The Faculty of Economics of the University of South Bohemia has long been committed to a responsible approach to the environment and is dedicated to activities that promote sustainability. The Faculty of Economics of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice is the first fairtrade faculty in central Europe to be awarded this status. In order to obtain this status, the faculty had to meet five important criteria, including support from the faculty's management, availability of fairtrade products on campus or in the surrounding area, teaching global development topics, and organising awareness-raising events to promote fairtrade and media coverage.

Fairtrade products are available in the snack and beverage vending machines located in Buildings A and F of the Faculty of Economics. These vending machines offer a choice of several types of fairtrade coffee beans from espresso to latte macchiato, instant fairtrade cocoa and tea. In addition to hot beverages, the machines offer a variety of snacks such as fairtrade chocolate bars, chips, candy, nuts, cookies and chilled drinks.

The faculty regularly organises fairtrade breakfasts, which are held on the second Saturday in May as part of World Fairtrade Day.

Another key step by which the faculty demonstrates its commitment is its participation in the LOKNI project. The filtration station, which the Faculty of Economics had installed in one of its classroom pavilions, filters water to make it not only more palatable but also free of bacteria, impurities, microplastics, chlorine and unpleasant odours. Students can get up to 3 litres of quality water for free while lowering their plastic consumption by using their own bottles! In 2 months of operation, this method has so far prevented the use of nearly 3000 PET bottles.

In addition, in 2023 the Faculty of Economics had solar panels installed on the roof of the building, which will help it cover a significant part of its energy needs in the future.

At the USB Faculty of Economics, sustainability is not only a slogan but also a part of teaching and lifelong learning. Several courses, such as Pluralism in Economic Thought or Environmental Economics, are part of degree programmes. The public can also sign up for courses offered, such as Land Art.

The Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters has its own aquaponic system – the aquaponic hall – right in the central part of the campus of the University of South Bohemia. Aquaponics, i.e. the combination of fish farming and plant growing in hydroponics, is a characteristic example of a circular production model. Read more below.

Most of the nutrients needed for plant growth in aquaponics come from the metabolic activity of fish, i.e. from fish food. The nutrient profile of the fish feed meets the requirements of the individual fish species and is designed to make the most efficient use of nutrients. Read more about aquaponics. We would also like to introduce our CENAKVA research centre.

Sustainable development goals also include ‘Ending Poverty’, ‘Quality Education’ and ‘Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions’. All of these goals are fulfilled by the project of an interdisciplinary team led by Dr. Lukáš Holata from FAR USB, which together with the Gulag.cz association this year presented an educational tool in virtual reality that enables primary and secondary school students to better understand the functioning of totalitarian systems.

The tool uses the principle of game simulation and the so-called immersive environment, and the VR goggles thus ‘transport’ each user to an authentic and functional Gulag camp in Siberia for about 15 minutes, which was built on the basis of archaeological and historical research.

The user will not be a mere observer but will become one of the many nameless prisoners and will experience selected situations of everyday life in the camp, thus gaining a concrete experience and a strong experience of repressive power.

The teaching model in schools raises awareness of the meaning of the words ‘democracy’, ‘freedom’ and ‘human rights’ among the younger generation. It also contributes to the cultivation of critical thinking and the development of analytical skills, which we consider essential, especially in the current era of massive disinformation and increasing support for populist or extremist parties and movements, not only in the Czech Republic.

The project was co-financed with state support from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic under the ÉTA Programme.

One of the sustainable development goals is ‘Health and Quality of Life’. To educate students of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of the University of South Bohemia, who will directly support this area in their future careers, the faculty also uses two new state-of-the-art facilities. The first is the Simulation Centre for Health-oriented Fields, in which the faculty prepares future medical personnel for their profession using modern methods and sophisticated models and instruments.

In addition to this simulation centre, a new virtual classroom for anatomy and physiology has now been created in the main building of the faculty. Read more about the Simulation Centre.

Within the framework of studies at the USB Faculty of Theology, several courses are offered that respond in their thematic focus to the current call for sustainability and social responsibility (e.g. Environmental Education, Issues in Health and Illness, Bioethics; Applied Ethics, Ethics in the Helping Professions, Social Work and Social Exclusion; Education through Experience, etc.).

The common denominator and the specificity of the courses taught at the FTH USB is their explanatory framework, which is based on empirical data and relevant philosophical methodology, and at the same time places the issues in a value context. As a result, sustainability and social responsibility are thematised in a more complex context as fully anthropological principles that cannot be reduced to economic, technological or legislative know-how;

· thematically relevant projects:

o Project on the ethics of autonomous vehicles: modern technologies present us with various moral challenges, e.g. responsibility for harm to health or life; these issues were addressed in a joint project in cooperation with the Institute of State and Law of the CAS (2017–2022)

o Preparation of an accredited LLL course ‘Environmental Sustainability – An Integral Approach’: a professional LLL course developing soft green competencies, paid for by the NPO (RePowerEU pillar: Supporting Green Skills and Sustainability at Universities) – the course will be ready by the end of 2025;

o FTH participation in the new interfaculty degree programme ‘Sustainability Management’ (RePowerEU pillar: Promoting Green Skills and Sustainability in Universities)

o Environmental Sustainability – An Integral Approach project; focusing on lifelong learning supported by the National Recovery Plan, under the RePowerEU pillar: Promoting Green Skills and Sustainability in Universities.

