Sustainability Transformation Conference 2025 | Umweltbundesamt

“Transformation and Irritation: Sustainability and Culture in Times of Radical Change”

Venue dbb Forum Berlin, 20th of March, 2025, 9:00-19:00 CET (in person event)

National and international experts will discuss interactions between environmental, sustainability and cultural policies in times of change. A new awareness for cultural questions of sustainability is needed in both the cultural and environmental sectors.

A culture of sustainability must be rooted in individual mindsets, institutional practices and societal structures to drive cultural change and accelerate the transformation towards sustainability. Challenges and disruptions are not always obstacles; they can serve as critical moments to reassess and refine previous approaches. Constructive and even challenging dialogues are therefore essential to foster meaningful collaboration between the sustainability community, the cultural sector and other key stakeholders.

This conference focusses on the cultural dimension of environmental and sustainability policies, as well as the sustainability dimension of cultural policies. With partners from the environmental and the cultural sector, we interactively address the interactions and irritations between environmental protection, culture and technological innovation.

From a transformative perspective, 'culture' has two different meanings:

• As a set of shared values and norms through which people perceive and respond to their environment, and
• as the practice of culture through cultural production and participation.

The significance of culture and cultural and societal change for sustainability transformations is key in this context.

We look forward to fruitful discussions with valuable insights to actively contribute to sustainability and culture in times of radical change.

The conference is an in-person meeting in Berlin.
Click here for more details and registration.