Welcome to our VAMOS Digital Photo Exhibition!
Sustainability Stories on Campus is a series of photos and short texts shared by students. These personal narratives of sustainability initiatives on campuses should inspire and motivate others to take action. Students of VAMOS’ partner universities create this digital photo exhibition as part of the Virtual Conference on Teaching and Learning in Wicked Times.
At each university, there are many sustainability storytellers. These students increase the awareness of sustainability issues and inspire others to mobilize their own resources, engage in sustainability initiatives themselves – thus taking action. Through providing this digital space, we want to celebrate the positive impacts of our students’ initiatives.
Scroll through this page to celebrate with all of us!

Inclusiveness in Environmental Education
by Carla Marins Santos Santana Viana
“Education is the key to social inclusion processes and Mandala Sensorial acts as a teaching tool. It is extremely important to work on educational processes in Environmental Education regarding the inclusion of people with some kind of physical or intellectual disability.
The activities developed within this initiative promote social integration adding to the training and development of people with disabilities. These are actions where participants are in direct contact with nature, covering the interactions of the environment, in addition to sharing knowledge about the use and conservation of culinary and medicinal species.
And through inclusive activities, citizens become more aware and empathetic with others, learn how to live together, and embrace and respect the differences of each of us within society.”
Food Rescue
by Orsolya Demes
“I find it great how the Campus Gotland students contribute to reducing food waste through the Food Rescue initiative. Through FR, students are able to buy the products that have passed their ‘bäst före’ date from Stora Coop Visby at a highly reduced price, thereby not only saving food from going to waste, but money too. Plus, volunteering with them is a great way to meet new people with similar values and interests!”



Our campaign “REPLACE”
by Jose Elmer Zalabarria Canales
“The general ecology study program taught at our Santa Bárbara campus, developed an environmental campaign to raise awareness among citizens regarding the protection of ecosystems. The campaign is called “REPLACE – join and be part of the change” and its members undertook the following actions:
- Sharing the message via social networks, television and distribution of flyers with reflective messages
- Developing ecological fairs to promote reusable bags to replace plastic bags
- Advocating for the approval of the development of an open town hall to analyze the environmental problems in the municipality and the approval of municipal policies and / or ordinances for the protection of ecosystems. The request was presented by the students at a municipal corporation meeting and the development of the environmental open council was approved.”
A project with Curitiba’s Museum of Indigenous Art
by Josiane Oliveira Wehrmeister
“The ecological education group from the Federal University of Technology – Paraná has been dedicating its efforts to discover ways to empower undergraduate and graduate students with indigenous knowledge about the indigenous way of living.
By cooperating with Curitiba’s Museum of Indigenous Art, the research group has created a video tour of the museum’s collection, thus, the students can do virtual visits following narratives created collaboratively by several professors.
The attached photo shows how the museum promotes activities in which the actors of interest – in this case the indigenous people – play a key role.”


Textile waste for Abayomis dolls
by Marina de Lima Razera
“Reusing textile waste in the manufacturing of Abayomis dolls – in addition to all the cultural meaning behind the story! This activity gives a new meaning to fabric scraps that would take years to decompose in nature. Through dolls, we bring to children an ethnic symbol and female resistance.”
Community fridge
by students at Campus Gotland
“About to leave for a weekend trip but still have a few tomatoes and leftover cheese in the fridge? Glad we have a shared fridge for the campus community where those still tasty groceries can be exchanged.”


Movie Nights
by GHOST
“Among other activities, the student led group “GHOST” (Gotlands Headquaters for Sustainable Thinkers) has set up numerous events for students already passionate about sustainability topics as well as those new to the subject. Very popular are the movie nights during which often a documentary or film orbiting around a sustainability challenge is watched and discussed afterwards. Many engaged discussions have emerged from that and created a strong community feeling.”
Making a difference during the pandemic
by Josiane Bielski
“Amidst the Covid 19 pandemic, with social distancing, the world slowed down – but the green room project could not stand still… So it was necessary to break down barriers and reinvent to continue the project and reflect on environmental issues and how we can make a difference even during the pandemic! Environmental education cannot stop…it must always find ways to reach all individuals! Thus, we creted the Sala verde online lecture cycle.”


