Sustainability Week: "we count on this event every year"

The 4th Edition of the Sustainability Week (SdS) reached its closing ceremony this Thursday, already looking ahead to the future – and to the likely edition that will take place in the next academic year. Amélia Ávila, Catarina Sil and Joana Rosado, students from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon (Ciências ULisboa) who ensured overall coordination, took the opportunity to review the event, which brought training, documentaries, debates and fairs, and also announced the winners of the Scientific Illustration and Peddy Paper competitions. Among the achievements highlighted was the installation of informative signs next to recycling points, which had already been proposed in previous editions.

“If we want to see change, we have to be the change,” emphasised Catarina Sil. “I think we managed to inspire other students from the Faculty,” added the Conservation Biology Master's student.
The trio of coordinators recalled that the lessons learned from previous editions served as a springboard for the results achieved during this 4th edition, with particularly well-attended workshops and debates, the success of the generational interviews, and the snack that the organisation hoped would attract the community through their appetite.

Among the changes compared to the past, the change of location (from building C6 to building C3) also stood out. “Above all, a very united Committee was created,” said Amélia Ávila, a student of the Master's in Human Biology and Environment, in reference to the Organising Committee made up of 21 students from Ciências ULisboa. “This edition was a milestone,” added Joana Rosado.
And if it depends on those who lead Ciências ULisboa, the initiative, which covers ecology, respect for civil rights and quality of life, is indeed set to continue in the coming academic years.
“The SdS is already part of our Faculty’s calendar of events and we already count on this event every year,” emphasised Conceição Freitas, dean of Ciências ULisboa.

The accounts state that it was through the intervention of the guardians of the HortaFCUL initiative that SdS began to take shape. “I had the privilege of being on the board of Ciências ULisboa when the students presented this initiative. It was something that the board always supported. We want SdS to continue as a student-led initiative,” said Margarida Santos-Reis, professor at Ciências ULisboa.

The closing ceremony also served to announce the winners of the Scientific Illustration competition, which awarded first place to Céline Travella, second to Ana Knittel, and third to Irina Baptista. In the peddy paper competition, the team JoViMar won, consisting of Mariana Viegas, Vicente Maximino, and Pedro Correia.

Mário Mateus da Costa, president of the Students' Association of the Faculty of Sciences of Lisbon, praised the event, recalling that the future requires a focus on sustainability, which “is anything but convenient, but must be a focus.” “Sustainability is a fundamental foundation for ensuring universal quality of life,” reiterated the student leader.

And because SdS maintains the perspective of fostering change, Catarina Sil did not miss the opportunity to set the tone for future initiatives: “It was important to bring sustainability into the classroom.” Good practices are also learned.