Active for Sustainability
At ETH Zurich, sustainability efforts are firmly anchored at all levels of the university in the sense of a ‘whole institution approach’. In addition to the formal organisational units, ETH has always had a large number of self-organised initiatives, groups and associations that reflect a lively commitment to sustainability. Above all, ETH is also active in national and international networks.
Institutional units and roles in the sustainability governance of ETH
Sustainability thrives on initiative and creativity, in research, teaching and campus life. Those who would like to engage for more sustainability at ETH Zurich have various opportunities to do so.
At the ETH-internal Sustainability Summits or the ETH Net Zero Day, often organised by the Student Sustainability Committee and ETH Sustainability, a selection of initiatives active for sustainability present themselves.
Should your initiative not feature here, please drop us a line: . We will update the list. Thank you!
Engagement of students and scientific staff
The Student Sustainability Committee of VSETH is the first point of contact for student engagement in the field of sustainability. We are a group of students who enjoy balancing intense ETH study schedules with sustainable lifestyles. We motivate each other in realizing both fun and impactful projects – various events, interviews with green ETH spin-offs, divestment campaigns, movie screenings, and more. We enjoy making the campus we walk on, the courses we are taught, and ETH policies more sustainable. The best part of it? We are actively looking for new members! If you are interested in joining any of SSC teams (Events, Communication, Development, Coordination, Finance) do not hesitate to reach out () we’ll happily walk you through what each team is doing.
https://www.ssc.ethz.ch/
The main goal of the Sustainability Initiative of AVETH is to accelerate and facilitate sustainability by/at/for ETH Zurich. We achieve this goal by raising awareness and sparking discussion, as well as facilitating and contributing to initiatives of others.
Our team of scientific staff volunteers coordinate with departments, central administration and ETH Sustainability to collect, evaluate and apply sustainability initiatives at ETH Zurich. ETH Zurich can take on a leadership role as an educational and research institution to face climate change, the greatest challenge of our lifetime.
AVETH Sustainability supports and helps generalize the sustainability efforts of the scientific staff departmental associations.
https://www.aveth.ethz.ch/sustainability/
Initiatives at Departements
The “Sustainability Initiatives @D-?BSSE” (SIB), was founded in 2021 to advocate for more sustainability at the D-?BSSE. We are committed to rethinking and reducing the negative environmental impact within and around our biotechnological research ecosystem. To this end, we initiate fun events that promote sustainability and make us reevaluate our life-? and working styles for a better planet.
https://bsse.ethz.ch/department/D-BSSE-Initiatives/sib
Initiated by a group consisting of students, doctoral students, and professors, the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT) founded a Sustainability Commission in 2022. The task of the Sustainability Commission is to set sustainability targets based on the best available data, to develop measures, and to monitor and report on the outcome of their implementation. The goals of those measures are:
- to reduce emissions and to improve sustainability;
- to improve our knowledge on the subject of sustainability;
- to promote exchange on sustainability issues within ETH.
Such measures should impact all areas (i.e., teaching, research, and
operations) with the goal of reducing emissions significantly and measurably by 2030, as well as of fostering sustainability in a way that can benefit society.
The Sustainability Commission comprises five representatives of the professors of the department as well as two representatives of the scientific staff and two student representatives. Two representatives of the administrative and technical staff of the department are also part of it. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions, ideas you would like to have implemented, or if you just want to know more about the commission:
D-MAVT uses the Sustainability Fund to support projects and activities
that reduce the department's carbon footprint or otherwise promote
sustainability, e.g. through education or outreach. Applications for
funding are open to all members and units of the department. The fund is
fed by an offsetting levy on CO2 emissions caused by air travel by D-MAVT staff.
The maximum funding per project is CHF 10,000. The maximum budget for
student projects (specialisation projects, Master's and Bachelor’s
theses) is CHF 2,000/student, with an upper limit of CHF 10,000/project.
The D-ITET Netto Null Working Group was established with the common goal of achieving net zero within the department in terms of operational and
mobility aspects, as well as promoting sustainability within the
department.
We consist of professors, staff, PhD students and Mittelbau, industry and students from the D-ITET department. The professors in the group come from various institutes including HVL, PSL and ISL. The staff includes a communications and public relations representative from ETH Zurich and a member from human resources. PhD and Mittelbau students are from various departments including MWE and neuroinformatics. Most members are students at the D-ITET. Important contacts for relation are the head of department and ETH Sustainability.
