kultur.nachhaltig.leben. (culture.sustainable.living.)

In the face of climate crisis, increasing social divisions and global warfare, we are concerned in many ways with a livable and sustainable coexistence of people in harmony with nature. It is becoming in-creasingly important to think beyond existing systems that only function to a limited extent and to approach new, creative ways of social interaction.

Through recent research, there is growing recognition that the impact of cultural heritage and cultural practices on regions and local people has not only economic but also far-reaching social, environmental and cultural dimensions.

We cordially invite educational partners, cultural practitioners, decision-makers and interested parties to the conference for a joint exchange. We will shed light on the practical significance of art and culture as fundamental pillars of social development and enter into dialogue with Viennese actors and creators whose work is already dedicated to the interrelationship between culture (heritage) and sustainability.

Review

Creator’s Campaign

Austrian Guides for Future Teil 2/3:

https://youtube.com/shorts/gKDys0JvjJk?si=CowbKOtj4MiO29x8

MILA Mitmach Supermarkt 3/3:

https://youtube.com/shorts/UktIdKkl0ks?feature=share

When & Where

Wednesday, 22 November 2023, 09:30 – 15:30 (Arrival & Coffee from 09:00)
MuseumsQuartier Wien (Raum D), Museumsplatz 1, A-1070 Wien

Free entry! Registration requested: registration(at)educult.at

Programme

09:00 – 09:30 ARRIVAL

with coffee & snacks

09:30 – 10:00 WELCOME

Bettina Leidl (MuseumsQuartier Wien, tbc), Martin Fritz (Austrian Commission for UNESCO), Aron Weigl (EDUCULT)

10:00 – 11:00 KEYNOTE CONVERSATION

on the importance of sustainability in cultural heritage and how cultural heritage plays out in a holistic approach to sustainability.
Barbara Neundlinger (cultural manager, sustainability manager) and Mariama de Brito Henn (University of Vienna) in conversation with Martin Fritz (moderator)

11:00 – 11:45 PANEL PARADE

The keyword “sustainability” will be discussed with creators (Austrian Guides for Future, MILA Mitmach Supermarkt & Reworked) and their video contributions on the question “What can cultural heritage contribute to sustainable development in our society?” together with Angela Wieser (FFG – Austrian Research Promotion Agency) (moderated by EDUCULT).

11:45 – 12:45 LUNCH BREAK

with buffet

12:45 – 14:15 WORKING GROUPS

with the creators and other invited participants (D/Arts, IG Kultur, Umweltzeichen, Fridays for Future etc.) (Moderation EDUCULT)

• Identity and heritage
• Work, prosperity and heritage
• Quality of life and heritage

14:15 – 14:45 IMPRESSIONS

from the groups

14:45 – 15:30 NETWORKING

with coffee & snacks

Background

The research project

In the Horizon 2020 project “Social Platform for Holistic Heritage Impact Assessment” (SoPHIA), EDUCULT together with partner institutions from Italy, Greece, Croatia, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain researched the social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts of cultural heritage interventions and developed the SoPHIA model to illustrate the results as well as a toolkit to help cultural heritage stakeholders implement the model.

Comprehensive policy briefs on the above dimensions, guidelines for an action plan for future action on cultural heritage impact assessment, and an analysis of the research agenda and research needs in the field of impact assessment in Europe have been produced for policy makers.

The main publications on SoPHIA are listed in the download section of this page.

A holistic concept of sustainability

The research project defined six main areas that need to be considered when discussing the sustainable dimension of cultural heritage. These areas include issues of quality of life, identity of place, social capital and governance, labour and prosperity, education and innovation, and conservation. A key finding from this research is that a holistic understanding of sustainability goes beyond the often discussed aspects of climate and environmental protection. The cultural aspects of sustainability can be made visible in particular through a closer look at cultural heritage sites, but also through concrete interventions.

Communicating SoPHIA

The follow-up project “Spreading SoPHIA”, funded by the Vienna Business Agency, has aimed in re-cent months to draw attention to the connections between culture, cultural heritage and ecological, economic, social and cultural sustainability and to encourage people to include these dimensions in their activities and considerations. This serves to ensure that a broad section of the population be-nefits from this research result through holistic sustainable education/culture and policy-making.

In addition to a social media campaign, the communication project included workshops with different target groups (school classes, institutions with the Austrian Eco-label, Europa Nostra Austria, Danube University Krems) as well as participatory formats with stakeholders (decision-makers, students, etc.) to collect practical experiences.