Prof. dr hab. inż. Adriana Zaleska-Medynska, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Environmental Technology, Photocatalysis Laboratory
Professor, considering your research interests and your scientific achievements, please tell me how you understand sustainable development.
I understand sustainable development as meeting our needs as a society sustainably. I believe that the use of raw materials, the use of the natural environment, as well as emissions of pollutants into the natural environment and the generation/management of waste should be done in such a way as to enable future generations also to meet their needs. My understanding of sustainable development results, among other things, from the fact that I am a chemist and technologist – I work at the Department of Environmental Technology – and I look at sustainable development through the prism of technological processes that affect the environment.
How is the concept of sustainable development reflected in your activities?
Virtually all the scientific research we conduct is focused on technologies that we can call “clean” or environmentally friendly. Our activities include developing technologies that, for example, allow for air purification, i.e., on the one hand, we try to remove pollutants and, on the other hand, reduce their emission into the environment. The other important element of our work is related to renewable energy or clean energy. This direction includes research into new materials, including those for generating hydrogen, which is a clean energy carrier. We work on technologies that will use solar energy and water, i.e., available renewable energy and water, of which we have a lot on the earth’s surface, to produce hydrogen. The combustion of hydrogen produces energy by regenerating water molecules. We also work on technologies for the photoconversion of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere) to recreate hydrocarbons again as fuel, let’s say, renewable or produced using environmentally friendly technology. This process is called “artificial photosynthesis” because in the laboratory we try to recreate the processes that occur in green plants. Some of our tasks are also aimed at removing contaminants from the aqueous phase, i.e., water and sewage. To sum up, all our work focuses on working out solutions aimed at improving the quality of the environment by developing technologies to reduce emissions of pollutants into the environment or technologies eliminating or removing pollutants that have already been introduced into it.
So, these are activities aimed at developing new technologies for specific goals. Is this how you support and work towards the sustainable development goals – working on these new technologies?
Absolutely. On the one hand, these are innovative technologies, and on the other hand, technologies that improve the quality of the environment, but also through the environment – the quality of our life, because in my opinion the quality of our life and our health is related to the quality of the environment, we live in.
And if I asked about the other side of your work because I assume that you also teach at the university, what would you tell us about your activities from this perspective?
Teaching activities are almost always related to scientific activities. Therefore, what we do in the laboratory, and what we work on, is discussed with the students. We try to involve young people in research work carried out by our team. Thanks to this, students have an opportunity to conduct research on innovative technologies that can be used to improve the quality of the environment, in addition, many of the classes we teach are strictly aimed at familiarising students with environmental remediation technologies or methods of generating renewable energy. When conveying knowledge about technologies and the chemical industry, we pay attention to sustainable development, from the stage of using raw materials, through the design of the chemical process, to the production of a product which, after all, at some point, after the end of its life, becomes waste. In our teaching work, we try to draw students’ attention to all these elements. In addition, students have an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of modern materials that are used, for example, to generate clean energy or to store energy.
Let’s go beyond the walls of the Faculty of Chemistry for a moment. I would like to ask you what actions regarding the SDG goals the University of Gdańsk should take.
I think that the university has many opportunities and even, in a sense, an obligation to take actions consistent with the sustainable development goals, which is particularly important for a chemist. The marine environment is crucial for our university because we are located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, therefore these are goals related to the quality of the sea and possibly ocean waters. In my opinion, actions related to the quality of air, other surface, and ground waters, as well as actions aimed at human health and our well-being are important. I believe that at the university, at the stage of teaching and spreading certain models, it is very important to instil awareness of equal access to both education and work for all genders. Implementing the SDG goals at universities involves not only challenges related to innovation or technologies but also challenges related to improving quality in all other areas: education, security, poverty reduction, and hunger. We, as a university, represent the entire spectrum of disciplines, hence our educational opportunities are very wide. I think it is important to consciously shape certain directions of work or research, but above all, the standards that we pass on to students and young people.
Let’s focus on models for a moment. Could you say more about your idea of standards? What can we do, for example as a group of academics, to inspire young people to move towards attaining the SDGs? Probably from very simple things to very complex ones, but please think about this issue for a moment.
In my opinion, the simplest model is our own behaviour. We can’t instil a certain thought if our actions don’t match what we say. If we, as academic teachers, show respect for other people, if we also respect the environment around us, if we promote a certain lifestyle that is compatible with the environment and is healthy, then I think that in this way we also provide role models. But our actions can’t be limited only to setting an example. Working directly with students is essential. Young people are open to new, interesting ideas. Working in scientific circles or on research projects allows them to develop certain passions, which we can direct into activities related to the sustainable development goals. At the same time, the strategy of the university as an institution is important. For example, we work and study at a campus that is green and where we can manage waste appropriately. There are also more and more activities that are focused on treating everyone equally and with respect. In my opinion, all these activities are an inspiration for young people.
And in the context of university infrastructure? Maybe you have interesting ideas? Of course, it would be great if we all protested plastic cutlery in university cafeterias, which may be operating in a limited way during the pandemic. What is missing at our university, what would be good if it appeared, and what would change our university into a more sustainable, green one?
I think that, first, it’s possible to use renewable energy, after all, we have a modern campus and we can use solar energy, heat pumps, or possibly wind energy to light or heat the infrastructure. On the one hand, we can introduce solutions that use renewable energy and, on the other hand, lead to lower energy losses.
