Five times a year, around 25 members of the ZHAW staff and students representing all eight Schools, the President's Office, Finance and Services, and the student body come together – four times online and once at an in-person full-day retreat. The agenda includes ideas, concepts and specific projects relating to the implementation of sustainable development at the ZHAW. Many of these topics often require balancing different perspectives and navigating conflicting objectives.
Advising and reflecting
The ZHAW Sustainable Development Committee (SDC) is chaired by Urs Hilber, the Head of ZHAW Sustainable Development and a member of the Executive Board, while meetings are prepared by the ZHAW sustainable team.
The SDC discusses, reviews and provides feedback on progress and the implementation of sustainability across the ZHAW. In doing so, it helps to prepare decision options for the Executive Board. Among the topics discussed are the introduction and further development of the Sustainable Impact Programme, efforts to reduce emissions from air travel and the advancement of education for sustainable development.
Who sits on the SDC
The composition of the committee reflects the diversity of the ZHAW and the breadth of its activities. Each area is represented by no more than two individuals – ideally one person with close links to management and one with specialist expertise in sustainability. Student representatives also form part of the committee.
This ensures that questions relating to buildings, energy and resources are raised by the university’s specialist centres, while the Schools and institutes contribute insights from teaching and research. At the same time, the student viewpoint adds the perspective of those at the heart of the university’s mission.
Sustainable Development Committee
“Sustainability is reflected not only in our goals, but also through our actions, which we organise as part of our new strategy implementation process, enabling us to create meaningful impact within society and for society.”
Christian Wassmer, Lead for Strategy Implementation & Analysis, Higher Education Development, President’s Office
“The SDC helps ensure that sustainability at the ZHAW is not merely documented, but also continuously developed. What I value most is the inter-School perspective. It highlights where we can learn from one another and those areas in which we need to make further progress.”
Anke Kaschlik, lecturer in community development and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Diversity and Social Integration, ZHAW School of Social Work
“For me, the SDC means that sustainability at the ZHAW is brought to life by the people who are committed to it. It creates space for collaboration and demonstrates that good ideas can lead to real change. That is precisely what makes this work so valuable and meaningful to me.”
Fredi Lattmann, Co-President of the ZHAW Students’ Union, student on the ZHAW MA in Architecture
“Sustainability emerges where different perspectives come together. The SDC creates precisely these spaces for dialogue, appreciation and innovation. Its impact lies in bringing people and disciplines together to develop effective solutions for the future.”
Anke Domschky, lecturer at the Institute of Urban Landscape, ZHAW School of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering
“The SDC creates a space for dialogue, brings together different perspectives, especially those of students, and supports the development of specific ideas and measures. This drives change that has a lasting impact on everyday life at the ZHAW as well as far beyond the university itself.”
Michael Dietmann, Head of Services & Communication, ZHAW School of Applied Psychology
“I have always found the SDC to be a bridge-builder between the respective Schools and a forum for constructive discussion. Sustainability concerns all of us, and this unifying quality is clearly evident in our discussions. ”
Milena Eberharter-Fink, Sustainable Impact and Living Lab Manager at ZHAW sustainable, President’s Office
“The SDC serves as a key link between ZHAW sustainable as a strategic programme and the Schools. As such, it is a key component of the participatory approach to sustainability efforts at the ZHAW.”
Aaron Ehrat, Operational Sustainability Manager at ZHAW sustainable, President’s Office
Bringing sustainability back to the Schools
What is discussed at the meetings should then be passed on to the Schools. The members act as multipliers, taking the issues raised by the committee back to their organisational units and bringing questions and concerns from those units back to the committee. ZHAW sustainable coordinates this exchange as the central point of contact, ensuring that strategic work remains closely linked to day-to-day operations at the Winterthur, Wädenswil and Zurich sites.
A multiplier effect
This dynamic is where the committee’s value lies. It brings together specialist expertise, operational processes and the governance of a large university, carrying sustainability topics into all areas of the institution and, as a platform for dialogue, gathering and reflecting on the resulting feedback.
The committee thus lays the groundwork for a well-founded and participatory path towards greater sustainability at the ZHAW that enjoys the broadest possible level of support: backed by the entire university, from the students right through to the Executive Board.
