For a sustainable future

On April 11, 2025, the Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences hosted the awards ceremony for the 2nd Zittau Sustainability Competition.

On that day, everything at the university revolved around sustainability and the responsible use of water, a precious resource. Students from the region and neighboring countries presented their projects on water use, water consumption, and the protection of our water resources.

A total of six creative and well-researched posters were submitted by four schools—the Evangelische Gymnasium Tharandt, the SCHKOLA Ostritz, the Gymnasium F.X. Saldy from Liberec (CZ), and the Ogólnokształcące High School from Kędzierzyn-Koźle (PL). The diversity of the entries impressively demonstrated how committed and imaginative young people are in addressing the challenges of our time.

The event opened with warm welcoming remarks from Prof. Dr. Malgorzata Mackowiak, Vice President for Education and Sustainability, and Prof. Dr. Jörg Kroschel from the Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management. Both emphasized the importance of sustainability in education and praised the commitment of the participating students.

The students’ posters explored the topic of water and sustainability in a variety of ways. The focus was on the conscious use of natural resources. Topics addressed included the protection and efficient use of water, the preservation of peat bogs as water reservoirs, measures for water retention in the landscape, and the importance of clean water bodies. Water consumption in everyday life was also critically examined, and potential savings were highlighted.

The students presented their posters in person—with great passion, creativity, and remarkable expertise.

At the awards ceremony, there were only winners. First place was awarded to the students from the Evangelical High School in Tharandt for their poster on the topic “Sustainability from the Perspective of Water Consumption,” as well as to the team from the F.X. Saldy High School in Liberec for their entry “Sustainability—Protecting Water.”

Second place was also shared: Students from the F.X. Saldy High School in Liberec also impressed the jury with their poster entries “Water Retention in the Landscape” and “Sustainability—Peat Bogs.”

SCHKOLA Ostritz—the Independent Environmental Model School—received a special youth prize for its poster on the topic “Keeping Our Waters Clean.” The jury particularly recognized the achievements of the participating students in grades 5 and 6.

The special prize for artistic design went to the Ogólnokształcące Kędzierzyn Koźle High School for the poster “Let’s Protect Our Resources.”

A cozy get-together rounded out Friday afternoon—with conversations, laughter, and the exchange of new ideas, the day came to a close in a pleasant atmosphere.