Sustainability Week 2026

Join us from October 5 to 9 for Sustainability Week at the University of Groningen! View climate change and extreme weather through fresh eyes, find inspiration in our local (edible) nature and experience the overwhelming power of water in the documentary Aquarela. Or test your sustainability knowledge in the always-fun Great Green Pub Quiz.

This year’s Sustainability Week keynote lecture will be given by biologist and meteorologist Margot Ribberink.

From wildfires to floods: can extreme weather spur us to climate action?

It became painfully clear again this summer that climate change is real and is already affecting us. The consequences are visible all around us: forest and heath fires, historically low water levels in rivers like the Rhine and the Meuse, trees shedding their leaves early, and desiccation and heat stress in cities. But what exactly causes this? What are the mechanisms behind our changing climate and increasingly extreme weather?

And just because we know our climate is changing, does that mean we know exactly what lies ahead, or is there still a great deal of uncertainty? Our planet is warming, yet this can have seemingly contradictory local effects. For instance, the slowing or stalling of the AMOC (a crucial system of ocean currents in the Atlantic) could actually mean that the Netherlands becomes colder and wetter in the long run.

Margot Ribberink, biologist, meteorologist, and climate communication expert, takes us on a journey to explain and better understand the complex mechanisms driving our climate and its transformation. But more importantly: what can we do to combat climate change? What courses of action are available to us, and what is holding us back?

During the second part of the lecture, Margot engages in a conversation with Meriam Tuinhof, and there is an opportunity for questions from the audience.

The lecture will take place on 6 October in the Aula of the Academy Building, from 20:00-21:30 (doors open at 19:45). The lecture will be conducted in Dutch.

Margot Ribberink (1965) studied biology in Nijmegen. She began her career as a meteorologist in 1990 at Meteo Consult, the Netherlands' first commercial weather service. She made history by becoming the first female weather presenter on Dutch television. Driven by a passion for extreme weather, Ribberink also regularly traveled to the United States during tornado season to track tornadoes. In January 2019, she left television to focus entirely on climate communication and sustainability. Her mission is to raise awareness about sustainable living and to translate complex climate issues into practical, concrete advice.

Meriam Tuinhof focuses daily on how to engage people with societal challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. As a project leader, communications professional, and moderator, she connects science, policy, and society through conversations that both inspire and prompt action.

Below, you will find information about the other activities of Sustainability Week 2026.

Film | Kiss The Ground

What if the solution to the climate crisis was right beneath our feet?

Kiss the Ground reveals a game-changing insight: by regenerating the world's soils, we can stabilize the Earth's climate, restore lost ecosystems, and secure abundant food supplies. Through striking NASA and NOAA footage and compelling visuals, the documentary shows how soil, through regenerative agriculture, is the missing piece of the climate puzzle.

This film is a call to action and proof that solving humanity's greatest challenge starts with the ground beneath us. Together, we can move forward.

With introduction and aftertalk by the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture Transition. Drinks and bites provided.

Monday 5 October, 14.45-17.30
Location: Central Hall, Campus Fryslân

Bonus event | Yoga session

When Dr. Fareeba Sheedfar talks about sustainability, she starts with the human body. As a healthy aging consultant, researcher and yoga teacher, she believes that creating a more sustainable world also begins with learning how to care for our own bodies and minds.

With her scientific background in healthy aging, nutrition and metabolic health, she combines research-based knowledge with traditional practices. From these principles she also organises yoga and wellbeing retreats in different parts of the world.

During the yoga session, she will explore the idea of a sustainable body and a sustainable mind through movement, breath and awareness — and how taking better care of ourselves can be part of creating a healthier and more sustainable society.

Please note: If the weather allows, the yoga session might be held outside. Please wear comfortable clothing. You can bring your own yoga mat. Yoga mats are also available at the location!

Tuesday 6 October, 11:00-11:45 (limited amount of spots available!)
Location: Balans zaal, Blauwborgje 8 (the entrance is outside the building)

Walk | Foraging on the Zernike Campus

When Sanne Scheltena (cultural anthropologist and forager) looks around, she sees edible plants everywhere. For most people, this is forgotten knowledge. We often have no idea what grows around us and what is edible. During this guided tour she is happy to share the forgotten knowledge about edible wild plants.

Tuesday 6 October, 12:00-13:30 (limited amount of tickets available!)
Location: Willem Alexander Sportcentre. Language: English.

Film | Aquarela

Experience the force of water through the documentary Aquarela. At Lake Baikal, cars sink through the ice, which has started melting weeks earlier than normal. During a severe storm, a massive sailboat becomes a helpless plaything. In Miami, the water crashes through the city like a wall during Hurricane Irma. Ultimately, humanity plays only a supporting role. Primarily, Kossakovsky captures the many personalities of water in his breathtaking images: from raging waves to calm streams, and from melting ice caps to the highest waterfall in the world.

With introduction by Margo van den Brink

Margo van den Brink is an associate professor of Water and Space at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences at the University of Groningen. Her work connects the worlds of water management, spatial planning, and climate adaptation and focuses on the transition from fighting against water to living with water.

Her research invites us to rethink our relationship with water and offers an inspiring perspective on the ambiguous role of water that is powerfully highlighted in Aquarela: as a source of beauty and inspiration, but also as a destructive force that calls for adaptation, innovation, and finding new ways to live with water.

This event is a co-production with Forum Groningen. The viewing will be at the Forum cinema, from 19:00-20:45, in Camera 4.

Tickets

We have a special ticket rate available for UG students and staff. Use discount code SW2026 to get your ticket for €5. Upon entry, you can be asked to show your UG student/employee card!

Gathering | Green Labs Community meeting

Programme:

Alexandra Matei & Fotini Trigka - From LEAF to SPARK: What's next?
Brent Boog - Sustainable development in RUG real estate
Dr. Brian Setz - Every AI Prompt Leaves a Footprint

Award ceremony with FSE dean prof. dr. Joost Frenken 

The afternoon is concluded with drinks.

Donderdag 8 oktober, 15:00-17:00.
Locatie: Het Oog, Linnaeusborg. De voertaal is Engels.

Event | Great Green Pub Quiz

Prepare for the Great Green Pub Quiz! Can you separate eco-facts from eco-fiction? Do you know everything about solar panels, biodiversity or climate change? Then make sure you are there and beat your colleagues, friends or fellow students!

The quiz consists of three exciting trivia rounds: general knowledge, local sustainability knowledge and music questions. Don't miss this opportunity for a fun outing and to learn more about this crucial topic.

You can sign up as an individual (and join a group on the spot) or as a team. You can indicate this on the registration form! A team consists of 4-5 people.

Thursday 8 October, 20:00-22:00
Location: Café De Toeter. The quiz will be held in English.