Sustainability in focus: Sustainability Week starts in Dessau-Roßlau!

Sustainability in focus: Sustainability Week starts in Dessau-Roßlau!

What's happening in Dessau-Roßlau? Quite a lot! The city announced “Sustainability Week 2025” on September 19th, 2025, which has numerous exciting offers until October 8th. The event series was initiated by Alderman Eter Hachmann in cooperation with Thomas Wünsch, the State Secretary for Energy. Around 40 free campaigns address current topics such as sustainable urban development, use of resources for energy and heat, and adaptation to climate change.

The opening of the week aims to link the local educational landscape more closely with the principle of sustainability. Dessau-Roßlau is considered a model municipality for “Education for Sustainable Development” (ESD) and is committed to deeper anchoring of environmental awareness in schools and daycare centers. “This isn’t just about nice words, but about tangible knowledge that is put into action,” explains Wünsch, pointing to the city’s year-round efforts to promote sustainable mobility, for example through bio-natural gas buses and the expansion of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Diverse offers and activities

The action week has something to offer for every generation: from information events about balcony power plants and climate-friendly heating systems to tours of a waterworks and a sewage treatment plant. Workshops entitled “Make new from old” and handicraft courses round off the varied program. Participation in these events is completely free - an opportunity that should not be missed.

The support from the Ministry of the Environment also plays a special role, contributing 125,000 euros to the organization of the week. In addition, a sustainability education program worth 1.4 million euros will be launched next year with the aim of further advancing education for sustainable development. Anyone interested can submit applications to the Investitionsbank Sachsen-Anhalt until September 30, 2025.

Sustainability as a social challenge

Over 60% of the world's population now lives in cities - this development brings with it many challenges, such as rising rent prices and air pollution. According to current estimates, millions of people could die every year from the effects of air pollution. Sustainable urban development is therefore more in demand than ever. City planners must balance economic efficiency, social justice and environmental adaptation in order to shape the urban living space for the future.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) plays a central role in the discussion about sustainable urban development. It encourages citizens to take active action and have a positive impact on their environment. The UNESCO World Action Program promotes ESD at the local level and honors municipalities that are particularly committed to sustainable education, such as Dornstadt and Frankfurt am Main.

For anyone who would like to find out about the wide range of offerings in Saxony-Anhalt, it is worth visiting the official Education for Sustainable Development website, which helps those seeking education find offers and network. Because one thing is certain: Sustainability is not a one-off project, but a long-term commitment that affects everyone - and there is really something to be achieved!