Lonka Project

The Lonka Project was initiated by Rina Castelnuovo and Jim Hollander in Jerusalem as a tribute to Rina’s mother, Dr. Eleonore Nass (1926 – 2018), affectionately known as “Lonka” to everyone. As a teenage girl, Lonka survived five Nazi concentration camps and represents the vitality of the survivors.

The Lonka Project is a photographic tribute to the last Holocaust survivors around the globe. Since 2019, more than 300 professional photographers, many world leaders in their respective fields, volunteered their talent not only to capture the human subject artistically, but also to draw lessons and serve as memory keepers for tomorrow’s generations who will never know a Holocaust survivor.

For the participating survivors who generously opened their homes and hearts to the photographers, The Lonka Project carries their global message for tolerance, humanity and compassion in a world not rid of antisemitism and ethnic hatred.

The rhythms of life do not mitigate the horrors of the past, yet the survivors continue to stand as a symbol of optimism. Their portraits and stories celebrate their resilience and their power to live in a context that makes a unique, diverse and memorable statement about their lives.

We participating photographers believe it is our duty to shine a spotlight on the last living witnesses of the Holocaust because truth cannot be defeated.

Exhibited in Zurich are the portraits photographed by: Rina Castelnuovo & Jim ­Hollander, Tsafir Abayov, Eli Reed, Steve McCurry, Bea Bar Kallos, Roger ­Ballen, Ziv Koren, Stuart Franklin, Lois Lammerhuber, Brent Stirton, Peter DeJong, ­Patrick Zachmann, Gilles Peress, Alfred Yaghobzadeh, Alec Soth and Peter Turnley.

Merging expertise across science and society

The Transdisciplinarity Lab (TdLab) was established a decade ago to connect science and society for sustainable development. The team comprises 18 individuals from diverse backgrounds in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. TdLab facilitates research and education that tackles sustainability challenges by merging expertise from various scientific domains and societal sectors. They offer platforms for collaboration in both research and education and provide services to assist other ETH groups in their transdisciplinary endeavors.

Transdisciplinarity

Transdisciplinarity involves bringing together experts from various fields of science and practice to address challenges in a comprehensive manner. This approach is especially crucial for sustainability, where partnerships are needed to tackle issues effectively.

TdLab’s research goes beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries and involves close collaboration with societal partners. They develop transdisciplinary methods and theories in some projects while applying transdisciplinary research in specific areas. Their topics are driven by societal concerns, such as balancing biodiversity and the energy transition, academic air travel, energy communities, and Swiss railway station development.

Inclusive participation

Transdisciplinary research and teaching enable inclusive participation and contributions towards sustainable development. The SDGs are crucial for the planet’s future, and it is essential for everyone to address them. Partnerships are necessary to unite diverse sectors and leverage their unique perspectives, skills, experiences, and expertise.

“We firmly believe that our collective and individual actions are vital for creating a sustainable future.”

Prof. Dr. Michael Stauffacher and Prof. Dr. Christian Pohl, Co-​Directors of the Transdisciplinarity Lab (TdLab) at ETH Zurich

Working with industry for sustainable solutions

The Sustainability in Business Lab (sus.lab) is part of the Group of Sustainability and Technology within the Department of Management, Technology, and Economics of ETH Zurich. It was founded in 2016 out of the need to bring sustainability research into the real world much faster.

Bridging academia with industry

sus.lab works on industry-​related projects in collaboration with industry, policymakers, and academia, mostly in a think-​and-do-tank function. Their overall mission is to drive the transition towards a net-​zero and circular economy.

Because sus.lab bridges academia with industry, it is able to understand fundamental industry gaps and successfully close them based on the latest research, while considering the business and policy context as well as societal needs. In their function, sus.lab often are a coordinator and facilitator between the different actors of an ecosystem and apply a systemic view to the challenges they are aiming to solve.

Facing tradeoffs

Society feels overwhelmed with climate protection pushes in different directions. sus.lab believes it becomes increasingly important to identify comprehensive solutions to ensure a smooth transition to net zero without depleting resources.

In this context, dealing with tradeoffs is extremely challenging, as different stakeholders pursue different interests. To manage these tradeoffs effectively, it is of utmost importance to establish strong partnerships, collaborations, and cooperation, both vertically along the value chain, horizontally across topics and sectors, and geographically. This comprehensive approach can show us how to complement each other’s strengths and can lead us towards finding viable solutions for a sustainable future.

“Ultimately, we strive to bring the relevant stakeholders together to find comprehensive solutions and achieve real-​world impact.”

Oliver Akeret, sus.lab Co-​Lead

A ‘living lab’ for sustainability across ETH Zürich

Sustainability has a long tradition at ETH Zurich, not only in research and education but in all aspects of university life. The university’s comprehensive approach to sustainability, which encompasses environmental, social, and economic dimensions, is guiding its strategic development in the core areas of research, education, campus operations and dialogue with society.

Transformations for sustainability

Committed to focusing on the world’s most urgent problems, ETH Zurich’s researchers and lecturers are working together with collaborators and partners to make progress towards sustainable development. This work is underway both at the department level and in specialised interdisciplinary research networks or Competence Centres, among them the Word Food System Centre or ETH for Development (see Competence Centres URL).

As an institution and employer, ETH Zurich aims to provide a participatory, respectful, and diverse working environment. The campus serves as a ‘living lab’ to develop and implement pioneering solutions for sustainable development, such as the initiatives ETH Net Zero, Accessibility and Respect, which address all dimensions of sustainability.

Dialogue and partnerships

ETH Zurich is also involved actively in promoting sustainable development through its innovation ecosystem, which brings together science, business development, industry and the public sector, as well as through public debates and advice. It provides valuable services for government authorities at federal, cantonal or community levels, by providing expertise to inform policy and decision-​making based on scientific evidence and facts.

“For institutions with a high reputation like ETH Zurich, it is important today to ‘walk the talk’ in sustainability. With ambitious research and study programmes as well as a solid organisational understanding with evidence of what works and what does not work, we are carefully navigating the sustainability challenges at multiple levels.”

Dr. Claudia Zingerli, Head ETH Sustainability