Teaching sustainability-workshops

Bridging real- world challenges from different systemic levels

Abstract

To prepare students for addressing wicked   problems such as climate change and inequality, higher   education must foster systemic and interdisciplinary thinking.   We developed a flexible, interactive workshop grounded in   sustainability goals and transitions theory to promote abductive   reasoning across disciplines. Using cases on food waste, fashion,   and e-waste, the workshop was tested in four diverse settings in 2025. Findings show that while tool format (manual vs. digital) had a limited impact, structured facilitation and clearly framed   tasks were essential for engagement. We offer insights for   educators seeking adaptable, experiential methods to embed   sustainability in diverse learning environments.