Treasure found! UJEP celebrated sustainability
For the fourth time, the University took part in the European Sustainable Development Week (ESDW) with a number of events, this time from 1st to 9th October 2026. Students, staff and external visitors alike enjoyed the thrill of discovering a treasure, whether it was a small gift during the celebrations marking UJEP’s 35th anniversary or a new find from the university swap.
UJEP is committed to sustainability all year round, but ESDW is an annual highlight featuring several events for the university community and the wider public. In this way, we are joining in the celebrations of sustainability across the Czech Republic and Europe. As has become tradition, the university joined this initiative from 1st to 9th October to mark the start of the new winter semester and organised a programme for both children and adults.
On Thursday 1st October, as part of the celebrations marking 35 years of UJEP, a special UJEP Treasure Hunt took place. Participants made their way through 10 stops across the campus, each describing one of 10 sustainability themes at UJEP in relation to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. At each station, there was a task and an activity; upon completing them, participants received a password to unlock the treasure box. Successful treasure hunters now know that ‘we are UJEP’! And also, that we have celebrated 35 years since the university’s founding. But the greatest joy came the moment the participants managed to open the treasure box and choose their well-deserved reward. In total, 45 participants completed the hunt. In the end, everyone left with a smile and took home small gifts in the form of brain teasers, notebooks, badges or UJEP chocolates.
The second event – Sustainable World Café – took place on Wednesday 7th October and focused on opportunities for the further development of a more responsible UJEP, with the support of the university community and external stakeholders. Over coffee and cake, topics such as the possibility of charging electric cars on campus, the Yedem car-sharing app, solar panels on the roofs of UJEP buildings, the use of re-usable containers in the canteen, and ways to better promote these issues and sustainability in general were discussed. Those attending the coffee session agreed on the need for more incentive schemes that would be relatively easy and acceptable to the university community – such as the introduction of returnable, deposit-based cups at Majáles and similar events. They also discussed further opportunities for collaboration, such as within doctoral seminars at the Faculty of Environment or informal get-togethers. You can already look forward to more events and meetings on sustainability topics!
Throughout the ESDW event at UJEP, it was also possible to enjoy more environmentally friendly dishes in the university canteen compared to the usual meat-based options. There was a choice of plant-based, vegetarian or fish dishes in the form of salads, purées, risottos or pasta.
Another very popular traditional event is the university swap of items, which took place at the reception of the CPTO building. Clothes for women, men and children, as well as a variety of household items, were swapped (or donated). Children’s books, magazines and toys, in particular, disappeared in a flash, and we are therefore delighted that they will bring a smile to someone else’s face. Items that did not find a new owner this year will be used in next year’s university swap or donated to the Ústí nad Labem Re-use Centre, which is based in the Zdar Palace on Mírové náměstí and operates all year round.
Thank you to everyone who actively took part in this year’s ESDW at UJEP, and we’re already looking forward to next year! If you’d like to collaborate with us on the event or have any suggestions regarding sustainability at UJEP, please get in touch at or contact a member of our team (see the ‘Kontakt’ section).
Foto: Josef Růžička, Dana Kapitulčinová, UJEP