oikos Hamburg is one of many local groups in the international network of oikos, which has been committed to sustainable business and responsible management since 1987 and was founded in 2004 at the University of Hamburg. Our activities are not only aimed at the students of the University of Hamburg; we are also open to all other Hamburg universities. Today we live in a world with many ecological and social problems, in which the economy and our consumption devour the earth’s resources. We at oikos Hamburg believe that everyone can contribute to making our future better and more sustainable. In several teams, we implement projects in the field of sustainability, regularly exchange ideas at our meetings and consider new events every semester, with which we want to bring people closer to sustainable approaches. Together we can do this better than alone!
If you would like to know what we are planning to do soon and would like to get involved outside of your studies, you are cordially invited to our member meetings and information evenings – we are always looking forward to new faces!
oikos Hamburg run 12 projects annually.
Cup Change. In this project, we want to replace the usual “To Go” coffee cups made of cardboard, which are used at the University of Hamburg in all Cafeteria’s, with environmentally friendly and less wasteful alternatives. We want to sensitise everyone on the campus to this issue and show that this subject concerns everyone. The project aims to reduce the waste generated by paper cups and another option for coffee consumption in paper cups.
Eco Map. https://ecomap.global/karte-hamburg/ Following the successful example of oikos St. Gallen, we create an interactive map for the area around the campus, to inform students about sustainable and environmentally conscious restaurants, supermarkets, bars, or shops. Our goal with Eco Map is to raise awareness of the availability of sustainable products that meet a certain level of social and environmental standards. We want to sensitise students, inhabitants and tourists of the city of Hamburg to the topic of sustainable consumption and to show them transparently, in which businesses sustainable products can be consumed or acquired. Our team consists of students from the University of Hamburg, who come from different fields of study and different semesters. With our involvement in the project “Eco Map”, we want to contribute to increasing the awareness for a sustainable life. The project created in the academic year 2014.
Sustainability Report of the University of Hamburg 2011- 2014. Oikos Hamburg e.V. prepared the second Sustainability Report of the University of Hamburg. After a sustainability report from oikos Hamburg e.V. published for the university in 2012, the project “Sustainability Report 2.0” began in the summer of 2014. Since then, a team of oikos Hamburg e.V., which currently consists of 16 team members, worked on a new edition of the sustainability report in cooperation with the Competence Centre for Sustainable University (KNU) of the University of Hamburg. Version 2.0 intended to provide a consolidated overview of what has changed at the university, what sustainability performance is today, and where there is space for improvement and this both in teaching and research as well as in administration. Our claim: Sustainability Report 2.0, wrote following the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative and the German Sustainability Code. This report published in 2016. Nowadays, we are working on the third Sustainability Report of the University of Hamburg.
Grand Conferences
Spring Meeting 2017. On March 23, oikos Spring Meeting 2017 opened in Hamburg, Germany. More than 130 participants from many different parts of the world gathered under the title “USE YOUR POWER – Empowering Young Leaders for Sustainable Decisions”. This year oikos Spring meeting focused on sustainable consumption to highlight the effects of unrestrained consumption and put emphasis on the importance of conscious decision-making. The significance of the topic further stems from the fact that the United Nations explicitly incorporated this aspect in its Sustainable Development Goals. The participants were encouraged to think about sustainable consumption on the individual and company level. To make matters easier for participant’s public lectures organised with keynote speakers from:
- imug e.V (Dr Annika Schudak),
- die VERBRAUCHER INITIATIVE e.V. (Christoph-Daniel Teusch) and,
- Unilever (Carolin Hoyer).
Moreover, students introduced to successful projects and companies that promote sustainable development. However, they set the most positive, unparalleled examples to follow and make practical use of the knowledge and information gained on the meeting. The participants who divided into small groups discussed one specific area of consumption (food, beverages, clothing, mobility, energy, finances) and brought forward their project ideas to promote sustainable use. The activities shared one common goal of empowerment, in that it aimed to build confidence among the participants so that they are willing to take responsibility for a sustainable future and lead the change in their community. Moreover, Alumni met at the Spring Meeting in Hamburg. Alumni from different generations and regions connected worked on some international alumni projects and had fun together during three full days! Beyond the official meeting, participants were able to enjoy the city of Hamburg, get together, and bond in the informal environment and visit world-renowned concert hall Elbphilharmonie.
