Exploring Sustainability Opportunities at Aalto University
My name is Vitória and I am a Design and Media student at Aalto University:) In this blog post, I will write about some ways I have approached sustainability through my degree through the opportunities provided by Aalto University and the Aalto community.
As someone who wants to pursue a career in sustainable development, when choosing where to study, Aalto University caught my attention when applying. The university's values aligned with mine, they had a lot of projects focused on sustainability and offered different courses aligned with that. I will share some initiatives, courses, and opportunities if you want to network, learn, or just engage with social, environmental, and economic sustainability projects.
Major courses and elective courses
Considering that studies and classes take up most of our time, it’s the perfect opportunity to use them to develop our knowledge of sustainability. In the case of the Design and Media degree, many courses emphasize the need to consider both social and environmental sustainability in the development of projects. I find this extremely valuable, as in today’s world, design needs to address current challenges. I believe Aalto supports students in achieving this.
Major courses: Sustainable Design course
In the Design and Media program, several major courses already address sustainability in the design field. A good example is the Sustainable Design course, which is mandatory for all degree students. It combines theory, research, and group work to analyze and develop more sustainable services, products, and systems.
Electives/minor: CHEMARTS courses
If, like me, you enjoy hands-on projects, I highly recommend CHEMARTS courses. These electives explore the intersection of Arts and Chemical Engineering to develop biomaterials, driven by sustainability, creativity, and innovation. They’ve been some of the most enjoyable courses I’ve taken! Working alongside students from different schools made the experience even more enriching.
Cross-School Electives: Sustainable Entrepreneurship Markets and Systems Change course
Aalto University offers many other courses across schools that address sustainability from diverse perspectives. I value multidisciplinarity in sustainable development and chose not to limit myself to Design Department courses. For example, I took Sustainable Entrepreneurship Markets and Systems Change from the Business School, which provided valuable insights into sustainability from a business perspective.
Student Associations: Aalto Sustainability Club
The Aalto community offers sustainability-focused opportunities beyond the classroom. The Aalto Sustainability Club (ASC), a student association, organizes networking events, activities, and excursions. For example, I attended a networking event with students and professionals in sustainability and a fun cooking workshop. Their events have been a great way to learn, connect with like-minded people and professionals, or simply have fun. You can even join the board to help organize these initiatives!
Sustainability Action Booster
The Sustainability Action Booster offers payment grants for students to initiate and lead sustainability-focused projects. While I haven’t applied myself, I’ve seen inspiring initiatives made possible through this grant. Examples include Aalto Foodsharing, a project reducing food waste, and Aalto Repair and Rewear, which hosts workshops on mending and repairing textiles. It’s an amazing opportunity for students to bring their ideas to life!
SDGs Hackathon
If you're not familiar with hackathons, they are events where people team up to develop solutions for specific problems. While often linked to programming, Aalto's community organizes various hackathons beyond that. One example is the SDGs Hackathon, hosted by the Aalto Ventures Programme, which focuses on solving SDG-related problems for companies. Real cases from Finnish and international companies are presented, and teams have one weekend to develop a solution. I participated for the first time last year, and it was a fun and challenging experience. I had the opportunity to connect with company representatives, meet new people, and collaborate with my team to develop our solution.
These are just some of the opportunities to engage and develop your knowledge focused on sustainability if that's something you're interested in or would like to pursue. If you're interested in learning more about Aalto's sustainability commitments and projects, check out this link:https://www.aalto.fi/en/sustainability.
Thanks for reading!
All the best,
Vitória <3
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