Blue Commission

Archive of lectures at ERUA universities in 2025

Tuesday, January 21st, 2025 at 10:30 WET / 11:30 CET Title: Marine litter in Open Ocean at different depths in the Canary Islands. Speaker: Daura Vega Moreno, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Monday February 3rd, 2025 at 13:30 CET, Title: The Truth About Green: Evaluating Sustainability Practices, Speaker: Nerijus Eimanavičius, Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania)​

Wednesday, March 5th, 2025 at 15:00 EET/ 14:00 CET, Title: Global Citizen: energy production  and artificial intelligence, Speakers: Konstantinos Tsioukas, Lida Maria Soukouli Servou and Maria Papageorgiou, University of the Aegean (Greece)​

Monday, March 17th, 2025 at 11.00 CET, Title: NBU’s Sustainability. The role of the Circular Economy in Advancing Sustainable Development and Combating Climate Change, Speakers: Ralitsa Berberova and Mina Markova-Karpuzova, New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria)​

Tuesday, March 25th, 2025 at 11:30 CET, Title: Eco-terrorism, really? Documenting the surge in judicial repression of ecological activism in France, Association Mouvement de soutien aux défenseur.es de l’environnement University of Paris 8 (France)​

Thursday, April 3rd, 2025 at 14:00-16:00 Title: Who runs the Climate debate? How grassroots movements affect environmental law, Speakers: Cristiana Lauri, professor of Environmental Law – University of Macerata, Lucrezia Cinella, PhD student, Sami Ghanmi, PhD student, Alessandra Gierszewska, PhD student, Zuzanna Luczak, master’s student, University of Macerata (Italy)​

Friday, April 25th, 2025 at 17:00 CEST “The influence of the fortification on the Belarus border on the surrounding natural habitat.“ PhD in Sociology: Inga Hajdarowicz SWPS University (Poland)​

Tuesday, April 29th, 2025 at 13:00 CEST “Between “green”, “growth” and right-wing populism: The impact of civil society on transboundary river protection.”, European University Viadrina (Germany)

On May 20th and 21st, 2025, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria proudly hosted the ERUA Young Forum for Action on Sustainability and Climate Change. This was the outcome of the Blue Commission’s work following six months of online meetings and eight online lectures, organized by students and delivered by researchers from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

During both days of the Young Forum a total of 33 lectures and workshops were held by both students and academics regarding a wide variety of topics, all directly connected to sustainability. You can find out more about the program below.

Over 100 participants, students, researchers, artists and activists from ERUA and several other institutions, alliances and public and private organizations attended the event and enjoyed an international and welcoming student-led environment in the institutional centre of the ULPGC.

For additional info, please see the Forum programme.

The ERUA Student Manifesto for Sustainable Higher Education is a key outcome of the work of the Blue Commission and reflects a shared student vision for a greener, more just, and resilient university system. Developed jointly by students across the ERUA alliance (in collaboration with further sustainability experts from ERUA and its associated partners), the manifesto outlines concrete recommendations to embed sustainability into governance, teaching, research, campus operations, and student life. It emphasizes the responsibility of universities to address climate change, social justice, and structural inequalities, while empowering students as active drivers of change. The Manifesto was publicly handed over to the ERUA Board of Rectors during the ERUA Summit in November 2025 at the University of the Aegean on Lesbos Island. Through this manifesto, the Blue Commission calls on university leadership to engage in dialogue and take meaningful steps toward transforming higher education for a sustainable future.

The Blue Commission is also actively involved in clean-up initiatives, highlighting the importance of hands-on environmental action. Each year, ERUA students participate in the World Clean Up Day, joining a global movement to remove waste from public spaces and raise awareness about pollution and responsible consumption. Beyond this international event, the Blue Commission supports and promotes additional local clean-up actions throughout the year across ERUA partner universities. These activities not only contribute directly to cleaner environments but also strengthen collaboration with staff, society, and community engagement. It encourages the participants to take collective responsibility for their surroundings.

ERUA joins World Clean-Up Day, Sep 2025