A university for the future generations! November 4th – 9th 2024, Sustainability Week at the University of Bucharest

A university for future generations! is the slogan that will reunite, between November 4^th – 9^th 2024, the community of the University of Bucharest for the same goal: sustainability.

We have prepared workshops, courses and contests, we have aligned these to the international endeavor of the United Nations Organization regarding the implementation of the 17 Durable Development Goals, and what resulted was the second edition of the project Sustainability Week at the University of Bucharest. The full program of the event is available here.

What do we aim for?

Increasing the awareness and involvement of the academic community in sustainable practices, starting from the Durable Development Goals, through educative and awareness activities, and also socio-cultural and sports activities: promoting education for durable development, increasing the degree of inclusion and the reduction of inequalities, promoting a state of well-being and a healthy and responsible lifestyle, increasing awareness and involvement regarding environmental protection and the responsible use of resources and developing a spirit of social responsibility within the academic community.

How?

You can join one or more activities, according to your interests and availability, by filling in the form available here. Confirmations for the activities with a limited number of participants will be sent starting November 1^st 2024. We also invite you to follow the Facebook page associated with the event to be up to date with the most recent information and, of course, to learn more about UB initiatives in the sphere of sustainability.

When?

The series of events dedicated to sustainability will debut Monday, November 4^th 2024, at 9.30 AM, with a series of workshops which will be held at the Administration Board Hall of the Rectorate of the University of Bucharest (90 Panduri Street). In the opening of the event, professor Magdalena Iordache-Platis, PhD, UB vice-rector for Students, quality management, sustainability and social responsibility will present the agenda of the week and will highlight the projects that positioned the University of Bucharest among the first 200 universities in the world in what concerns the involvement in activities specific to durable development.

Tuesday, November 5^th 2024, between 2.30 PM – 5.30 PM, the community of the University of Bucharest is invited by the UB Learning Centre for the workshop Climate Collage, a combination between art, science and activism, where each added piece reveals more of the complex climate story.

On the same day, Tuesday, November 5^th 2024, UB students are invited in the Hall of Administration Board at the UB Rectorate to present their papers in a scientific communication session themed Sustainable entrepreneurship in the context of 4.0 industry. Registering for the event is possible by filling in the form available here.

Wednesday, November 6^th 2024, teaching staff and students of the Faculty of History of the University of Bucharest will organize, starting 2 PM, the guided tour The University of Bucharest and its Palaces on the axis of urban modernity. With a duration of approximately 90 minutes, the tour will start from the statue of Gheorghe Lazăr in the University Square and will follow the route: University – Regina Elisabeta Boulevard – Bucharest City Hall – Cișmigiu Park – Mihail Kogălniceanu Square – the Palace of the Faculty of Law.

Also Wednesday, November 6^th 2024, we will organize, together with the friends at PAWZ – The Golden Retriever Land, an event dedicated to the interaction with pets, starting 12.45 AM, an excellent opportunity to cultivate the spirit of community and generate a state of well-being. The proposed activity combines relaxation elements, education and play, thus offering a pleasant and reassuring experience. 10 places are available for this event, and the starting place will be courtyard of the UB rectorate building, where the participants will board the bus made available by the university. The same activity will be organized Thursday, November 7^th 2024.

Thursday, November 7^th 2024, starting 10.30 AM, the Botanical Garden Dimitrie Brandza will host a tree planting activity, and starting 2 PM, teaching staff and students of the UB Faculty of History will organize the guided tour Bucharest cultural intersections: the University and Calea Victoriei, following the route University – CEC Palace – Grand Hotel du Boulevard – The National Military Circle – the former National Theatre – The Royal Palace (MNAR) –  the Romanian Atheneum. With a timespan of about 90 minutes, the tour will start at the statue of Gheorghe Lazar in the University Square.

