Highlights from the Swiss Schools Sustainability Summit 2023

Nov 24 2023

The Swiss Schools Sustainability Summit is a student-led event that promotes sustainable practices across international schools in Switzerland. Last week, members of the LAS Eco club attended the Sustainability conference at Aiglon and enjoyed learning from keynote speakers and networking with their peers from other schools! 

For the second consecutive year, the summit provides a platform for students to come together, share their sustainability initiatives, and learn from each other’s experiences, with the goal of creating a path towards a more sustainable future. The theme for the 2023 summit was “Unity in Sustainability: Forging a Path Forward.” With over 120 students from international schools, this was a great event for young people to come together and learn more about the climate and sustainability! 

During the summit, LAS students were inspired by the keynote address from explorer Mike Horn, who encouraged them to be innovative in their approach to developing sustainability solutions and resilient in their pursuits of change. Mike is globally acclaimed as the world’s greatest modern-day explorer. He has achieved solo feats like swimming the Amazon and motivates countless individuals with his adventurous and inspiring expeditions. It was such a privilege to listen to him speak about his experiences!

Afterward, the students led a presentation about their work on becoming an eco-school and shared their projects, successes, and challenges on this path. They shared our LAS initiatives, such as opening up a dialogue about what we need to change as a school and incentivizing good eco-habits as a community through initiatives such as Ride the Bus with Us, where staff and students are encouraged to use public transport! Afterward, the students heard from other schools about their initiatives and had some lively Q&A sessions.

This event was a really fantastic opportunity for students to learn more about sustainability from real-life explorers and exchange ideas about eco-initiatives with other schools. With over 120 students from international schools, the event prompted meaningful discussions and emphasized the collective responsibility we have to protect our planet!