Earth Day Summit

Event Overview

Friday, 19th April

Saturday, 20th April

Art Competition: Students are encouraged to submit any visual art form related to the theme of Sustainable Communities.

Two 50chf prizes will be awarded, one to the winner of a vote by judges and the other to the winner of a popular vote.
Submissions are due from 13:00-14:00 in the Taylor Institute Conference Room in the OSL.

Plant your own Herb Garden: Join us in planting herbs in egg cartons to create your own herb garden to take home!

We will be planting from 15:00-16:00 on the President’s Lawn! Egg cartons and herbs will be provided, so no materials are needed to participate! The event will take place entirely in English.

Opening Ceremony: Opening remarks given by members of the Green Office, FUS administration, and a presentation from the Innovation Academy about Sustainable Urban Development in Freiburg.

The presentation description reads, “The city of Freiburg in southwest Germany is known worldwide as a sustainable city. This development began several decades ago with the local anti-nuclear power movement, as a result of which the city has developed into a global center for renewable energies. Today, climate protection and livable urban development with a focus on a city of short distances are at the center of current developments. The presentation gives a brief overview of this development and focuses on the well known model district of Vauban and the latest city-wide developments towards a city with less space for cars and more space for people.”

This event will take place from 18:00-19:00 in the Nielson Auditorium. It will be entirely in English.

Speaker: Steffen Ries

Steffen Ries completed a Geography major at the University of Freiburg and is working for the Innovation Academy in Freiburg, Germany. The NGO is an official partner of the city of Freiburg and hosts professional visits on sustainable solutions and renewable energies. Steffen organizes and conducts seminars and guided tours in Freiburg and the surrounding region, gives lectures, and participates in projects to raise awareness for climate protection and sustainability. In the past, Steffen has worked for the consulting firm "Energieagentur Regio Freiburg", focusing on the topic of sustainable mobility in rural areas.

Open Mic Night, Dinner, & Apero: Come together to enjoy a night full of fun performances from your peers and enjoy snacks, drinks, and plant-based meal plan options from the Grotto.

This event will take place from 19:15-20:30 in Ben’s Den. Meals from the Grotto will be available for purchase with cash, card, or student card. Snacks and drinks will be provided!

Pancake Breakfast: Join us to start the day with freshly made pancakes and an assortment of delicious toppings, including plant-based options! Students must bring their own plates and utensils to be served!

This event will take place from 8:45-10:00 in the New C Student Lounge.

Affordable Housing Panel:  A discussion about how housing affordability relates to the theme of sustainable communities and the complexities surrounding this relevant issue, specifically taking a look at the current situation of housing in Switzerland, and diving into the challenges for implementing affordable housing measures, innovative solutions, and the impact of affordable housing on communities.

This event will take place from 10:30-11:45 in the New C Student Lounge. It will be entirely in English, but questions may be asked in Italian.

Moderator: Elisa Volpi

Elisa Volpi is an Assistant Professor of Comparative Politics at Franklin University Switzerland. Before joining Franklin, she was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) working for the SNF project "Inequality in the Mind". She received her Ph.D. from the European University Institute (Florence, Italy) in 2019. Her dissertation was awarded the prestigious 2020 ECPR Jean Blondel Ph.D. prize. Her research focuses on political elites, party politics, and economic inequality.

Panelist: Monique Bosco-von Allmen

Monique Bosco-von Allmen did an internship in Mario Botta's studio in 1988-89, graduated in Architecture at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in 1992, after having attended a semester at CEPT University (Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology) in Ahmedabad, India. After 4 years working in Zurich, she moved to Milan in 1996 and worked in the studio of Antonio Citterio & Partners. In 1998, she established her own practice in Milan and designed mainly wooden houses and refurbished homes and offices. In 2012, she moved her studio to Lugano, was an Assistant Professor of Design at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio with Professor Antonio Citterio. Since 2017, she is also chairman of CASSI, Cooperative d’abita-zione Svizzera-sezione Svizzera italiana. Besides her work as an architect, she is deeply involved in promoting cooperative housing concepts and defines herself as operating in “political architecture”.

Panelist: Céline Dellagana-Rabufetti

Céline Dellagana-Rabufetti studied law at the University of Lucerne (2008-2013), then after legal practice in 2 law firms in Ticino and at the Civil and Criminal Court of Cevio, she obtained her bar certificate in the summer of 2016. After three years in a law firm, since January 2020, she is the general secretary of the Swiss Tenants' Association-Swiss Italian Section (ASI-SSI). She is also active in the ASI-SSI office in Bellinzona as a legal advisor for ASI-SSI members of the Bellinzona and Valleys region.

