World Student Community for Sustainable Development

The Student Sustainability Initiative from Michigan and INEX from Vienna win the oikos Student Entrepreneurship Award 2009. Congratulations!

INEX – International Network for Educational Exchange

Started by Fabienne Babinsky and Philipp Schöffmann without a budget or other support, INEX has grown into an impressive organisation that runs workshops, summer schools and a range of other projects in their hometown Vienna and in Latin America. They have reached hundreds of students with their challenging in-depth programmes, and work together with leading institutions like the INCAE business school. Building on their programmes abroad, they have spurred cooperation at the universities of Vienna with the INEX Sustainability Challenge.

Sustainable Campus
Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI)

Starting with backing from the “Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute”, Greg Buzzell, Aaron James and Merry Walker from the Student Sustainability Initiative  connected the 50 student initiatives that somehow relate to the environment at the Campus of Michigan. 100 students have joined, and decided to focus on creating a central office of sustainability and campus green building standards. When University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman announced new, campus-wide sustainability initiatives on 6 October 2009, she thanks SSI, who had “pushed us to do more throughout the university”.

Honorary mentions

Besides the main winners, the international award jury wants to highlight the following projects as especially noteworthy and inspiring:

• KEEP COOL, a climate negotiation simulation game played by professors at the University of Bayreuth in front of a full auditorium. It’s straightforward, fun, and a great idea to raise awareness for the multiple dimensions of climate change!
• EYD-Consump(ac)tion, an awareness raising event on sustainable consumption, run at the University of Basel. An engaging programme, local and organic food, and participants that will hopefully shift their consumption patterns afterwards!

Get involved!

Do you have your own student project? Watch out for the oikos Student Entrepreneurship Award in 2010.

Not active yet? Learn how to get involved as a student!

From Oikos International.