Watch: Engaging with society

Future Earth Ireland (FEI) in collaboration with various Irish higher education institutions are organising a series of three online webinars. The second webinar took place on Tuesday 13 April at 3:30pm and focused on how higher education can engage with society on sustainability challenges in a post-Covid world.

Speakers

• Dr. Sabrina Dekker, Dublin City Council
• Samantha Fahy, Dublin City University
• Dr. Su-Ming Khoo, NUI Galway
• Prof. Karl Leydecker, University of Aberdeen
• Lynda Sullivan, Friends of the Earth NI
• Chair: Dr. Diarmuid Torney, Dublin City University and Chair of Future Earth Ireland

Questions addressed

• How can HEI staff be encouraged/facilitated to engage with wider society on sustainability agendas? How do HEIs reward/recognise such activities?
• How can societal actors better engage with HEIs on sustainability challenges?
• To what extent has the Covid-19 pandemic altered public perceptions of expert knowledge and the role it should play in society?
• How can HEIs embed sustainability across the spectrum of their activities?

We would also welcome your questions in advance of the session and will aim to put as many of them as possible to the panel. Questions can be sent to policy@ria.ie or tweeted to @futureearth_ire.

This session was co-hosted, with thanks, by the DCU Sustainability Office.

About the Series

The pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges across our societies and economies, upending conventional wisdom in myriad ways. But the challenge of transitioning to a sustainable future remains an urgent priority at national, European and global level. The need to “build back better” or, perhaps more appropriately, “build forward better”, has become a slogan of those seeking to integrate sustainability priorities into Covid-19 recovery plans.

Higher education has a crucial role to play in the transition to a sustainable future. Higher education campuses and staff can lead by example, pilot and showcase best practice in sustainability initiatives, support policymaking and industry with evidence-based solutions and engage generations of learners towards more sustainable ways of living.

The third webinar in this series, focused on Teaching and Learning, will take place on 28 April. Details will be communicated in due course.

Please note:

Booking is free but essential. Registrants will receive further information and a zoom link for attendance in advance of the session. Queries should be directed to policy@ria.ie

Read our Data Protection Policy and our Eventbrite Transparency Statement in relation to handling of your data for booking this event.

Session 2 of the Higher Education Building Forward Better sustainability webinar series – Engaging with society.