Climate Action. The climate of our economic system (Panel Discussion / June 2019) The Sustainable Development Goal 13 – Climate Action – was critically examined by our speakers and us during our panel discussion. Central questions were included:
- What is Climate Action, and how can this Sustainable Development Goal 13 be successfully implemented within the framework of our growth-oriented economic system?
- How climate-friendly can our economies become and what adjustments need to be made to achieve the UN climate goals? We invited renowned speakers to our panel discussion:
- Prof. Dr Niko Paech – Prof. of Plural Economics at the University of Siegen, Post-Growth Economist
- Prof. Dr Sonja Peterson – Scientific Director at the Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
- Christopher Schrader – Freelance Journalist at KlimaSocial & RiffReporter & Science-Journalist
- Prof. Dr Timo Busch – Chair of Management and Sustainability University of Hamburg, 1st Chairman advisory board oikos Hamburg e.V.
Climate Summit of Generations (October 2019). STOP RE-FINANCING THE CLIMATE CRISIS! SUPPORT SCIENCE AND SOLUTIONS THAT BENEFIT OUR SOCIETY AND ECONOMY!- With that claim, the Club of Rome, oikos Hamburg, University College Dublin and Universität Hamburg are pleased to announce the Climate Summit of Generations! The event aims to connect environmental scientists, asset owners, members of the European Commission’s Technical Expert Group (TEG) for Sustainable Finance and youth activists involved in Fridays for Future in an open-minded and interactive format. The purpose of the Summit is to promote the exchange of ideas among generations and to commence the joint development of innovative solutions to political, commercial, and technological obstacles currently preventing the earth from reaching a 1.5° rather than 4.5° business as usual warming scenario.
Discuss & Do (Events). oikos Hamburg e.V. regularly organises events on various topics related to sustainability. Since 2016, there is even an own project team “oikos Events”. By the summer semester of 2016, there was one event per semester. Since the winter semester 2016/17, there are three events per semester.
Goals of “oikos “Events.” Believing one aspect of sustainable business Connection of lecture & discussion (& workshop), width & depth as well as theory & practice Addressing different target groups (oikees, interested students and the general public) Expanding knowledge and promoting critical reflection
Selection of previous events
“oikos Discuss & Do: sustainable finance” with Prof. Dr Timo Busch (UHH), Mr Sachau of Ecoplanfinanz and Mrs Peschel of GLS Bank ”
“oikos Discuss & Do: sustainable celebration” with the owner of the local brewery “Wildwuchs”, who tells us a lot of about ecologically sustainable beer and the company Morgenrocks, which has with their concept “one bike one speaker” an ingenious idea.
“oikos Discuss & Do: sustainable food” we will look at how we can make our diet more sustainable. Two lectures inspired us. The first lecture presents the project 2000 m² that deals with the consequences of our agriculture and nutrition. The second lecture presents the concept of solitary farming of the Kattendorfer Hof. Following the talks, we also want to devote ourselves practically to a sustainable diet. “oikos Discuss & Do: Climate Change Simulation” – The Paris Agreement on Climate Change concluded in December 2015 is the first international agreement in which developed, and emerging countries jointly declare their greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced. The overall goal is to prevent the average global temperature from rising more than two degrees Celsius. The comparison value is the temperature before industrialization. How can this goal achieve, taking into account the different national interests? Besides, who has to choose which action steps? We want to check in the form of a simulation game and then explore whether the goal can achieve. After an appealing speech by our invited expert, stakeholder groups formed. These negotiate with each other to negotiate measures and compromises and to conclude coalitions. Afterwards, all participants come together for the big conference. Here we check directly whether the negotiated rules are sufficient to reach the two-degree target in the next 100 years. Also, scientific experts will accompany our event.
“oikos Discuss & Do: Microplastic” Microplastics – a buzzword! But what exactly is microplastics? How does it originate and how does it get into our environment? What can we do about it? And does it pose any danger to us humans at all? These and many other questions we talked about with the expert’s Dr Elke Fischer (University of Hamburg, Department of Geosciences) and Hamburg Wasser. During this discussion, our participants not only received expert input but could also ask their questions. Afterwards, we organised a natural cosmetics workshop because many of the cosmetic products you use daily contain microplastics. Our workshop showed how you could quickly produce plastic-free alternatives yourself.
Email: contact@hamburg.oikos-international.org
Contact: Niklas Ziemann, President
Address: Von Melle Park 9, 20146 Hamburg, Germany