GreenMetric Conference on Sustainability

The third International Student Leaders Meeting on Sustainability (ISLMS 2025), an English-language event, brings together participants from across the globe. Attendees included leaders of the UI GreenMetric organization, lecturers and students from the University of Szeged, as well as students, instructors, and speakers from higher education institutions representing around 25 countries, along with delegates from member institutions of the Sustainability Platform of Hungarian Universities (MEFP).

As a leading center of education and research, the University of Szeged plays a strategic role in promoting scientific research and academic initiatives aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The main conference events and workshops were set to take place on Friday, April 11, 2025, at the József Attila Study and Information Center.

The international conference explored a wide range of timely topics – from the role of students and academic research in promoting sustainability to specific environmental and societal challenges. These discussions were framed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a global development agenda to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs reflect commitments made by countries worldwide to address a broad array of pressing issues – including environmental degradation, the threats of climate change, food security and agricultural challenges, economic crises, regional conflicts, and social inequalities.

The key message of the event was that young people play a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals on a global scale – because by 2030–2040, today’s youth will represent a defining segment of society. This makes it essential for them to integrate these goals into their everyday lives, mindset, and personal habits. Through the conference and its discussion forums, students are encouraged to actively contribute to these efforts – first by sharing their perspectives, and later by organizing their own sustainability campaigns.

Raising awareness about the importance of sustainability and developing the human resources needed to support it are among the event’s main focus areas – both of which are essential for integrating sustainable best practices into local communities and higher education institutions. The meeting also seeks to foster the exchange of sustainability-related experiences and initiatives among international student organizations. In this spirit, following the conference presentations, students from various countries are scheduled to engage in discussions to share their ideas and experiences in addressing sustainability-related challenges. The event features six workshops centered around key themes: Environment and Infrastructure, Energy and Climate Change, Water Management, Waste Management, Transportation, and Education and Research.

As part of the program, participants took part in a symbolic tree-planting ceremony on Friday at 3:00 p.m. in the park next to the University of Szeged’s József Attila Study and Information Center.

For more information about this event, go to: https://u-szeged.hu/news-and-events/2025/focused-on?objectParentFolderId=26349