Sustainability week 2026

Student Food Forest – Planting and discovering together
In the afternoon, we head outdoors for the Student Food Forest. Together with students from various student associations, we contribute to the further development of this green space on campus. The initiative was started and is managed by UCLL, who opens this space to the entire campus community, including UHasselt students.

The food forest is still developing and is gradually becoming a place where nature, food production, and social interaction come together. In December 2024, a first step was taken with the planting of fruit trees, berry bushes and wild strawberries. During this day, we continue this work and plant new trees together, further strengthening and expanding the forest.

It is also an invitation to discover a place on campus that remains hidden for many, and to reflect together on the role of biodiversity and local food production within a university environment.

Feel free to join and discover the food forest together with the student associations on Monday the 27th of April.

Location: between the S building (UCLL) and Basic Fit, Campus Diepenbeek.

Since this academic year, a biodiversity working group has been launched at UHasselt, bringing together members of the facility services, researchers and lecturers from WET-BIO/CMK and ARK/ArcK, as well as Natuurpunt Diepenbeek, to explore how biodiversity on our campus can be strengthened.

In this context, an information session is organised on the construction project for the STEM-tower at UHasselt's campus in Diepenbeek. The project will be realised in two phases. The first phase will start soon, with the construction of the tower itself beginning in August 2026. In a later phase, starting from academic year 2028 to 2029, new greenhouse infrastructure and landscape development will be implemented. During the session, an overview of the project will be presented, and possible links with biodiversity in education and research will be explored.

The session offers space to become familiar with the project and encourages reflection on possible connections with educational and research activities, such as project work, bachelor’s or master’s theses, or research projects starting from the academic year 2026 to 2027. The aim is to involve students and researchers in exploring different aspects of strengthening biodiversity, both during the design and implementation of the greenhouse and landscape, such as what is present, what is needed and what is possible, and afterwards, including maintenance, use, objective monitoring and subjective perception of biodiversity. Ideas from a wide range of disciplines are welcome.

Practical: Monday 27 April at 12.30, room C23, Campus Diepenbeek.

Registration can be completed via this link.

Veggie Week runs all week. Discover a varied range of vegetarian dishes and experience how flavourful sustainable food can be. On Tuesday, additional tastings are provided in the student restaurants in Diepenbeek and Hasselt.

How do you keep control of your research data without everything continuing to accumulate? In this hands-on session, you actively work towards a more sustainable data landscape, with attention to smart selection, clear structure and thoughtful archiving. Under guidance, you work step by step on your own data, organising it in a clear and structured way. This not only creates greater clarity and structure but also contributes to more efficient, conscious data management.

Are you a researcher, PhD student, or staff member at UHasselt working with datasets that need structuring or cleaning? Then this session offers a practical and accessible starting point.

Practical: Tuesday 28 April from 13.00 to 15.00, room E141, Building D, Campus Diepenbeek. (activity in English) 

Registration can be completed via this link.

Have you heard of plajakken? While kayaking, we collect waste from the Albert Canal. The setting: a spring day, the water, a kayak and you. A relaxed activity with a direct impact on the environment.

Practical: Wednesday from 14.00 to 16.30, starting point VVW Hasselt, Simpernelstraat 2, 3500 Hasselt. Registration is required and places are limited.

Register via this link.

During this session, you will gain insight into three ongoing IOP projects within the sustainability project line, where education, research, and societal challenges come together.

You choose two projects and follow two short half-hour sessions. You can discover three different trajectories: S-EDU-CED by Nature, where outdoor spaces on and around campus are developed as learning environments and where new teaching and working methods are tested; DEUSS, which focuses on strengthening and evaluating sustainability competences through interdisciplinary collaboration with students and external partners; and an interfaculty trajectory on sustainable thinking and acting, aimed at integrating sustainability into the education of future scientists and engineers.

Each session demonstrates how sustainability is embedded in educational practices and how students and lecturers actively contribute to them. It offers space to exchange ideas, make connections and provide input, and invites reflection on how these approaches can also be applied in other programmes or projects.

Practical: Wednesday 29 April from 12.30 to 13.30, gathering near room C22, Building D, Campus Diepenbeek.

Registration can be completed via this link.

In this relay-style challenge, you’ll get actively involved in correctly sorting waste streams on campus. It’s a short and dynamic activity that combines speed and accuracy. Participants stand a chance of winning a small prize!

Thursday 30 April - Agora, Building D, Diepenbeek Campus - more information to follow shortly!

What is a Deep Time Walk?

A Deep Time Walk is a transformative journey through 4,6 billion years of Earth's history via a 4,6 km guided walk. It is an invitation to explore our connection to Earth, to change our perception of the world and to re-imagine our relationship with living ecosystems. 

The walk is a head-heart-body experience that combines science, movement and the sensations of connection with the richness of our ancestral heritage. 

By stepping back in time, we get a different perspective on our relationship with time and the more-than-human world, and we can better appreciate what's at stake.

What is the offer?

On Thursday, 30 April, we have a walk of 4,6 km during 3 hours (2 pm - 5 pm), with a group of max. 15 participants. We go back 4,6 billion years to the origin of Earth and literally walk step by step (every meter of our walk represents 1 million years of history) through the evolution of Earth as living organism.

As a certified facilitator of Deep Time Walks, Prof. Griet Verbeeck mapped out a walk that starts and ends at the main UHasselt building on campus Diepenbeek. Under her guidance, during the walk, we will reflect on important events in Earth's history, what these mean for us, and what we can do for Earth.

The only thing you need is a water bottle, walking shoes, being dressed for the weather, and an open mind.

Practical: Thursday 30 April from 14.00 to 17.00, gathering near the reception of Building D, Campus Diepenbeek. (activity in English)
Registration can be completed via this link.

During this day, students from the educational master’s programmes at UHasselt organise an extensive programme on sustainability and global citizenship for secondary school pupils. Around 300 pupils from different study tracks in the final years of secondary education take part in a series of interactive workshops. These are developed and facilitated by students from various disciplines, including economics, health sciences, science and technology, design, mobility and social sciences, creating a broad and interdisciplinary programme.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form the basis of the workshops, in which pupils are encouraged to explore current sustainability challenges from different perspectives. At the same time, we continue to build a structured collaboration with secondary schools, with a focus on engagement, exchange and the strengthening of sustainability and global citizenship competences.

Practical: Thursday 30 April from 8.30 to 15.30, Campus Diepenbeek.

During Sustainability Week, you can not only participate in activities on campus, but also explore sustainability independently via the online learning platform GoodHabitz.

Several modules are available that you can follow at your own pace, such as Naturally Sustainable and Sustainable Entrepreneurship. These courses offer practical insights and tools to integrate sustainability into your work and daily life.