Time capsule buried on the campus
During National Climate Week, a time capsule is buried on the campus of Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas). It is a symbolic action meant to underscore the urgency and need for change. The time capsule contains letters to the future, wishes and dreams for a liveable world, written by BUas students, researchers and lecturers.
- About BUas
- Education
- Research
- Tourism
The initiative
The idea of the time capsule stems from a desire to raise even greater awareness about the urgency of climate change. More importantly, it aims to share the hope and determination of the current BUas community to future generations.
Nina Nesterova, professor at the Centre for Sustainability, Tourism and Transport, wrote the first message for the time capsule as part of her inaugural address on 8 October this year. ‘I wish for a future where closer travel takes us further, where every journey has a deeper meaning,’ she wrote, among other things. In doing so, she shared a vision for a world where sustainability and well-being are at the heart of every travel experience.
A look to the future
Each letter is a personal message reflecting on the current state of nature, environment and climate and outlining a vision of the future in which sustainability is central. ‘I wish a more vibrant, healthy, connected, equal and inclusive future for all life on the planet,’ is an excerpt from Anna Koens-Waddilove, Climate and Sustainability programme leader at BUas.
Diverse and inspiring, the letters are powerful messages of hope and responsibility. Each letter is a time capsule in itself, full of ideas and dreams, written from a determination to make a real difference. ‘By burying the time capsule, we are preserving a piece of our present for future generations to discover,’ says Nina Nesterova.
Climate-positive
BUas is working towards being a climate-positive higher education institution by 2035. This is noticeable in everything in the community where students, researchers, lecturers and staff increasingly inspire and motivate each other to contribute to a safe, just and thriving planet - a better world - for everyone.
Specifically, you can see it not only in BUas operations and research, but especially in its education. Every bachelor’s programme includes learning objectives and activities aimed at combating climate change for a better world. Students are encouraged to explore their role in addressing this challenge, both personally and professionally. This approach links climate issues with broader goals of ecological and social sustainability, with the aim of inspiring awareness and proactive engagement. ‘I hope that we, in education, have rediscovered what educating young people is really about; that education has evolved into an environment where young people are helped to become good people,’ writes Frans Melissen, transversal professor of Sustainability Transitions at BUas.
Closer to our ideals
Of course, the time capsule will not go into the ground just like that. One of BUas' Green Office students, Sogand Barzalein, a master's student in Leisure and Tourism Studies, will recite her personal contribution at the time the time capsule is buried. ‘We hope that when the time capsule is unearthed many years from now, the world will have come much closer to our vision and ideals of sustainable living together,’ Nina Nesterova said.
Photo:
Anna Koens-Waddilove, Frans Melissen, Sogand Barzalein, Jorrit Snijder, Nina Nesterova
