One year of USI House of Sustainability: the interview

To celebrate the first anniversary of the House of Sustainability of Università della Svizzera italiana in Airolo, Corriere del Ticino interviewed Cristina Gianella, the facility's coordinator, who reflected on the first year of operations.

The House of Sustainability opened its doors on 21 March 2024 with the aim of promoting a culture of sustainable development. During its first year of activity, as Cristina Gianella recalled, it has welcomed students from USI, but also school classes, researchers and village associations: "The interest in our activities is extremely high, exceeding our expectations. We are very pleased with how this first year went," commented the coordinator.

The Alpine seminars, offered to USI students, provide a "transformative and transversal" learning experience. They served as "a platform for students from various faculties at USI to come together, collaborate, and exchange their diverse perspectives and ideas. This was our main mission, and I must say that it was very well received," explained Cristina Gianella.

A further peculiarity of the seminars offered by the House of Sustainability, particularly appreciated by the students, are the outdoor activities that are an integral part of the programme: "This winter, we found that snowshoes were our best friends as we explored various hikes in the Leventina region. Additionally, with many students arriving from abroad, walking in the snow was a new experience for many of them," recalled the coordinator.

As mentioned, the university students were not the only visitors to the House: "In addition to the training, we also have the service of L'ideatorio, which takes care of schools and also offers visits to the astronomical planetarium. With this in mind, we were very pleased to welcome several school groups with pupils ranging from kindergarten to high school. More generally, almost 3,000 people have participated in activities since we opened, with even 1,500 overnight stays."

The facility in Airolo also collaborates with the region: "We have organised several public events, and this has led to synergies and collaborations with other organisations already working in the area, such as the Dazio Grande and the Cinema Leventina."

As Cristina Gianella explained, the choice of Airolo as the location for the House was no coincidence: "What we found here in Alta Leventina was a favourable setting. Additionally, the Gotthard construction site is conveniently located nearby. This site is a concrete example of the balance and dialogue between humanity and nature. Furthermore, we have access to numerous topics and examples related to nature, biodiversity, and various energy production systems."

Within the context of USI, the Airolo campus plays a central role in studying these topics, as the House Coordinator emphasises: "Our university campus does not have a scientific centre, and we lack a Faculty of Biology, for instance. Therefore, our role is to unite various areas of knowledge to foster ongoing discussions about these issues. By bringing together diverse perspectives, we can develop the awareness necessary to tackle sustainability challenges, as these issues affect everyone."

The complete interview with Cristina Gianella by Corriere del Ticino, is available at the following link. (Italian only)