In 2023, the Center for Environmental and Ethical Education ŽIVICA became a partner in the International Visegrad Fund project "Teachers for a Sustainable Future". Its main idea is to support the inclusion of global education, education for sustainable development and global citizenship in teacher training in the Visegrad countries and Romania. To find relevant data, in Slovakia we have carried out research at two universities which train future teachers. The research, which consisted of interviews with the management and lecturers of relevant faculties, was conducted at the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica and the Comenius University in Bratislava.
Many interesting facts came up from this research, however, the ambition of the Matej Bel University (UMB) to become the so-called "Green university" is the one to be mentioned today.
To become "Green university", UMB has adopted its strategy for sustainability and its action plan for promotion of environmental awareness with specific activities for the given year. The optimization of waste collection, limited purchase of bottled water, clothes and book swap, significant reduction of paper consumption, planting of honey-bearing flowers, bushes and trees and removing invasive plants outdoor, a solar system for heating drinking water and energy-saving light bulbs in the dormitories are among the adopted measures. Very popular is the "eco-buffet" where you won't find plastic cups. Instead, using your own food packaging or offering packaging made of bioplastics are preferred.
For 2024, UMB has set a goal to join the initiative "To work by bicycle", to create an "Eco-manual" for organizing events and the so-called "Eco-code of the UMB employee", which would set the rules of environmental behaviour on the school grounds. It also plans to create an interactive "Eco-map" of the city with local suppliers of ecological products, thus supporting sustainable consumer behaviour. UMB plans to continue the „Race to Zero“ campaign - the commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050 and to prepare a strategy for reducing carbon emissions within a year. UMB was the first university in Slovakia to sign up for this campaign currently joined by more than 420 universities and colleges around the world. In 2022, UMB adopted its Race to Zero Action Plan until 2050.
UMB has created the so-called "UMB Green team" which consists of members from the university management, the rector's office, and individual faculties. Together with six "Green ambassadors" (active students from the Faculty of Economics, Law, Pedagogy, Natural Sciences and the Faculty of International Relations) they spread awareness of environmental topics across the university, inspiring the academic community and the general public.
The Matej Bel Climate Atrium project started in January 2024 is also worth mentioning. The goal is to continue increasing environmental awareness not only among students and employees of UMB, but also among general public. For this purpose, UMB is gradually building the community through the community center - the so-called "Enviro-info point"- which will be located in the Climate Atrium. Moreover, the UMB has revitalized the Climate Atrium and opened an educational trail dedicated to selected environmental topics such as Biodiversity = city full of life, Supermarket under the window, In the shade of trees, Better transport = better air, Anyone can compost, even students in the city, and Rain garden. The trail was opened on May 30, 2024.
More information can be found on our webpage https://komenskehoinstitut.sk/projekt-medzinarodneho-vysehradskeho-fondu-ucitelia-pre-udrzatelnu-buducnost-zaujimavy-a-inspirativny-pribeh-univerzity-mateja-bela-ktora-ma-ambiciu-stat-sa-zelenou-univerzitou/
Kristína Rankovová, researcher
Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava
Katarína Ruttkayová
Centre for Environmental and Ethical Education Živica
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