Coffee cups can’t be too beautiful; otherwise they disappear: This is how an arts university encourages its students to become more sustainable

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The walls of the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in the Toni district already speak of sustainability: a basement corridor is wallpapered with the art school’s sustainability report. But the report doesn’t appear to be hot off the press; decorated with students’ doodles. A case of vandalism? “No, feedback and criticism are wanted,” explains student Carla Opetnik (32). This is like a reality check.

An art education student points to a sentence with marked question marks on the hanging report. “Someone here wants to know exactly what ‘attractive’ and ‘affordable’ sustainable menus mean,” says Opetnik. “It is not the same for everyone, the prices in the cafeteria have just been increased. “It would be great if there was more transparency,” he says, walking toward the cafeteria.

Sausage beats eggplant

More sustainability information is available in digital form on the wildly patterned cafeteria wall. Three screens show lunch menus along with the climate index. Students should be able to better evaluate whether the menu they want is climate-friendly. “Evaluation sometimes surprises me. For example today. “The meat dish with currywurst and fries is the most climate-sensitive menu,” says Opetnik. “It’s probably because all the main ingredients are regional.” She still prefers stuffed eggplant instead of cream cheese. According to the observer, the impact on the climate here is still moderate.

The third menu performs the worst. It is stated that vegan chickpea rice has a high negative impact on the climate. Otherwise, the cafe gets points for eco-friendliness with Recircle’s lockable reusable plates.

Iced tea without PET waste

After his lunch break, Opetnik fills his glass water bottle at the machine with a touch screen and neon sign. «I can also do this in the toilet sink, but it is more practical in the machine. Also because it can fit large bottles underneath.” The machine at ETH spin-off Fountain is specifically aimed at encouraging fans of sweet drinks to buy fewer PET bottles: the machine also dispenses iced mate tea or elderflower water in exchange for coins.

The school has tested several concepts to reduce the overflow of disposable coffee cups on campus. “Unfortunately, the initiative regarding returnable ceramic pots failed. The cups were very beautiful and often not returned,” Opetnik recalls with a smile. The art school now relies on the Kooky credit system, which operates on a one-franc deposit.

The university established another credit system. Students and staff can borrow everything from megaphones to drills through an internal platform.

Free market for unwanted and forgotten items

At the end of the sustainability tour, Carla Opetnik shows one of her projects at the university. He moves towards a walk-in structure made of wooden slats and shelves. Here you’ll find a jumble of clothes, cables, books, drink bottles and other everyday items. Idea: Items and lost items that students and employees no longer need or have never been purchased need to be found with new owners. “You can take things with you,” Opetnik says. The 32-year-old built the structure from old cellar slats. A lecturer is just getting out of embezzlement. He forgot his charging cable at home and found a new one.

The free market has a special feature: “To make the project more accessible, all new arrivals are also offered for sale digitally,” says Opetnik, taking a coat and placing it on the yellow area in front of the building. A camera then takes a photo of the jacket and sends it to an internal chat. “You can easily check what’s new on your mobile phone,” the student says. There are two other similar circulation platforms at the school: one for books and the other for heavy items such as construction materials.

Source : Blick