In the department of physics (D-PHYS), we take sustainability seriously. Therefore, we have recently established a Sustainability Committee with representatives from all parts of our department, from students to professors. Our goal is to promote sustainability in a positive manner and to support original internal initiatives. If you want to get involved or have questions, feel free to contact us per e-mail ()!
https://www.phys.ethz.ch/the-department/sustainability.htm
The Transdisciplinarity Lab of the Dept. Environmental Systems Science (USYS TdLab) runs research projects and educational programmes on inter- and transdisciplinary cooperation in the field of sustainable development. Tackling complex problems of sustainable development requires cooperation both between individual disciplines and at the interface between science and practice. We build collaboration processes between researchers and project partners (from practice) where: (1) the knowledge produced is context-dependent, problem- and implementation-oriented; (2) the process of knowledge production integrates diverse participants’ and disciplinary views; and (3) researchers exhibit a flexible and open mindset in uncertain environments, as well as attitudes such as empathy and reflexivity.
https://tdlab.usys.ethz.ch
Student Initiatives
We are the first plant-based cooking hub. We connect our community with the most innovative products, we share new recipes, and we provide our members a place to exchange knowledge and ideas and move towards their personal dietary goal. FooDi aims to offer…
- cooking events in our (virtual or physical) shared kitchen with on-site coaching (e.g. health and sustainability hacks) for our members to cook together in a fun and sharing way
- access to the latest sustainable food products and facts (e.g. how to cook new products, how to get the right nutrients) that also supports local food startups
- an online community to keep the members connected and provide coaching services to help them set their personal dietary goals
Reach out if you want to know more or want to become part of the team. We are always looking forward to hearing from you! Social media pages (Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin): @foodicookinghub
external page https://www.foodicookinghub.com/
An 8-week long pro-bono program that matches data science talents from ETH Zurich with non-profit organisations that promote social and environmental causes. Small student teams develop and implement data-driven solutions to increase these organisations’ sustainability impact.
Ideaction – student projects for sustainability (social and environmental): Meet up in student teams and make your own sustainability project work – just give it a try! On ideaction.ch you can either join an existing idea and create a project group with like-minded students. Or: you send in your own idea, we publish it on the platform, and other students can build a team around your idea and put it into practice. Have a sneak through the platform and discover the ideas that are waiting for enthusiastic souls like yourself.
Klimaplausch wants to engage with societal barriers to effective climate action. We are a student group seeking to establish productive, and trust enabling spaces for diverse stakeholders in society to engage with the topics of sustainability and possible solutions thereto. We undertake projects to engage with the countryside, scientific community and activists. The goals for these projects include developing effective tools in climate communication, building an effective network of ambassadors from different communities, and enabling people to reflect on their values and roles in climate action. Feel free to reach out to us if you want to participate:
Climate Strike Zurich is a student movement that demonstrates since 2019 for political measures regarding the climate crisis. AG Studierende is a subgroup that coordinates actions from students at higher universities in Zurich. The subgroup is active in the mobilization of students for the Climate Strike manifestations. Furthermore it established demands for the Zurich higher universities and evaluated its responses. The group thrives on grassroot democracy principles where everyone can participate.
Plant-Based Universities is an international student-led campaign calling on universities to transition to just and sustainable catering to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises. Join us on our pursuit for a sustainable future, as spectator, participant, helper or active member. Everyone is welcome!
PRISMA is a project which initially started as a student initiative in 2018 and is currently one of the biggest teaching innovation motives of ETH. The aim of PRISMA is to provide an environment for students, in which they can develop cross-disciplinary skills in a sustainable fashion on top of their otherwise technical education at ETH. ETH has identified several competencies that students need in their future and enable them to become responsible members of society, out of which PRISMA specifically focuses on a selected few – sensitivity to diversity, adaptability and flexibility, decision-making skills, cooperation and teamwork.
The initiative was discontinued in 2022.
The ETH Student Project House provides a space for the creative community at ETH. Here, students can come together, experiment, try out ideas, advance group projects and develop the ideas of tomorrow. Many of the projects are related to sustainability, e.g. current projects such as external page Iteratif, external page CellX and external page Labwear Studios, as well as former projects such as Rootlinks and Circular Horizon.
SeedCity is a student-run community garden on 365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】 H?nggerberg. Since 2010, an oasis of biodiversity has been created on approx. 2100 m?, which invites to teach and to learn, to work and to relax, to celebrate and to reflect.
Sustainability Week Zurich is an organisation by students for students of all big universities in Zurich, namely ZHdK, PHZH, ZHAW, UZH and ETHZ. Their main work lies in the yearly Sustainability Week in March, where they have a week full of events about all kinds of different aspects surrounding sustainability, ranging from workshops on how to set up your own vegetable garden to movie screenings about deforestation to panel discussions about climate change policy.
The student bike club Velove has set up a bike workshop on the H?nggerberg campus. The workshop is open and supervised two to three times per week, in the late afternoon and evening. It offers you the space, all the tools and discounted materials to repair your bike yourself.
external page https://www.facebook.com/VelowerkstattETH
external page https://velovezh.ch/workshop-honggerberg/
NaKo is a committee of the Association of Students of Chemistry, Biochemistry - Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences at ETH Zurich (VCS). At the moment, we are mainly involved in educational work with the sustainability talks, lectures on various problems within chemistry and how these can be improved in the long term. We are also working on the redesign of the Teaching Labs and other projects will follow.
VSN-FDD-FSS is the umbrella association of Swiss student organisations for sustainability with the goal of implementing sustainability in teaching, research, governance, strategy, the dialog with the public and on campus.
