Vision Statement

The monumental task of our time is how to achieve more inter- and intra-generational justice within the planetary boundaries. It is generally agreed that achieving a sustainable future requires that individuals and society as a whole adopt different values, attitudes, behaviors, and habits.

Based on our own experiences, we know that the urgently needed change can be hard, it takes time, and that the complexity of issues can be overwhelming – sometimes even paralyzing. Therefore, we believe that working in a group of peers can be a powerful way to initiate change and increase our impact. As a PhD initiative at the University of Tübingen with PhD students from various faculties and countries, we work towards a more sustainable future by challenging structures in society that reinforce climate as well as other injustices.

Believing that we all have the power to change and make a change, we work around three guiding principles:

• Being informed and critical:

We are all learners and it is our vision to be an open space for learning. We strive to learn from each other, develop our own sustainability competences, discuss research findings, share ideas and success stories, and make use of our interdisciplinary backgrounds.

• Being active and inspiring others:

We create learning opportunities for others through specific workshops, seminars, public actions and other events. We do not just want to talk and chat, we aim to make others think, inspire them to rethink, reflect and challenge non-sustainable structures and practices in their personal environment. Sustainability issues and the conflicts of interests revolving around them are a complex matter and we are not claiming to have predefined solutions or the “right” answers. Rather, we want to empower people so that they get active and become the change they want to see.

• Being open and welcoming:

As a small group of motivated PhD students, we enjoy working together on projects as well as spending some leisure time. We are open for new ideas and different activities, but first-and-foremost we are interested in people who would like get active and learn together with us more about sustainability related topics.