In 2012, Professor Günter Koch founded the Humboldt Cosmos Multiversity (HCM) in the north of Tenerife. The aim was and is to provide a platform for studies and discussions on the future of the Canary Islands, where interested islanders and external guests can meet in person and virtually. For nine years, HCM has been running an annual sustainability boot camp in cooperation with the local Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) with students from mainland Europe.
The aim is to learn about the current situation in terms of sustainability at Tenerife companies and to develop new ideas for their sustainability strategies. This annual project began as a collaboration between the HCM and the German University of Kempten under Prof. Andreas Müller.
However, interest from other European universities has grown year after year, and this year 31 students from universities in five European countries, together with their professors, were able to participate in the week-long intensive work with six companies in Tenerife, financed by the ERASMUS programme.
These six companies, which took a lot of time to talk to the young researchers, who were divided into six groups, are: The Loro Parque Foundation, the Hotel Tigaiga, the water treatment company Balten, the water purification company Tagua, the water supply company TeideAgua and the island’s high-tech star, the semiconductor company Wooptix, whose CEO José Manuel Ramos was personally involved and also sponsored the closing buffet. The six student groups were deliberately put together according to national origin, the level of their respective educational progress – from bachelor’s to doctoral students – and the specific skills their participants could contribute.
These came from leading universities in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Lithuania and Albania, which in turn are part of a European university network called STARS EU, in which the University of La Laguna (ULL) plays a significant role, represented at the Bootcamp by the eloquent Professor Rodrigo Trujillo.
The entire project will run in virtual mode for three months, culminating in a working week in real mode in Tenerife. The opening on 10 November was already a highlight, as it took place on the same day as the opening of the UN Climate Change Conference ‘COP 30’ in Brazil, and a video link could be established between the ULL and one of the COP sub-conferences taking place in Brazil.
The importance of the sustainability boot camp was also underlined by the presence and speech of the rector of the ULL, Francisco Javier García Rodríguez – see picture.
On Friday, 14 November, the results of the six working groups were presented for the first time in an impressive manner in the presence of representatives from the companies involved. By the end of the year, the project results will be available in a written report – HCM will report on the results once available.
It is true that what has been ‘invented’ in and for Tenerife in terms of sustainability projects can also serve as models for other regions in Europe and around the world – especially for islands.