We want to demonstrate how physics and the skills acquired during ETH studies play a role in the sustainable development of society. To this end, we identify former physics students who are pushing for sustainability. The format of our project consists of creating short video statements for social media, in which the alumni provide insight into their engagement and how their physics studies at ETH have proven to be helpful, as well as more in-depth material, such as interviews.
Disciplinary initiatives
The AI + Environment Summit brings together researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers to explore how artificial intelligence can drive positive environmental change. From cutting-edge research to real-world applications, the summit offers inspiring talks, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. Don’t miss the chance to be part of the conversation shaping the future of AI for a sustainable planet!
The ETH Zürich Alt Protein Project’s mission is to raise awareness about sustainable protein alternatives to animal products. Through open talks, workshops, and excursions, we build community, support startups, and highlight research opportunities — it’s time to revolutionize our food system!
As members of the ETH Zurich and closely associated with the Student Sustainability Committee, we started the Divest ETH campaign in 2020 to demand a transparent and sustainable investment strategy from ETH, working towards divesting its assets from fossil fuels altogether. Together with multiple partners – the AVETH, VSETH, SSC, Klimastreik Zurich, Swiss Youth for Climate, and the Sustainability Week Zurich – we entered into a dialogue with members of the ETH Board, the ETH Investment Commission and the ETH Foundation.
Scientific laboratory equipment is often stored unused after its standard usage time, and sadly by default eventually ends up in the trash. In many cases the equipment is still functional, and potentially exactly what a school or university elsewhere needs for the training of talented students. EquipSent seeks to put such resources to better and more sustainable use by redistributing unused devices from high-income countries to partner institutions in low-income countries.
Greenlab Zurich is a young group that collaborates with ETH and UZH sustainability teams to spread awareness about more sustainable laboratory practices. The group is made up of PhD and undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, laboratory technicians, and principal investigators, most of whom work daily in laboratories. By organizing seminars and workshops, establishing a social media presence, and planning projects which would put us in direct contact with suppliers for laboratory materials, we are promoting ecological, economic, and social sustainability in laboratories around Zurich.
Precious Plastic Zurich is a project and a part of the global community of people concerned with the use and recycling of plastic. We believe that the value of this resource should not be lost at the end of products’ lives. There are many creative ways to reuse plastic and produce new valuable objects from it. Join our events to help us with hand-on plastic recycling and spread the awareness about this resource! Instagram: @preciousplasticzurich
The association “SEET – Support Education, Empower Together” supports female refugees in the (re)uptake of their higher education in Switzerland. Cultural, financial and institutional obstacles compromise the prospects of recognised refugees to study in Switzerland. Through a mentoring program, SEET aims to act as a facilitator between Swiss higher education institutions and refugees interested in studying to overcome these obstacles. With this personal empowerment of refugees, SEET supports their integration into the Swiss society. Society, in turn, profits from the potential and the unique experience that the sponsored individuals bring to Switzerland.
SEET represents equality of opportunities and the indefeasible right for education. You can find us on external page Instagram, external page LinkedIn and our external page website.
Networks
ETH Zurich strives to promote sustainable development on a national and international level in networks and with partners in core university areas and society. ETH Sustainability and other units are involved, on behalf of ETH Zurich, in various alliances and work closely with partner organisations, which currently include:
Sustainability Network of swissuniversities
The swissuniversities Sustainability Network has the task of connecting experts from higher education institutions, advising swissuniversities committees and sharing best practices. The network represents all higher education institutions (universities, universities of applied sciences, universities of teacher education) and began its work in September 2020. An important network event is the external page Sustainable University Day.
external page More information about the Network and external page Sustainability at swissuniversities
Sustainable Switzerland
Under the umbrella of Sustainable Switzerland, the NZZ company operates the topic-specific dialogue platform Sustainable Switzerland. In cooperation with renowned partners from business and science, the initiative supports sustainable development in Switzerland and aims to make it visible.
SDSN Switzerland and SDSN Global
The Sustainability Solutions Network SDSN Switzerland links science, business, civil society, politics and administration to advance the implementation of the 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Switzerland and beyond.
International Sustainable 365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】 Network (ISCN)
A network of over 100 universities from all over the world, ISCN provides an international forum to support higher education institutions in the exchange of information, ideas, and best practices for achieving sustainable campus operations and integrating sustainability in research and teaching. ETH is a founding member of ISCN with seats in the Board and in the Advisory Committee.
International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU)
The International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), established in 2006, is a network of eleven international research-intensive universities from nine countries across the globe. ETH Sustainability is active in the IARU Sustainable 365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】 Initiative, the Division Real Estate in the IARU Real Estate Working Group, and ETH Diversity in the IARU Gender Group.
IDEA League
The IDEA League is a strategic alliance between five leading European universities of science and technology.
Race 2 Zero
Powered by the UN Environment Programme, EAUC & Second Nature - Race to Zero is a global campaign to rally leadership and action in the education sector
ETH Zurich is also member of the European networks external page LERU and ENHANCE which have activities related to sustainability.