Lunch + Art Exhibit Walk-Throughs: Join us for a delicious meal provided by Kind Thai and take some time to explore the student submissions in the Taylor Institute Conference Room in the OSL.

Students must bring their own plates and utensils to be served! This meal will have limited availability, with 35 spots open. This event will take place from 12:00-13:45 in the New C Student Lounge.

Understanding More-than-Human Communities Conversation: A discussion about how other communities exist and relate with each other, beyond our human-centric conceptions, led by Pascal Schwaighofer and Kate Roy.

This event will take place from 14:00-15:00 in the New C Student Lounge. It will take place entirely in English.

Activity Leader: Kate Roy

Activity Leader: Pascal Scwaighofer

Pascal Schwaighofer is a multi- and interdisciplinary artist and currently a postdoc fellow in the programs of Comparative Literary and Culture Studies (CLCS), and Social Justice and Sustainability (SJS) at Franklin University Switzerland. He has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Cornell University (conferral May 2024) and holds an MA in Fine Arts from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan. His research is grounded in environmental humanities, visual culture, and critical theory. Starting from the material culture of apiculture, his dissertation titled, Domesticating Metaphors—The Use(s) of Honeybees in Times of Extinction, explores the modern Western fascination with honeybees and its transdisciplinary influence on linguistics, cybernetics, economy, and ecology. In 2022-23, Pascal was a Mellon Graduate Fellow at the Society for the Humanities, Cornell University. His work has been awarded the Peter Uwe Hohendahl Graduate Essay Prize in Critical Theory, Cornell University, and the Comparative Literature Graduate Students Essay Prize.

Design your own Sustainable Community Activity:  Come together for a workshop to envision what a sustainable future could look like in your community, led by Gastone Boisco.

This event will take start at 15:15-16:15 in the New C Student Lounge, with a walking component- so don’t be late! It will take place in English, with translation into Italian available.

Activity Leader: Gastone Boisco

Immersive Nature Walk:  Join us for a walk through nature by Lago di Muzzano, a Pro Natura nature reserve, located right here in our community. Serena Britos Wiederkehr from Pro Natura will speak about how they have worked towards conserving this area and how they created their conservation management plan, considering both the wildlife and surrounding human communities.

This event will take place from 16:30-17:30, meeting at the Capella Agnuzzo FLP station. This will take place in Italian, with English translations.

Translator: Fabio Ferrari

Fabio Ferrari is Chair of the Division of Arts and Cultures at Franklin University Switzerland. He is an American-born scholar of cinema, literature, and cultural studies who earned his doctorate in Literature from the University of Chicago. His areas of teaching include science fiction film and literature, queer theory and performance studies, and the history of Italian literature and cinema. He resides in Muzzano with his two children and enjoys hiking, biking, and painting in his free time.

Alchemizing Eco-Emotions for Collective Liberation:  An activity to introduce the issue of eco-emotions, i.e., emotional experiences specifically linked to the Climate Crisis, and offer various ways to transmute these emotions, specifically focusing on collective healing and peer-to-peer support. This event will be led by Peyton Warmack-Chipman and Jelena Bakic.

This event will take place from 17:45-18:45 in the New C Student Lounge. This event will take place in English.

Activity Leader: Peyton Warmack-Chipman

Peyton Warmack-Chipman is a Franklin alumni with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Economics. Since graduating from Franklin, her work has focused on researching and implementing regenerative food systems, combining elements of permaculture, closed-loop economics, and climate justice. She values cultivating both theoretical and practical knowledge, which has led her to work in several community kitchens as part of her systems design research. Peyton works as a freelance writer, publishing articles on plant identification and cultivation, and facilitates psilocybin therapy in Spain, rekindling practices of ancestral plant medicine. Her upcoming research will be in Belize with the El Pilar Research Fellowship where she will be mentored by the indigenous Maya regarding traditional food preparation.

Activity Leader: Jelena Bakic

Jelena Bakic is the Director of Student Accounts at FUS, i.e. the head of the bursar’s office. She manages student‘s financial records, such as tuition fees and scholarships. As of Fall 2022, she serves as an active member of the DEI committee, and holds a special place in her heart for human-centric initiatives and strives to make the world a better place. She believes that Franklin University has enormous potential to develop further equity and inclusion and is extremely glad to take part in initiatives that will make Franklin a place of excellence for students, faculty, and staff

Closing Remarks + Dinner: Conclude the Summit with short remarks from the GO team and with a delicious meal! There are 30 spaces available for the meal to be covered, however if you don’t sign up in time, you can still join us at the restaurant. This event will take place in English.

This event will take place from 19:00-20:45 at Ristorante Giardino.