An interpretive trail on campus
by Thais Gomes
“The interpretive trail was an initiative for teachers and students from the city’s public schools, using the campus spaces as allies and tools for Environmental Education, thus associating an educational process with living in the middle of nature. On this trail, we work on programmed and planned obsolescence, correct disposal of solid waste and the importance of preserving species. We are going ‘beyond the walls’ and bring the community into the university – in search of a more sustainable and conscious encounter with our environment.”
Solar powered electric buggies
by Milton Santos
“I am a master’s student at the Post-Graduate Program in Technology and Society (PPGTE) at UTFPR (Curitiba, Brazil) and my research aims to assess the technical feasibility of solar powered electric buggies on the island of Fernando de Noronha, Northeast of Brazil. In this photo, I am standing in front of the prototype of the zero emission all-electric dune buggy. With the help of the university, I intend to make it possible to produce the buggy in series, thus helping the world fighting pollution and climate change. “


GHOST
by Frouke van den Heuvel
“Hej hej! We are GHOST, Gotland Headquarters of Sustainable Thinkers and we are part of Uppsala University Campus Gotland. With a group of very engaged students we show everyone how much fun it can be to be involved in sustainability! We organise clean-up days, movie screenings, inspirational talks and we have recently started our own garden where we grow all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Sustainability is the future, and we want to be there at the starting point of this new future!”
A didactic garden
by Marina Razera
“The implementation of the Didactic Garden, in partnership with the Sala Verde Project on the Waves of the Iguaçu River, will provide a space where, in an organized manner, we will have a collection of living plants available to teachers, students and the external community. In addition to its importance for classes, the didactic garden will play an essential role in the relationship between the external community and the Campus, being an educational space for the most diverse areas and levels of Teaching and Environmental Education, contributing to mental health, leisure and well-being.”


Building emergency houses
by Aline Sanches
“I am Aline Sanches, currently student at the Public Governance Master Program. For 5 years, me and some colleagues were part of the TETO NGO by actively building emergency houses for families in need in Curitiba. Here on the picture, I am working together with Professor Libia Patricia Peralta Agudelo in 2019.”
Time for our “Pitch Day”
by students of UTH
“On this picture, you can see some of the students at our event “Pitch Day” which was part of our sustainable entrepreneurship program for young people from Opatoro, Florida and Santa Ana de las Sierras de la Paz. From January to March 2021, many students worked on developing their entrepreneurial mindset!”


Herbal Garden
by students at Campus Gotland
“As part of the so called “Green Room” our windowsills will be soon covered with basil, parsley and other tasty herbs.”
Free-your-stuff-shelf
by students at Campus Gotland
“Here you can find books, clothing, accessories, decoration and a lot of other surprises often from students for students. Similar to the community fridge people from campus have the opportunity to leave things they don’t use anymore which then can find a new owner.”


Quality food at our Mensa
by Grace Atilola Obayomi
“The picture is from one out of the several Mensa’s provided by University of Padova.
Also, it connects to the Sustainable Development Goal “Zero Hunger” because of the provision of quality food made available for the students – sometimes for free if one is on schorlarship: scan the QR code and get free food.
For an international student like me from Nigeria, I find it a sustainable initiative because the quality food I get from the Mensa helps to live a healthy life and the place brings us together from different cultures and background.”
Reusable cups, mugs and bottles
by Marina de Lima Razera
“The use of plastic has become increasingly frequent – there are absurd amounts around the world. By using reusable cups, mugs or bottles you can reduce the plastic-type waste that is produced every day in our homes, schools and work. Reuse and reduce.”


A vegetable garden in a grocery cart
by students at UTFPR
“How to create your vegetable garden in a grocery cart? This picture shows the extension project developed by Prof. Eloy Casagrande (UTFPR, Curitiba, Brazil) in partnership with an NGO that promotes the consumption of non-conventional food plants through teaching university students the possibility of planting anywhere, even if they do not have land for it. The grocery cart is also no longer a symbol of the consumption of processed food but for growing your own healthy food.”
Our collaborative garden
by Vinicius de Almeida Silva
“The collaborative garden project at the Federal University of Pernambuco – Campus Agreste, aims to encourage the creation of healthy habits producing vegetables and fruits, thus contributing to a better quality of life.”


Our personal and collective responsibilities
by Alanda Oliveira
“Through Environmental Education it is possible to experience and reflect on the idea that we are all one. Understanding the environment requires awakening our consciousness, our citizenship, our capacity for indignation and realizing the gravity and urgency of social and environmental problems. Through critical environmental education, we pay attention to our personal and collective responsibilities, acting in a more proactive way and with a public spirit of change.”
Circular waste
by Hercules Manoel Monteiro Silva
“The Lumus project seeks to reduce organic waste and communicates strategies to achieve cost-effectiveness to suppliers, customers, employees through the production of food products while also working in a cycle of reusing waste as compost.”


