The Circular Grassroots project brings together researchers and grassroots initiatives from Gothenburg, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Nantes to examine how urban sustainability projects can foster community involvement and create sustainable practices from the ground up.
– The exhibition is part of Circular Grassroots, a Driving Urban Transitions project funded by the EU. It's one of our first studies exploring how grassroots sustainability initiatives, such as reducing food waste, can successfully take root and thrive, says María José Zapata Campos, associate professor at the Department of Business Administration.
The Solidarity Fridge has fostered a community of sustainability
Grassroots initiatives bring people together to create lasting change but face obstacles along the way.
– This particular study sheds light on the challenges these initiatives face —such as the need for accessible spaces where citizens can practice sustainability, says María José Zapata Campos.
The Solidarity Fridge initiative, established to tackle food waste through shared community resources, is located at the Business School, where it facilitates food distribution and raises awareness about sustainable consumption.
– The Solidarity Fridge has used space at the School of Business, Economics and Law to foster a community-driven sustainability, showing the values created when we make space for these actions. Now, we’re excited to share what we’ve learned!
Experience Food Sharing, Art, and Stories of Sustainability in Action
The exhibition aims to highlight the many values and benefits that grassroots sustainability initiatives create at multiple levels—individual, organizational, and even global. It illustrates how universities can open doors to citizen engagement and how public spaces can serve new purposes beyond teaching hours.
– This initiative, where staff and students can collaborate as equals, promotes social cohesion, appreciation, and caring—values that are vital in these polarized times, says María José Zapata Campos.
Visitors to the exhibition will encounter an array of media that reflects the impact of Solikyl and other grassroots initiatives. Photos, videos, and artistic representations will showcase both the scale of the global food waste crisis and the positive effects of local actions.
– Get ready for a multi-sensory experience!
She adds:
– Expect food from the Solidarity Fridge, ‘catch of the day’ recipes, a cozy corner for sharing ‘waste stories,’ insights into the global food waste crisis, and an interactive scientific exhibit where visitors can contribute and leave messages in both digital and analog forms.
What insights or messages do you hope visitors will take from the event?
– So many! While recognizing the overwhelming global food waste crisis and its systemic causes, we also want to celebrate the power of collective action at the local level. It serves as an eye-opener to the global problem of food waste, helping us see the vast amounts being discarded. It acts as a catalyst for collective organizing, countering the individualism and isolation many of us—both students and staff—experience. And it shifts norms by promoting practices of gifting, sharing, and caring, says María José Zapata Campos.
Join us for a fun and thought-provoking afternoon! The exhibition will be held on Tuesday, December 3, alongside the Solidarity Fridge food distribution at 16:00, with doors open to the public from 15:30 to 17:00. For more information about the event, click here.
