Green University

Education for sustainable development is a lifelong journey

Read Helen Sooväli-Sepping's, Vice-Rector for Sustainable Development's, first blog post about promoting sustainable development at the university.

Helen Sooväli-Sepping

Tallinn University has stated it's mission to support Estonia’s sustainable development. More clearly than ever, the university has taken on the responsibility of promoting transition for a more sustainable future. How to achieve that? Through research, knowledge-based innovation, teaching and a sense of mental and physical well-being.

The primary role of the university as an educational institution is to provide students with knowledge, skills and understanding. In addition to that, our goal is to provide students with a toolbox, which will help them to wisely deal with problems related to sustainable development.

However, education for sustainable development is not just an academic discipline. It is a lifelong journey. But how to get there?

To move further, we are taking our first important steps at the university. In a few weeks, we will introduce the TLU sustainable development policies together with the implementation plan. The Student Union is preparing a guide for sustainable development activities for students. In addition, an Environmental Commissioner will take office at the university at the beginning of next year. Their role will be to make the university's buildings more resource-efficient in a climatesmart way. In February, we will launch the Green Transition Forum open for everyone at the university, which will become a database and implementation platform for sustainable ideas. In spring, we will start with an active lifestyle programme, to bring more joy of movement to each employee and student. And finally, the university campus will soon have a long-awaited, comprehensive waste management system.

The key to sustainable development is cooperation. Tallinn University has started negotiating with partners from universities in Estonia and from across the border, state agencies and civil society initiatives to positively nudge society towards a more sustainable future.

Here at Tallinn University, we are the change makers. Spreading the word of evidence-based knowledge is the best way to meaningfully improve the world and support the sustainable development of society. To achieve that, the contribution of every researcher and student counts!

The Vice-Rector for Sustainable Development blog will be published regularly and will introduce the Vice-Rector's activities and guidelines related to sustainability.