Sustainability in focus: Lectures from Saarland University in April!

Sustainability in focus: Lectures from Saarland University in April!

Saarland University will offer a series of public lectures on various dates in the summer semester. These events are part of the lecture series that deal with important social issues such as sustainability. The lectures usually take place on Tuesdays at 5:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. and on Fridays at 1 p.m. The exact program is available in the events calendar on the university's homepage and all interested parties are invited to take part.

Sustainability in focus

On Tuesday, April 22nd, the lecture series “Spaceship Earth – Sustainability” will be opened at 5:15 p.m. by Professor Andreas Schütze, an expert in measurement technology. His lecture entitled “Small but mighty: How microgas sensors make our buildings more sustainable” deals with the measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and their importance for needs-based ventilation. The aim is to create energy-efficient and healthy buildings, also known as “green buildings”.

Afterwards, also on April 22nd at 6:15 p.m., Professor Fabian Hollstein from the Faculty of Economics will speak about “Sustainable Finance”. His presentation will address the challenges of a CO2-free economy and the need for sustainable financing models. The lecture will take place in room 0.06 of building B4 1 and aims to promote economic, social and ecological sustainability in business.

Child protection and legal perspectives

Another important lecture will take place on Friday, April 25th at 1 p.m. The online lecture series “Child Protection in Theory and Practice” is led by Professor Eva Möhler from the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It will focus on the legal framework in a suspected case of child endangerment. This event is aimed at students from various disciplines as well as interested professionals and laypeople. The lectures take place via Microsoft Teams.

The events at Saarland University are part of a broader effort to raise awareness of sustainability, responsibility and child protection, particularly in the context of current challenges such as climate change.

Green financing and EU initiatives

A central issue of sustainability is also relevant in the area of ​​financial allocation. Given the goals of the European Green Deal, the EU has committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Achieving this requires significant investment in new technologies. Public resources alone will not be enough; private investors are asked to finance sustainable projects.

The introduction of clear criteria for defining “green” and “sustainable” is necessary to prevent the marketing of products that do not meet basic environmental standards – a phenomenon often referred to as greenwashing. In various EU member states, including Germany and Austria, organizations such as the German Sustainability Council and the Austrian Sustainability Council are working to develop classification systems that are intended to benefit both companies and investors. For example, the German Sustainability Council has developed an ESG process that takes environmental and social standards into account and can be used in parallel or independently of DGNB certification, reports WorldGBC.

Sustainable development therefore requires the commitment not only of states but also of financial markets in order to make progress in line with EU goals. These initiatives are paramount to building a viable and sustainable economy that takes climate protection seriously while promoting social justice, as stated by EUR-Lex treated.