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The teaching component is widely lacking in the discussion of real-world laboratories. We introduce a sustainability learning lab, where students both profit from this platform and also contribute to the success of the lab.In the discussion of real-world laboratories, the teaching component is widely lacking. We address this by introducing a prototype of a sustainability learning lab (SLL) in the global South using a case study of the Seychelles as an example. In 2015 the Transdisciplinarity Lab (TdLab) of ETH Zurich initiated a long-term collaboration with the University of Seychelles (UniSey) and the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (MEECC). Teaching activities include transdisciplinary case studies (tdCS) for students from UniSey and ETH, alternated with courses for UniSey only. BSc and MSc theses as well as internships complement these. In 2016 the TdLab, UniSey and MEECC jointly decided to focus on solid waste in a tdCS that engaged 18 ETH and 18 UniSey students with diverse backgrounds. This collaborative approach in a real-world setting with students from different cultures and engaging with a broad range of stakeholders is promising. Students managed to bring novel observations and insights to the surface. Thus, students both profit from this learning platform and also contribute substantially to the further development of the SLL.

While the goal of transdisciplinary research is to be relevant to society, specific instructions for accomplishing this remain implicit. We propose to improve this situation by means of a 10-step approach aimed at stimulating explicit reflections around ways to render research more societally relevant.Today, there is an increasing need for researchers to demonstrate the practical value their research can generate for society. Over the past decade, experts in transdisciplinary research have developed numerous principles, methods, and tools for making research more societally relevant. If researchers are unfamiliar with transdisciplinary research, they may miss opportunities to adapt these principles and tools to their research projects. We are developing a 10-step approach for joint use by transdisciplinarity experts and researchers about how to best align their research projects with the requirements of transdisciplinarity. We have successfully applied this approach in numerous workshops, summer schools, and seminars at ETH Zurich and beyond. Ten questions guide discussions between transdisciplinarity experts and researchers around research issues, identify and review the societal problems addressed, identify relevant actors and disciplines, and clarify the purpose and form of the interaction with them. The feedback we have obtained clearly indicates that the 10-step approach is a very useful tool: It provides a systematic procedure for thinking through ways to better link research to societal problem solving.

In 2005, approximately ten percent of the total farmland was being used for organic farming in Switzerland. Numerous studies have investigated the effects of organic farming on aspects such as soil and biodiversity. But what effect does organic farming have on the landscape? This study answers this question by comparing different farms, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. A statistical analysis was made on data gathered from farms in Canton Zurich, including 300 farms that used conventional methods of agriculture, 130 farms using bioorganic methods and ten farms utilising biodynamic production. The qualitative approach comprised the mapping of six farms for reference, to record the exact setting of the farmed areas and, in particular, to identify the ecological compensation areas in the landscape. The results from the quantitative and qualitative investigations of the farms are illustrated by fictive landscapes. Referring to the three different cultivation methods, only slightly visible differences in the landscape can be ascertained. Nevertheless, with more organic farms the intensively used agrarian landscape would be richer in ecological compensation areas and be enhanced with more hedges and high-stem fruit trees.

SAGUF is engaged in a winter school aimed at enabling PhD students to successfully work at the science-society interface. The winter school integrates theoretical reflection with practical experiences.

Gesellschaftliche Akteure verfügen über unterschiedliches Wissen, je nachdem, ob sie aus der Politik, der Wirtschaft oder der Zivilgesellschaft kommen. Transdisziplinäre Umweltforschung muss dies bei der Auswahl der Projektteilnehmer(innen) berücksichtigen.

Der Studiengang Umweltnaturwissenschaften an der ETH Zürich wurde mit einer Delphi-Studie überprüft. Die inhaltliche Breite mit der fachlichen Grundausbildung in den Naturwissenschaften und den Sozial- und Geisteswissenschaften ist noch immer gefragt als Voraussetzung für den Umgang mit komplexen Systemen und für vernetztes Denken

Die Energiewende kostet nicht nur, sie eröffnet auch neue Chancen: Innovationen, die unter anderem helfen, dass die Transformation des Energiesystems bezahlbar bleibt. Um die Innovationswirkung der Energiewende umfassend zu bewerten, gilt es allerdings, nicht allein technische Neuerungen, sondern vor allem auch deren (effiziente) Nutzung zu berücksichtigen.

Die Forschung zu Nanotechnologie ist ausgesprochen inter- und transdisziplinär angelegt. Damit steht dieser Bereich vor neuen Herausforderungen, die es zu meistern gilt. Wie kann das Potenzial dieser Technologie zum Wohle der Gesellschaft genutzt werden?