Regensburg Sustainability Week: The future is now!

Regensburg Sustainability Week: The future is now!

The “Regensburg Sustainability Week” (NaWo) is just around the corner and will take place from June 2nd to 8th, 2025. This year the event will celebrate its fifth anniversary. It is a significant result of a student initiative that was launched in 2019 under the name “#URweekforfuture”. With the help of the University of Regensburg (UR), NaWo has developed into a multi-day program that addresses society in various dimensions and invites a broad audience.

The university plays a central role in the direction of NaWo, in particular by establishing a Green Office and appointing a sustainability officer. Prof. Susanne Leist, Vice President for Transfer and Digitalization, emphasizes the responsibility of science, society and business with regard to sustainability. The goal of NaWo is to promote awareness of sustainability in all its facets and to provide impetus.

The program and topics of the NaWo

This year the NaWo's motto is “The future is now”. The extensive program includes around 50 events that deal with topics such as climate protection, sustainable economy, mobility, right-wing extremism and democratic participation. The opening event on June 2nd will include a keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Uwe Schneiderwind, followed by a panel discussion with various prominent guests who will share their insights and views on the topics presented.

A special highlight is the “Spotlight on Teaching” format, which will take place on June 5th in the UR Central Library. The role of teaching in sustainable development is discussed here. In addition, a coalition of the Green Offices of the UR and OTH Regensburg as well as the student association Campus Regensburg e.V. is organizing a campus campaign on June 4th. This campaign focuses on a wide range of offers for responsible use of resources and social justice.

Sustainability mile and long-term goals

The NaWo final will take place from June 20th to 22nd, 2025 in the form of a sustainability mile during the Regensburg Citizens Festival. This weekend, the UR will be represented with its own science stand, covering topics such as the botanical garden and education for sustainable development. These events aim to make exemplary commitment visible and to initiate discourses that are essential for sustainable development.

A central concept of the event is that of sustainability, which calls for meeting the needs of the present without restricting the possibilities of future generations. The various dimensions of sustainability, namely economic efficiency, social justice and environmental viability, play a crucial role in shaping the policy decisions made at the global level. Sustainable development was recognized as a global guiding principle at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. This resulted in Agenda 21, which outlines concrete approaches to implementing this principle. These considerations are of central importance for understanding and implementing the NaWo.

In this sense, the Regensburg Sustainability Week will make an important contribution to creating awareness of the challenges and opportunities in the area of ​​sustainability. The initiative aims to provide a platform for discussions and the exchange of ideas that can have a lasting impact and emphasize responsibility for society as a whole. As Ban-Ki Moon, the former UN Secretary-General, once said: “We can be the first generation to succeed in eradicating poverty, just as we could be the last generation to have a chance to save our planet.”

The NaWo promises to be an important event with a large number of actors from universities, city administration, civil society and citizens, which shows what common commitment and active participation can look like in today's world.

For more information about Regensburg Sustainability Week, please visit regensburger-nachhaltigkeitswoche.org and uni-regensburg.de. You can also learn more about the general concepts of sustainability bmz.de experience.