· other thematically relevant activities:

o The Centre for Applied Philosophy at FTH deals with issues such as health, well-being and the impact of technology and science.

Long-term critical reception of the work of the key thinker Hans Jonas, who was at the origin of applied ethics and the concept of (social) responsibility (e.g. in cooperation with the FFAV CR, FTH USB participated in the publication of the book The Philosophy of Hans Jonas, a German philosopher of Jewish origin who was at the birth of applied ethics and became famous, among other things, for his book entitled ‘The Responsibility Principle – An Attempt at Ethics for a Technological Civilization’); long-term critical reflection on other interdisciplinary intersecting areas forming a background to the theoretical understanding of the issue of sustainable development and sustainability (see the publication activities of academics).

The Faculty of Education of the University of South Bohemia incorporates environmental issues and sustainability issues into the teaching of a number of study programmes and fields of study – Teacher training for Kindergarten, Teacher training for the first stage of primary schools and for the second stage of primary schools, including lifelong learning studies, especially in the teaching of biology, chemistry, geography, education for citizenship, basic social sciences and physical education and sport. A significant place in this area is occupied by the 6 480 square metre faculty teaching garden, which was established in 1981 and is located at Na Sádkách, adjacent to the university campus. Since 2004, the garden area has been gradually transformed into a model teaching school garden in line with current educational trends. In 2018, the garden was awarded the Nature Garden Plaque, which is awarded for the management of a space that is close to natural processes. The basic criteria include not using pesticides and other artificial fertilizers. At the same time, the space must contain specific habitat features. The garden is also used for numerous popularisation events and is used by many kindergartens and primary and secondary schools for educational projects. The space is also used for research activities in the context of various grant projects, graduation theses and other creative and research activities of university students and academics.

A large number of projects of the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice have been devoted to the topic of sustainability with an overlap into several sustainable development goals. These are, for example, projects dealing with urban greenery, wetland sustainability, biodiversity monitoring of mosaic-mown lawns, etc.

The faculty is also preparing a number of educational courses on sustainability topics in terms of biology and chemistry, which will be offered in the framework of the University of the Third Age.

Blooming lawns: in cooperation with the Calla organisation, the faculty monitors the biodiversity of mosaic-mown lawns and also of extensively mown lawns in the city of České Budějovice. A few years ago, the faculty also established floral sections on the campus and in Stromovka Park, where monitoring is also taking place (more information).

Ecology working group: the Ecology of Restoration working group focuses not only on managed but especially on spontaneous succession in human-disturbed sites (more information).

Social responsibility and sustainable development have long been the main pillars of the educational and research activities of the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology (FAT). The focus of degree programmes at all three levels and the implementation of research activities are closely linked to the five main themes that – in line with the main European and global challenges – we address at the faculty.

These include in particular the concept of sustainable agriculture, the application of modern genetic and biotechnological techniques for assessing and improving the potential of agricultural plants and animals, the assessment of the impact of farming on the environment and the design of sustainable landscape measures, the production of quality agricultural raw materials and food in the sense of food security and sustainable development, and the application of modern techniques and technologies as seen by Agriculture 4.0.

Most of the research projects conducted at FAT are of an applied nature, carried out in close cooperation with private companies or state administration bodies and thus respond to the needs of the application sphere. Examples include projects focused on testing environmentally friendly technologies for growing and protecting field and garden plants, proposals for solutions in the field of livestock welfare, or projects focused on the use of organic-mineral fertilisers (manure or from the processing of agricultural products), valorisation of oilseed extracts and the extraction of natural antioxidants from plant waste – all within the concept of circular economy and zero waste production. Other prominent examples are projects aimed at using ‘smart’ technologies in agriculture. These include cooperation in the development of an autonomous robotic platform for growing field crops and vegetables, the application of digital image analysis for monitoring farmed animals, or the use of drones to assess the growth, agronomic and yield characteristics of cultivated field crops, or as a humanitarian mission to save deer from grain harvesters.

In addition to the implementation of accredited degree programmes, FAT is involved in a number of courses and specialised training activities. An example is the opening of an international training centre for robotic milking with DeLaval. FAT USB is one of the leading institutions in the country involved in the implementation of the European concept of social farming, whose main objective is not only to own farming but also to create jobs and offer training courses and therapies for the disabled and socially disadvantaged.

In its role as an employer, FAT takes a socially responsible approach based on a team concept. This includes, on the one hand, the inclusion of the disadvantaged in work teams but also the support for young promising academics and talented students.