Sustainability Festival
Bolzano/Bozen, Bolzano/Bozen and environs
After a few years’ break, the Sustainability Festival returns to Bolzano from May 15 to 17, 2025, thanks to the university association Kikero, bringing topics, ideas, and initiatives to the campus of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and various locations around the city.
This year, the festival takes place under the motto “Sustainability as Cooperation” – an invitation to experience sustainability not as an individual task, but as a collective responsibility. Because ecological, social, and cultural change requires collaboration: between people, institutions, and organizations.
The program offers three days packed with activities: hands-on workshops, talks, conferences, films, music, and opportunities to exchange ideas about ecological, social, and cultural sustainability. There will be discussions on ethical fashion, local food, climate justice, sustainable mobility, and new economic models. Experts, activists, and local and international initiatives will share experiences, projects, and ideas, involving the public in actively participating and contributing.
Program overview
On Thursday, May 15, the festival kicks off with a creative workshop at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, where, together with the MaMa association, participants will create bags from recycled materials. In the afternoon, Shanti Gamper-Rabindran will give a lecture on U.S. environmental and energy policy, followed by an evening screening of the film “TIAN – Generation Farmfluencer” (in German with Italian subtitles) at the Filmclub Bolzano, with a discussion with the director afterward.
On Friday, May 16, the day begins at 9:00 a.m. at unibz with greetings from Kikero and a conference by Marco Boato, president of Europa Verde, dedicated to Alexander Langer, a historic figure in South Tyrolean environmentalism. This will be followed by talks on waste sorting in Bolzano, ethical finance, and finally, a Sustainability Challenge. In the afternoon, at Franz Innerhofer Platz, people can learn how to bind notebooks using upcycled materials, while at Goethehaus, there will be a workshop on food fermentation and preservation. Starting at 6:00 p.m. in Piazza Darwin, there will be a debate on who should be responsible for climate change, followed by an aperitif with a DJ set and concerts by Zweilaster, Solanacea, and Bulls.
On Saturday, May 17, the program continues in Piazza Darwin with a lecture by Ralf Lüfter on the ethics of sustainability and a roundtable discussion on the sustainable future of South Tyrol. After a coffee break, at 1:00 p.m., the activity “Saving Vegetables and Making Canederli” with the Crumb Collective will begin, while a cycling group will head to Villa delle Rose for the grand finale: from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., there will be music, workshops, stands, discussions, and plenty of moments for sharing.
Kikero, the team behind the Sustainability Festival, invites everyone to take part, learn something new, and help build a fairer, more sustainable future together.
15 května, 2025 - 17 května, 2025
