Photo: Sven Menschel
Ignas Heitkönig, Nynke Hofstra, Kris van Koppen, Edith Lammerts van Bueren, Tjeerd-Jan Stomph, Kees van Veluw and Arjen Wals were all on stage at Forum to receive a Green Teacher Award. According to Green Office Wageningen, the seven lecturers inspire their students to think and act more sustainably, for example by serving as a role model, developing digital teaching materials or encouraging students to bring about change themselves.
For example Ignas Heitkönig, a lecturer in the Resource Ecology group, set up the Future for Nature Academy, a Wageningen programme that he hopes will motivate young people to get actively involved in nature conservation. Tjeerd Jan Stomph encouraged students doing Academic Consultancy Training, which he coordinated until last August, to always keep the bigger picture in mind: is what seems to be the most sustainable solution actually the most sustainable in practice?
Laura Sloot of Green Office Wageningen says the award is in recognition of the effort that Green Teachers put into sustainable education. The award is also a way of bringing sustainable education to people’s attention. ‘The Green Teachers set an example to their colleagues and show that you don’t necessarily have to give an environmental course to teach students about sustainability. Students will also see this and start looking at their classes more critically.’
This was the second year that the award was conferred. Last year, Green Office Wageningen decided who the greenest lecturers were but this time students were able to nominate lecturers.