How to create a climate of change towards sustainability: The difficult pleasure of changing things and moving people

Keynote Lecture by Maik Adomßent (Leuphana University Lüneburg)

How can both individuals and institutions be changed towards sustainability and, to do so, how can people be empowered to set the course themselves for a “grandchild-friendly” future? Why is it, in this context, important to keep an eye on the shifting baseline syndrome, and what is the relevance of a whole institution approach? Based on the Green Office model presented, the contribution aims to inspire people to take steps towards self-efficacy where people can jointly set the necessary impulses for change.

CV Maik Adomßent

Maik Adomßent is coordinator of the Complementary Studies at Leuphana College at Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany. As Senior Research Fellow and Professor Extraordinarius, he also works with the Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Communication, and the UNESCO Chair “Higher Education for Sustainable Development”, both belonging to the Faculty of Sustainability Sciences. He holds a degree in applied cultural sciences, a PhD in Educational Sciences and postdoctoral lecture qualification (habilitation) in Sustainability Science. He was Temporary professor for Behaviour, Communication and Sustainable Development (2014-2015) and holds the degree of a Professor Extraordinarius since 2017.

He is member of several scientific advisory boards on national and international level, amongst others as a member of the key partner network “Transforming Learning and Training Environments” for the Global Action Program “Education for Sustainable Development” (2015-2019; https://en.unesco.org/globalactionprogrammeoneducation), and Steering Committee member of the project „Broadening the Application of the Sustainability Science Approach” where he was in charge of writing the education chapter for the “UNESCO Guidelines on Sustainability Science in Research and Education” (https://en.unesco.org/sustainability-science/guidelines).

His activities in research and teaching are centered on (higher) education for sustainable development, sustainability science and research, inter- and transdisciplinary teaching and learning.

Find Maik Adomßent on www.leuphana.de