We’ve already undertaken some of these activities. An example of this is recuperation, i.e., heat recovery in ventilation systems, which is used in most buildings. This may not be a spectacular action, but it is important from the perspective of energy balance and lower energy consumption in buildings. I think that we are not always able to introduce all technical innovations at a given university because it depends on the geographical location. There are areas where the use of solar energy, wind energy or some other type of energy will be justified to a smaller or greater extent, and we must also take this into account. We can’t use a technology just to show that such technology exists, its presence in each given place should also be justified. We should certainly perpetuate the practice of waste segregation, which is still a big problem in our society. At the University of Gdańsk, we have an opportunity to selectively collect selected groups of waste, and this is extremely important. There could also be containers for waste such as light bulbs or batteries. It seems to me that this is what is missing on campus and, in general, these are probably the least available containers in our region. Maybe it’s worth investing in containers where you can deposit expired medicines. This is another problem because expired or unused medicines often end up in municipal waste. An open campus, with such a system for collecting selected groups of waste, also available to the non-academic community would also be a very good model. Of course, it seems to be a great idea to promote the use of reusable tableware and cutlery in university canteens and cafeterias. And if disposable cutlery and tableware then those made of biodegradable materials. Currently, these materials are often too expensive, but we as a university should still try to promote such activities here. I think that it’s also possible to organise events addressed to children and young people at earlier stages of education, or to various social groups in general, to show these good habits, provide information related to them and thus instil them.
I think these are very simple actions, but at the same time very important, because society often encounters the problem of difficult access to places where specific groups of waste should be deposited. If we had this kind of opportunity at the university, it would be very educational for those around us as many people pass through the campus and perhaps this type of activity would make it even more open. What role do you think education and raising students’ awareness can play in achieving the goals of the agenda? Is this an important point?
This is probably one of the most important points because we say that existence determines consciousness, but we can also reverse this phrase. I think that consciousness defines existence, so it is important to raise this awareness. Education through hard knowledge and increasing knowledge in the field of technology and the impact of human activity on the environment. I’m talking about technologies because it is closest to me, but it can be knowledge, for example, in the field of social sciences, if we are talking about other sustainable development goals. And instilling good models during education, because our graduates will later be ambassadors of our university, they’ll spread the ideas that were inculcated into them within the walls of the academy. In recent years, I have noticed that our students – and I also work with young people in interdepartmental studies, during which we talk quite a lot about environmentally friendly technologies – are interested in what is currently happening on our planet and how our activities affect the state of the environment. In this context, I believe that our role is to show the problems we face, based on facts, not emotions, and to present solutions that allow us to use the resources of our planet in a sustainable way.
What main obstacles and challenges do you notice in connection with the goals of the 2030 agenda, where are the difficult points?
It seems to me that our own habits are the biggest obstacles. Therefore, I’m emphasising once again that it is worth instilling appropriate models at an early stage of education. This is the stage of life when we are most receptive and it’s easiest to instil new ideas. Another barrier is the reluctance to introduce changes. Therefore, in my opinion, the challenge is to provide information about the SDGs in such a way as to provoke reflection and willingness to change. When we observe certain changes in activities on a global scale, including the activities of industrial plants, we can see that they are enforced, for example, by financial penalty systems. For example, compliance with environmental pollution emission limits is most often not the result of a person’s worldview, but of the desire to avoid financial penalties. However, on a micro-scale, the reluctance to change our habits means that we don’t want to reach for something that is less convenient at that moment and forces us to change our habits. In my opinion, this is the greatest barrier and at the same time the greatest challenge for us to be able to reach the younger and older generations. I think that we can reach the younger ones through our students, to make them think, change their own habits and think in a global way, not only in a self-oriented way.
And when it comes to challenges, you have already linked them with barriers, would you like to add anything else?
I am, of course, leaving aside obstacles that are related to the development or implementation of some new technologies. These are barriers that we work to overcome as societies and sometimes they are not easy to cross. An example would be the use of renewable energy sources on a global scale – currently impossible. Hence, I would focus more on social challenges than technological ones, because the latter don’t seem to be a barrier but a problem to be solved, related to the current state of knowledge.
It’s just a matter of time.
Yes, in the case of technology it is a matter of time, but changing habits requires conscious work.
Finally, one thing is still interesting to me, because we are talking about the fact that technological challenges are a matter of time, and if we look at it differently, the sustainable development goals were created in Western Europe or in the Western world, if we categorise it this way, maybe incorrect these days. The SDGs were formulated in the Western world, and if we think about these developing countries and economies, what hurdles, and challenges can you see here, or is it just a matter of time, or do we need something else, something more?
It’s certainly the case that the implementation of certain technologies requires certain financial outlays, and we are not able to do it. If we look at countries and societies at different stages of development, once a society reaches a certain level of prosperity, it can focus on subsequent goals. Perhaps in our country, we should first meet the goals related to decent work or living conditions. Poverty is not such a general problem in our country, but it certainly occurs in certain regions or in certain social groups. We should face such problems first, and then it will be easier to face the more advanced ones. For example, those related to equal treatment.
Professor, it went very quickly, you are giving very precise answers, so maybe you would like to formulate a conclusion at the end.
Maybe not a conclusion, but a reflection. As an academic teacher of this generation, slightly above the average age, I have the following reflection: I have myself achieved many of the basic goals of sustainable development, reaching for positive models from young people. I’m talking about my own children and about university students, so the conclusion would be that not only can we teach students, but we can also, as the older generation, learn a lot from young people and I think we should learn from each other.
Interview by Irena Chawrilska, PhD.