Friday, November 8^th 2024, we will organize, with the support of the National Romanian Deaf Association, a initial training course for the members of the academic community, to improve interactions with people with hearing impairments. The course Basic elements of hearing impairment. Myths and communication, will be presented by Bogdan Anicescu, sign language interpreter within the Romanian Deaf Association, and will be held at the C2 Hall of the CREDIS building (36-46 Mihail Kogălniceanu Blvd., building C, 2^nd floor), between 9 AM – 1 PM. This activity is supported through project CNFIS-FDI-2024-F-0274 UB – a modern and inclusive academic activity.

We reward the interest for sustainability

Between November 4^th – 10^th 2024, the members of the UB community are invited to participate in the competition Sustainable day-by-day and to show how they are sustainable on an everyday basis.

Either we talk about using public transportation, creating our own urban gardens or about reducing plastic consumption, all activities must be photographed and uploaded on Facebook using the hashtag #sustenabilZIdeZI , with a description on the manner in which these activities contribute to a more sustainable environment.

The top three photos getting the most comments at the final of the competition (November 11^th 2024, 10 AM), will be rewarded with a board game.

We test knowledge on sustainability

During the whole week, the members of the UB community are invited to discover the University of Bucharest through a durable quiz. The initiative is an invitation for students, teaching staff and administrative staff to test their knowledge and learn new things about UB and activities connected to the Durable Development Goals proposed by the UN Agenda 2030. The interactive quiz created on the Kahoot platform is available here.

UB week of steps, prizes totaling 1.800 lei

In the same period, November 4^th – 10^th 2024, we will organize the second edition of the contest UB week of steps and invite all the members of the UB academic community to compete in…steps. In exchange, we offer prizes totaling 1.800 lei for the first 9 persons who, during the competition, manage to take the most steps in the Pacer app, as members of the group Sustainability at UB – 2024. More details on how to register for the competition are available here.

Donation campaign for the Virtute et Sapientia Foundation of the University of Bucharest

We take advantage of the Week of Sustainability to bring to the attention of the UB academic community the activities realized by the volunteers of the Virtute et Sapientia Foundation of the University of Bucharest for children coming from underprivileged environments. Through project SEED – Educational Support for Underprivileged Pupils, the volunteers of the UB foundation help, year by year, unprivileged pupils get better results at school. You can join their cause by donating to RO57BRDE410SV69608784100, mentioning I support SEED.

Fit & green in the Sports Hall of the Panduri Campus

Between November 5^th – 7^th 2024, the members of the UB community are invited for a sports break where they’ll learn a few useful exercises for sedentary occupations. Organized with the support of the Department of Physical Education and Sports, the sports sessions will be held between 12 AM – 1 PM in the Sports Hall of the Panduri Campus (90 Panduri Street).

No elevator week

During the whole week, the members of the UB academic community are invited to discover the benefits of daily exercise and to join the No elevator week activity. We burn calories, not electricity!

Change by recycling – textile collection campaign

Between November 4^th – 9^th 2024, hall 412 of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Bucharest becomes a collection point for textiles that the members of the UB community are not using anymore. Through this initiative, we aim not just to reduce the impact of textile waste on the environment, but also to promote social responsibility, all donations being distributed to charitable organizations.

About the week of sustainability at the University of Bucharest

After the success of the first edition, organized in 2023, and out of the desire to be a university for future generations – an innovative, modern and efficient institution, we continue the efforts of creating and consolidating a sustainable climate for future generations. Last year, hundreds of members of the UB community  participated to the first edition of the Week of sustainability, on which you can get more information here.

In the past few years, the results obtained following the initiatives of the community of the University of Bucharest have made possible institutional recognition at national and international level, as an active institution engaged in reaching the Durable Development Goals.

Thus, the University of Bucharest is among the universities with the highest involvement in activities specific to durable development, according to the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, one of the most renowned rankings in the international academic space. The University of Bucharest is placed among the first 101-200 universities in the world, out of 1.963 institutions which were included in ranking that’s currently at its sixth edition.

At national level, out of the 19 universities included in the ranking, the University of Bucharest is the leader, followed by the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca and the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, both situated on places 401-600 at international level.

The full program of the events organized at the level of the University of Bucharest as part of the project Sustainability week is available here.