A career from home
by William Igeler
“Receiving classes online has been a challenge. At first, it was difficult for me to coordinate my time with my family, which I dedicated to my work and studies, but thanks to ‘the new normal’ and the e-learning platform I have also been able to take my classes, participate in conferences that have contributed a lot to my personal growth without leaving my workplace, increasing the number of classes that I can take in an academic period, reducing fuel costs, the carbon dioxide emissions of the vehicles in which I transport myself and the need for public services such as water and electricity on campus. “
Community Garden
by students at Campus Gotland
“In front of the Campus Gotland main building a new kitchen garden has been established. In joint forces students and staff have so far planted a variety of vegetables and even built a zero-cost-waste compost out of old branches. Soon we can enjoy our campus-grown veggies in a nice salad!”


Green Room
by students at Campus Gotland
“A break from the exhausting studies to enjoy your lunch meal. Our new green room is covered with plants and creates a nice contrast to the white classrooms. Students are encouraged to take care of the plants with openly available water cans and tools.”
Playful stories on sustainable energies
by Isabela Pierozan Paludo
“Sala Verde storytelling project, with academics Isabela Pierozan Paludo and Luana Carvalho and coordinators Siderlene Muniz-Oliveira and Rosângela Bueno, in 2019. We create playful stories about sustainable energies for children at UTFPR, Dois Vizinhos Campus, Brazil.”


Solidarity Clothesline
by Thais Gomes
“Sala Verde Solidarity Clothesline was an initiative to support workers and students in their effort to save money. This initiative is directly linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, as it is related to the Poverty Eradication as well as the Responsible Consumption and Production goals. The Solidarity Clothesline also encourages the reduction of consumerism, thus promoting the reuse of clothes.”
Reactiva2
by students of UTH
“This pictures shows our “Reactive2” entrepreneurial training in the Gulf of Fonseca region with its first phase from August 2020 to May 2121. The program was taught by UTH through the UTH Avanza Innovation Center as part of the Rural Opportunities project of Swisscontact with Canadian Funds.”


Cultural Integration from Spanish Classes
by Felipe Fonteles
“The Cultural Integration from Spanish Classes was a project from 2018 until 2019 with a focus on promoting our Latin identity among students from 9th grade in public schools in Caruaru, a city located in the inland of Pernambuco, Brazil. By participating in the project, students were able to use the Spanish language as a guide towards knowing better their roots and realizing that – despite the distance created throughout the Brazilian past – Spanish and Portuguese share a variety of culture, history, and language skills. We were able to reduce a profound barrier that separates public students from succeeding in their goals, thus improving the reality they live in.”
Environmental Education
by Joice Fernanda dos Santos
“The continuing education of Basic Education teachers on Environmental Education in a critical perspective, as well as the analysis of PPCs from UTFPR undergraduate courses, are actions integrated into the curriculum with a focus on environmentalism line at UTFPR, Campus Dois Vizinhos, Brazil.”


CEMUS
by members of CEMUS
“The Centre for Environment and Development Studies (CEMUS) is an initiative created by students. In a transdisciplinary way, CEMUS brings together student-led education related to the environment, sustainability and development, organizes festivals, film screenings, and workshops while also engaging in various research project. Education for students from students – that could be the future, right?”
Sustainable Trading
by Arjenny Jamileth Reyes Licona
“Trade provides opportunities to analyze the relationships between industries, businesses and sustainability. It can also help students to learn how to manage resources carefully, plan for the future, and apply ethical criteria in making financial decisions.”


Vermicomposting
by Marcia Regina R.S. Zago
“On the picture you can see one of our Environmental Education Practices in schools in Curitiba where we expand knowledge on the topic of waste management through interdisciplinarity and transversality. The activities include individual and collective methodological dynamics at our school to find creative solutions and to solve environmental problems in living spaces. The activities involved students from 6th to 9th grade, teachers and employees of one elementary school.”
Textile waste for toys
by Elisangela Christiane de Pinheiro Leite Munaretto
“The picture is part of an exploratory research study on textile waste and the possibility of transforming waste into toys. As part of this initiative, we used leftover fabric that would be discarded otherwise and sewed dolls which we donate to the children of recyclers of the ACUBA Association, in Curitiba. When we delivered the dolls, we raised awareness with a story, prepared a delicious coffee and then gave the gift to them.”


