European Sustainable Development Week (ETUR) is a Europe-wide festival of events, including conferences, exhibitions, workshops, seminars, film screenings, community gatherings, open houses, and many other activities. The variety of events is vast, but the goal is singular: to show that we care about the future of the world we live in.

European Sustainable Development Week takes place annually from September 20 to 26. However, to ensure it isn’t too short, all sustainability-related events taking place between September 18 and October 8 are registered with ETUR.

The Plant Swap, the bioeconomy, and brownfield sites—these and more were featured at European Sustainable Development Week.

Report on events at the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, including photos

Researchers at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences are studying how climate change affects mental health

Mental health issues are a growing cause for concern in Europe, while climate change poses an unpredictable and far-reaching risk. Nevertheless, the link between climate change and mental health remains understudied, particularly with regard to individual and societal impacts and potential interventions. Mental health issues are a serious concern in Europe, and climate change is a force of nature that poses a tangible risk with unpredictable consequences.

The objectives of the CliMentn project include, for example, gaining a better understanding of how climate change affects mental health in Europe; exploring coping strategies and further developing them; implementing short-term behavioral interventions to spur social action; and, last but not least, establishing long-term approaches to support sustainability.

Literature from an Environmental Perspective

The Faculty of Arts at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice is introducing a new initiative in the field of lifelong learning. The course, titled “Literature from an Environmental Perspective” and culminating in a micro-certificate, combines language and literature instruction with environmental education. The course is primarily intended for high school teachers of Czech language, literature, and foreign languages, and its main goal is to offer participants concrete tools and methodological ideas on how to meaningfully integrate environmental issues into the teaching of humanities subjects.

The Novohrad Mountains: A Resilient Yet Fragile Landscape

On September 18, a symposium and subsequent roundtable discussion were held at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, organized by the Krajina Novohradska association in cooperation with the Czech Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection, the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and the Faculty of Science at the University of South Bohemia.

Field Trip to the FROV JU Aquaponics Hall

A lecture combined with a field trip to the JU Aquaponics Hall on the topic of wastewater recycling through aquaponics and other concepts will take place on September 23 at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Bc. Karel Procházka and Ing. Pavel Franta, Ph.D., will guide you through the Aquaponics Hall.

Plant Swap Combined with a Tour of the Botanical Atrium

Bring your own plant or take one home.

What is a plant swap?
It is an exchange of plants, cuttings, or seeds. Participants bring their own plants and take others home. Plants will be placed in designated areas, from which visitors can choose those they do not have in their collection and would like to have. The event promotes the principles of sustainability, community sharing, and slow gardening (so-called “slowplants”).

Location: FZT JU Study Department (Pavilion A)
Date and time: September 24, 2025, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
The program will also include tours of the plant atrium in Pavilion C at 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM, and 6:00 PM, led by a team member (Ing. Adéla Kalkušová, Ing. Eliška Kůrková, Ing. Nina Veselovská, Ing. Iva Šímová, Ph.D.).

Book Exchange at the Faculty of Economics, University of South Bohemia

On September 24, 2025, you can bring your used books to the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Economics and choose some new ones.

Lecture on the topic: Brownfields

Brownfields—old factories and abandoned sites—often appear as scars on the landscape, but they can become a source of new life. In this lecture, we will show how these “dead zones” can be transformed into cultural centers, parks, or residential areas, using examples from the Czech Republic and abroad. Come and be inspired by stories of transformation that prove even neglected spaces can have a future.

The topic will be presented by Ing. et Ing. Vendula Moravcová, Ph.D., on September 25 at 3:00 p.m. in Building ZR 2 of the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology at the University of South Bohemia.

Lecture: Economic Growth, Sustainable Development, and the Bioeconomy

On September 30 at 3:00 p.m. in the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Economics at the University of South Bohemia (room A301), Assoc. Prof. Eva Cudlínová, CSc., and Prof. Miloslav Lapka, CSc., will give a lecture on the topic of economic growth, sustainable development, and the bioeconomy.

Lecture: Sustainable Land Use in a European Context

How has the European landscape changed from the time of the first farmers to the present day? This seminar will take you through a variety of stories—from man-made Mediterranean terraces to forgotten historical structures in Poland and Slovakia, and the disappearing tidal flats of Normandy. We will also touch on land reclamation, the influence of cities, and the search for ways to use the landscape sustainably in the future.

The seminar will be led by Ing. Jana Moravcová, Ph.D., on October 2, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. in Room ZR-Z2 of the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology at the University of South Bohemia.

Seminar on the topic: Environmental Sustainability—An Integral Approach

The Faculty of Theology at the University of South Bohemia will host an interdisciplinary seminar on the timely topic of environmental sustainability, viewed from the perspectives of ethics, theology, and pedagogy. Presentations and discussions will focus on the so-called integral approach, which seeks to connect the ecological, ethical, theological, and educational dimensions of caring for our common home.
The seminar will also introduce an upcoming continuing education course designed to foster a deeper understanding of environmental sustainability through experiential methods, thematic lectures, and reflective work. This course is being developed in collaboration with the experts who will also lead the seminar.
The seminar is open to students, educators, and the general public interested in environmental and ethical issues in a broader context. The aim of the seminar is to present and share individual professional perspectives, their specific characteristics, and their contributions, and to seek, through joint discussion, pathways toward responsible and sustainable practices in contemporary society.

The seminar will take place on October 8, 2025, from 12:20 PM to 2:00 PM at the Faculty of Theology, University of South Bohemia, in Room 104.