Fundamentals of a Sustainability Profile of Students based on Quantitative Community Building Analyses

In the context of a growing awareness of environmental challenges and the importance of sustainability values, practices, and choices, this article presents the key findings of the European cofunded NEMOS research project (A New Educational Model of Sustainability Competences through Service-learning) focused on defining the sustainability profile and competencies of students through service-learning in Higher Education. A community-building bottom-up methodology was innovatively applied to identify the competencies needed to define a sustainability profile of students in food-related degrees of five European Higher Education Institutions. The research findings highlight the need for a holistic understanding of studentssustainability, including economic, social, and environmental aspects, as well as the importance of specific sustainability training for lecturers. Furthermore, it underlines the essential role of service-learning as a pedagogical approach to foster studentsactive participation in the community and to prepare them to address global challenges in a meaningful way.