Report
Planetary Health Summer School Report
Monday
22.09.2025
The summer school “Planetary Health – Literacy, Communication, and Lobbying” at the University of Bayreuth started on Monday 22 September 2025 with great anticipation as our 18 participants from all over Germany made their way to the RW1 building room S59 for the registration and onboarding session. This was followed by a “welcome and introduction to planetary health” session by Carmen Jochem (Professor at the Chair of Planetary & Public Health, University of Bayreuth) where participants got an overview of the lined-up activities for the summer school. Gunda Waldmann (Research Assistant at the Chair of Planetary & Public Health, University of Bayreuth) rounded up this introductory session with an interesting Picasso activity where participants drew each other based on information about their neighbor.
Lydia Reismann (Research Assistant at the Chair of Planetary & Public Health, University of Bayreuth) took over the afternoon session on behalf of Prof. IIona Kickbusch (Founder of the Global Health Center, Switzerland), by sharing insights on Planetary Health Literacy/ Digital Misinformation where we looked at planetary health literacy in terms of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA). This led to important questions like: What transformative skills are important in the VUCA era? What literacy, skills and competencies are important for me in my current situation and phase of life?
The project management session by Katja Bühlmeyer (Research assistant, IMG, University of Bayreuth) set the tone for the final project idea presentation for the last day of the summer school. She addressed key criteria for a transformative project idea such as relevance, practicability, innovation, impact and clarity. Participants were also invited to create personas and define their project goal (SMART), in a classroom exercise after which she expanded on some creative methods for solving a problem.
The first day of the planetary health summer school ended at an all-time high as some students of the Environment, Climate Change and Health master's programme, Nathaniel Kennedy and Chioma Cynthia Ozuluoha, presented a poster on Climate change and Health within the USA and Nigeria context respectively.
Tuesday
23.09.2025
We were ushered into the second day with a Keynote on Co-Benefits of healthy and sustainable diets & food systems by Klara Otto (Research associate in the Department of Business and Information Sciences at Merseburg University of Applied Sciences) where she delved into the health, environmental and socio-economic benefits of sustainable food systems. Participants learnt about current practices of sustainable agriculture and how to produce sustainably. Katharina van Bronswijk (Psychiatrist) from Psychologists for Future brought a psychological perspective on facts and perceptive of the planetary crises.
After the lunch break, Mirna Al Masri (research assistant at the Chair of Planetary & Public Health in University of Bayreuth) of the UBT Green talks shared her journey from being a participant at the Regensburg planetary health summer school to starting a YouTube series on green talks at the University of Bayreuth as her own transformative planetary health idea. The session ended with interesting questions and engagement from the participants after which they began to work on their own project ideas during the individual working time.
Romina Lörzing (Research assistant, IMG, University of Bayreuth) opened discussions on “What do we need for the promotion of sustainability skills and competencies?” while highlighting sustainability competencies like systems thinking, anticipatory thinking, critical thinking and analysis and so on. This was followed by a breakout session where participants were asked to discuss and decide which approaches are effective or not for promoting sustainability competencies from a list of pedagogical approaches. Day 2 ended with a communal dinner where participants unwound with a tasty vegan menu and great company while creating an atmosphere for networking.
Wednesday
24.09.2025
Wednesday morning began with an insightful lecture by Dorothea Baltruks (director of CPHP) from the Center for Planetary Health Policy on the commercial determinants of planetary health. She discussed how major industries, such as automotive, food, aviation, and tobacco, impact both environmental and human health, emphasizing the powerful role of commercial interests in shaping global outcomes. The session concluded with reflections on how policy and regulation can be used to mitigate these influences and promote healthier, more sustainable systems.
The next speaker, Prof. Wilm Quentin (Professor at the Chair of Planetary & Public Health, University of Bayreuth), joined online to present on the fossil fuel impact of health care delivery, highlighting how energy consumption, transportation, and supply chains contribute to the sector’s carbon footprint. His presentation was followed by a workshop facilitated by Chioma Cynthia Ozuluoha, where participants engaged in a role-play exercise to explore ways to reduce emissions from food delivery in hospitals from the perspectives of different stakeholders involved.
After lunch, participants were introduced to project pitching techniques by Lydia Reismann. The session combined theory with practice, allowing participants to develop and deliver short project pitches in small groups and receive constructive feedback from their peers. Following this activity, participants continued working independently on their project development, with the opportunity to seek guidance and feedback from the summer school’s organizing team.
In the afternoon, participants took part in excursions, choosing between two thematic options. Option A was the BNE-Tour — a guided walk focused on Education for Sustainable Development in Bayreuth. This group visited various local initiatives promoting sustainability, such as TransitionHaus, Lemon Tree, and Weltladen Bayreuth etc., learning how different stakeholders are developing innovative and environmentally friendly solutions to urban challenges. The second option offered a Climate Tour of Bayreuth, where participants explored the city’s history, architecture, and urban development.
Thursday
25.09.2025
On Thursday, the day began with a Constructive Climate Communication Workshop led by Anna Gaul (PhD student at the Munich Science Communication Lab at the LMU) from the Munich Science Communication Lab. The session combined a brief theoretical introduction with hands-on group activities. Participants first read one of two selected articles and then discussed in class how each illustrated different communication perspectives. Afterwards, they worked in smaller groups to design a communication plan for promoting and spreading planetary health literacy, focusing on identifying the most effective target audiences, messaging strategies, language, and examples to engage the public and achieve real, tangible results.
Claudia Quitmann (Postdoctoral researcher at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health) joined our summer school online to talk about Climate-sensitive health counselling. She explained how healthcare workers can reach out to patients to raise awareness about climate and health, and inspire positive changes toward more sustainable lifestyles.
The final guest lecture was delivered by Prof. Dr. Petra Jansen (Professor at the University of Regensburg in Institute of Sport Science), who spoke on Mindfulness and Sustainability. She introduced key theories and models linking mindfulness to sustainable behavior and attitudes, exploring how greater self-awareness can foster more environmentally responsible actions. The session concluded with a discussion of case studies and key findings.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions, Mirna’s mindfulness walk was replaced with a creative drawing session, where participants were encouraged to illustrate their projects through art. Although the format had to be adjusted, the session turned out to be engaging and reflective, with participants sharing their positive experiences and creative results at the end.
Friday
25.09.2025
The final day was dedicated to project presentations and a feedback session moderated by Romina, with additional comments provided by Mirna and Lydia. The day concluded with a group discussion reflecting on the positive aspects of the summer school and identifying areas for improvement to enhance future editions of the program. The final day’s activities concluded on time, and participants were informed that they would receive their certificates online.