Developing a model for sustainable houses
by Bruno Victor Kobiski
“One of many UTFPR’s Green Office actions that I took part in was concerned with spreading information about sustainability initiatives in many events. In this one event you can see on this picture, we brought our Green Office’s building model and explained every innovative aspect of the house and every action we took towards a less polluted environment.”
Visuals to avoid wasting water and energy
by Raquel Sales
“UTFPR Sustentável’s visual communication is present on our entire campus, signaling trash bins for correct disposal and calling attention to avoid wasting water and energy.”


Workshop on sustainable building methods
by 30 students of UTFPR
“We engage in active learning as part of our Postgraduation Course on Sustainable Constructions. On the picture, you can see a workshop about Adobe building methods in the Atlantic Forest in 2019. “
Solar panels, bicycles and public transportation
by Gustavo Chaiben
“Solar panels are good alternatives since they produce sustainable energy. But our campus also faces the challenge of limited car parking space near our urban campus. Therefore, bicycles and public transportation become the main mobility alternatives!”


Gardening together with local schools
by Ligia Krelling
“I am conducting doctoral research in the Postgraduate Program in Technology and Society (PPGTE) at UTFPR that involves schools and the community. The aim is to evaluate the Municipality project that opens the gardens in schools with the help of knowledge of the surrounding residents. Some elementary schools have opened these garden spaces to the community which turned them into places for discussing and learning about different knowledges and promoting sustainable food production through learning about different types of food and food safety – from hygiene habits to making healthy choices in everyday life.”
Vermicomposting and edible flowers
by Ana Paula Rodrigues and Marcia Regina Rodrigues da Silva Zago
“This picture shows one university extension project that is also part of our Postgraduate Program in Technology and Society, taught by Dr. Eloy Casagrande and Dr. Maclovia Correia da Silva. In this program, master and doctoral students work directly in classrooms of a public school developing an environmental education project together with the students and the head teacher. In this case, the researchers worked with plants that can add natural flavours to drinking water and also increased students’ knowledge on the importance of organic waste separation and vermicomposting.”


Sustainability stories for children
by Antonio Carlos Valentini
“Project “Storytelling in a multidisciplinary approach: development of language skills”, with the academic of Licentiate in Portuguese-English Letters Antonio Carlos Valentini and the coordinator Siderlene Muniz-Oliveira, in 2020. We created stories for children with the theme of sustainability and preserving nature at UTFPR, Dois Vizinhos Campus, Brazil.”
Our sustainable business ideas
by students of UTH
“Here you can get some impressions of our entrepreneurial workshop “Starting off with your own idea” which we ran from May to June 2021 in Cafetalero de Marcala, La Paz. Guided by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, all participants started to work on their own, sustainable business idea. What a great way to start dreaming about and working towards a more sustainable future!”


Restoring wetlands
by Tamara van Kaick
“UTFPR graduate students who work in the Junior Econsultoria company are engaging in restoring and conserving wetlands. Our master’s and doctoral students further engage in research in Science Education, using wetlands as a theme to explore aspects of biology, ecology, soil characteristics, and hydrology.”
Modular and sustainable housing
by Mariane Ribeiro and Aline Sanches
“We can change the future of people in need. Together with our Green Office at UTFPR, EcoStudio and the non-governmental organization TETO, we constructed modular sustainable social houses. Developed by our multisectoral group of actors, they offer living spaces of 34m².”


Working together with young residents of protected areas
by Solange Latenek
“Doctoral research in the Post-Graduate Program in Technology and Society (PPGTE) at UTFPR, which involves young residents of protected natural areas on the coast of the state of Paraná (Southern Brazil) to raise awareness of the importance of preserving the Atlantic Forest and the recovery of degraded areas. The project, in partnership with environmental NGOs, stimulates an economy that produces work for the benefit of communities, valuing the production of organic food, medicines and work opportunities related to ecotourism.”
Mandala Sensorial
by Maiara Andrêssa Pozzebon and Daniela Macedo de Lima
“Every sustainable action starts by looking at the environment, with empathy and equity to make knowledge accessible to everyone. This is the mission of Mandala Sensorial, to create knowledge and awakening the senses through multiple experiences related to Environmental Education. The use of the mandala as a pedagogical resource promotes the participants’ interaction with nature, thus allowing the simultaneous relationship between theory and practice, optimizing the construction of knowledge, promoting an improvement of participants’ environmental perception, thus increasing the notion of environmental preservation.”
