The Sustainability Stories exhibition opens at ZCOM, Hoyerswerda. Through powerful visuals, it invites reflection on climate adaptation, human resilience, and international cooperation. Visit until March!
The “Sustainability Stories” exhibition has arrived in Hoyerswerda, a city in Lusatia, a region undergoing structural transformation. As discussions about sustainability, community resilience, and global interconnectedness take centre stage, this exhibition—organized by UNU-FLORES in collaboration with Technische Sammlungen Dresden—serves as a timely reminder of our shared responsibility for a just and sustainable future. Through powerful images and narratives from around the world, it highlights human resilience in the face of climate change, conflict, and social upheaval, offering a vision of hope and cooperation over division and fear.
Climate change and resource scarcity are no longer distant issues—they are shaping the world around us, demanding global cooperation rather than isolation. Sustainability is not just about the environment; it is also about social justice, economic stability, and peace. The exhibition brings together compelling examples that illustrate the urgent need for global cooperation in addressing these sustainability challenges.
The stories showcased in the exhibition—from the harsh conditions on landfill sites in Bangladesh to hydroponics for sustainable food production in the Philippines—demonstrate that sustainability is a path to resilience. The Bangladesh case, where people, including children, scavenge through waste to survive, highlights the pressing need for better waste management and environmental justice. Innovative hydroponic farming in the Philippines demonstrates how modern, sustainable agriculture can provide food security amid climate change. These individuals are not just victims of crises; they are leaders in adaptation, proving that solutions can emerge even in the most challenging circumstances. Their experiences challenge us to rethink our role in shaping a future that leaves no one behind.
Hoyerswerda, once a thriving industrial hub in the former East Germany, has undergone dramatic changes in recent decades. Economic decline and demographic shifts have made it one of Germany’s fastest-shrinking cities (Ringel 2018). By bringing stories from across the globe to a place grappling with its own transformations, the exhibition encourages reflection and dialogue. How can communities adapt to change? What role does sustainability play in building a more inclusive future?
Join the Conversation: Visit the Exhibition
Sustainability Stories is now open at ZCOM (Zuse-Computer-Museum) in Hoyerswerda until the end of March, offering a unique opportunity to engage with powerful visual narratives on sustainability and resilience. Visitors are invited to reflect, discuss, and take action because sustainability is about people, communities, and the future we create together. In a moment when polarisation is rising, this exhibition stands as a peaceful yet powerful response, reminding us that our greatest challenges can only be overcome together.
Listen to Sustainability Stories project manager Atiqah Fairuz Salleh and Associate Sustainability Officer Juliane Dziumla discuss the topic with Sarah Stötzner on the #WHY Smalltalk podcast. Available now on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music.
Learn more about the Sustainability Stories 2.0 initiative here.
Suggested citation: "Stories of Sustainability in a Time of Structural Transformation," United Nations University, UNU-FLORES, 2025-02-22, https://unu.edu/flores/article/stories-sustainability-time-structural-transformation.
