent a blackout?" (own translation) is part of a collaboration between "Fokus Frieden" and the ZIN. It focuses on the challenges regarding critical infrastructure and ways to make it more resilient.

On 9 November 2023, an article titled „Vom groben Missverständnis christlicher Freiheit und der Liebe zum Tier“ by ZIN member Prof. Anne Käfer was published in the theological feuilleton feinschwarz.net.

On February 22 and 23, the international conference "Bioeconomy Policies, Actors, and Transformations: Achievements, Challenges, and Recommendations" took place in Berlin. ZIN junior scholars Victoria Hasenkamp and Wiebke Walleck presented results from the research project BIOCIVIS to an international audience in their lecture "Participation in the bioeconomy: How to involve citizens in the discussion on complex technological issues?".| Read more

On June 21, parts of the broadcast "Umwelt und Verbraucher" (in English: Environment and Consumers) of the German radio program Deutschlandfunk were dedicated to the topic of climate-friendly lifestyles. In this context, ZIN spokesperson Professor Doris Fuchs presented findings from the EU project 1.5° Lifestyles. The international research project is investigating what climate-compatible lifestyles could look like and how they could be implemented. | Read more

On February 1 and 2 2024, the interdisciplinary and interactive conference "The Rights of Nature in the Basic Law. An opportunity to transform the anthropocentric worldview" (own translation) takes place at the Akademie Franz Hitze Haus, Münster. Registration is now open.

Another event in the “Münsteraner Klimagespräche” series will take place on Thursday, November 23rd 2023, starting at 7 pm. The event at the vhs-Forum, Aegidiimarkt 2, will focus on the question of how effective levers for Münster's climate policy can be found. | Read more

 

On May 31, the TV station WDR broadcasted a report about the decline in meat processing at slaughterhouses in Muensterland. ZIN member Dr. Tobias Gumbert contributed expert statements.

The Claussen-Simon Stiftung’s Participatory Award recognizes and supports scholarship holders and alumni:ae who engage in interdisciplinary collaboration on questions and challenges that society faces. With their project "Passierschein A39", the pianist and performer Daniel Bucurescu and the scientist Rebecca Froese create a publicly accessible participatory dialogue format building on artistic self-awareness to bring people of different generations and origins together and to develop and artistically articulate their visions and ideas of sustainable futures. 

In 2015, Prof. Doris Fuchs, along with a few other researchers from the University of Münster, founded the ZIN. She has since served as its spokesperson. Doris Fuchs took up the position of Director at the Research Institute for Sustainability - Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS) on 1 October 2023. Alongside her new directorial duties, Doris Fuchs will continue as a Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Münster and remain part of the ZIN Executive Board team. The position of ZIN spokesperson will be assumed by Prof. Dr. Tillmann Buttschardt.

The results of the BIOCIVIS project are gradually finding their way into various publications for science and practice. A Hands-On brochure was recently published: a guide on how participation can be successfully implemented in practice. It is now available for download as a PDF:

BIOCIVIS Hands-O Broschüre

On June 17 2023, the dialog event “Kreislauf-Dinner” took place in the vhs Forum as the kick-off event for this year's “Kompostfestival”. The experimental event was organised jointly by ZIN and the StadtLabor with vhs Münster and fairteilbar.

ZIN spokesperson Prof. Doris Fuchs will participate as a panelist in the discussion on "Climate Perspectives", which is part of the City Forum "Münster becomes Climate City" on June 15.

On 15 December, the Evangelische Zeitung published an interview by the Evangelischer Pressedienst (Katrin Nordwald) with ZIN researcher Carolin Bohn on the topic of "Sustainability and Christmas". The political scientist illustrates possible reasons why there are no transformative changes towards a truly “sustainable” Christmas.