ESSRG

Our #HealingGarden research was presented at the International Congress of Ecological Humanities. The Living Lab in the COEVOLVERS Project works in a hospital garden with methods that include a variety of observational techniques, like time-lapse recordings, soundscapes, and multisensory observations combined with reflective writing. More on the Healing Garden project: https://lnkd.in/d_H2dfXF @Beáta Pántya Orsolya Lazányi György Pataki Réthy Katalin

Our fieldwork in DAISY has finally begun! ☀️ This summer, Gergő Berta, Karmen Czett and Boldizsár Megyesi visited the beautiful #Őrség region in Hungary to explore the area and talk to key stakeholders, such as representatives from the National Park and local farmers. 🌱 We walked through meadows to see pro-biodiversity efforts 🦋, checked out the digital technologies used by farms 🐄, and even took a dip in a lake to cool off during the heatwave. 🌊 Along the way, we made several new connections – both human and non-human. 🤗 Our case study explores the potential of a results-based scheme to support pro-biodiversity farming, while building on local needs and capacities. It's only the beginning of the road in DAISY, we'll be back in October! 🍂 #biodiversity #HorizonEurope

Last week our colleague, Katalin Varsányi attended the 30th European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS) Sociology Congress in Riga, Latvia. Kata presented the preliminary research results of the Econutri-Project in the “𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥-𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬: 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬, 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬” working group, showcasing how the different actors in Hungary perceive regenerative farming as an agricultural innovation, with emphasis on the Sand Ridge region’s stakeholders. It was a first, but definitely not a last! #ESRS2025 #Econutriproject #HorizonEurope #SmartFarming #SustainableAgriculture #AgriInnovation #nutrientmanagement

Why did camels pay a visit to the Parliament of Budapest, and how was a press conference held from the bottom of a river? If you have attended our colleague, Boldizsár Megyesi’s presentation about our work in the MOSAIC Project with the title 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐃𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚, held at the 30th European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS) Congress last week in #Riga, then you know the answers already! And if you haven’t – how about you join our next MOSAIC workshop? Let’s stay in the loop! #ESRS2025 #LandUseDecision #SandRidge #RuralFutures #Mālpils

👩🏻🌾🌻☀️🐝 Another month, another sunny day out on the Budapest Bike Maffia Farm! This time, for their target group members, #singleparents, our Plan'Eat Project team has organized a herb workshop with our colleague, Borbála Lipka, set out on a herb hunt in the garden, discussed the health benefits of all the precious plants found, and came to the conclusion that “every plant can be medicinal”. With the kids, besides the herb hunting game, they have practiced spice recognition - from oregano through parsley to curry - while talking about each of their benefits. Stay tuned to see what the next months bring to this community! Emese Antal Diana Szakál Vanda Pózner Katalin Varsányi

Our PLANET4B Project case study on biodiversity education at the ISEE - Degrowth Conference Oslo! 🌍 In the last week of June, Karmen Czett and Eszter Kelemen presented their transformative change story in biodiversity education, highlighting the potential of experiential and arts-based learning methods in Hungary. It’s been a long and rocky journey, but as you can see, we’re really proud of the result! 🤗 The infographic we co-created with Sipos Balazs will be displayed in Hungarian schools to inform school communities about the possibilities of nature- and arts-based practices 🌿 Alongside this colourful infographic, we also had the chance to chair a session on degrowth utopias, which truly sparked our imagination for alternative futures💡 We’re still feeling really inspired from the conference – both professionally and personally. Hope to see many of you again soon! ☀️

🌿 HOPEN at the ISEE and Degrowth Conference 2025 🌿 We’re still feeling the afterglow of the HOPEN workshop ESSRG facilitated at this year’s ISEE and Degrowth Conference in Oslo — a space where calm, connection, and shared values took centre stage. HOPEN facilitators, Barbara Mihók and Diana Szakál, invited participants into a reflective journey exploring hope and resilience in turbulent times. The session offerd participants a space to pause, reflect, and reconnect — with themselves, with one another, and with the future, exploring what hope and resilience might mean in times of uncertainty. The feedback we received was humbling and energizing:  🌀 “Amazing. So grounding. So full of gratitude.”  🌀 “As an island of calmness and understanding.”  🌀 "Grounded. I’m not alone." One participant put it beautifully: “We have to work with acceptance in the face of not being able to fix the world, but what we can do is act in the now to attempt to create the future we want.” We are so grateful to everyone who joined us — for showing up with openness, for sharing generously, and for reminding us that creating spaces of trust and connection is, in itself, a radical act. If you're curious about bringing this approach into your own context — whether teaching, team-building, or conference settings — let’s connect. You can also learn more about the HOPEN project here: https://lnkd.in/dKvNSJqc #Degrowth2025 #HopeAndResilience #Facilitation #FuturesThinking #Degrowth #CollectiveAction #Wellbeing #ConferenceReflection #CollectiveCare #TransformativeSpaces

Protecting the Protectors We were proud to present our poster titled “Protecting the Protectors: Supporting the Mental Well-Being of Planetary Health Professionals” as part of our work on the HOPEN by ESSRG in ISEE2025-Degrowth conference in Oslo. As the climate and ecological crises deepen, environmental professionals — scientists, activists, students, policymakers — are on the frontlines. They bear witness to unfolding global challenges every day. The emotional toll is real: fear, grief, anxiety, and burnout are becoming all too common. That's why we created HOPEN: an adaptable mental well-being program offering workshops and trainings designed to cultivate emotional resilience in the era of polycrisis. 🛠️ With HOPEN, we aim to build a culture of care within the environmental field. Because those working for planetary health deserve support for their own well-being too. Let’s continue the conversation about how we can care for those who care for the planet. 💚 Read more on HOPEN here: https://lnkd.in/dKvNSJqc #MentalHealth #PlanetaryHealth #ClimateAnxiety #HOPEN #ESSRG #WellbeingAtWork #EcoGrief #Resilience Barbara Mihók Diana Szakál Financed by TRIGGER EU

🫛 🐝 🫛 🐝 🫛 🐝 🫛 🐝 🫛 🐝 🫛 🐝 🫛 🐝 🫛 🐝 Our Plan'Eat Project team has had an active day out on the Budapest Bike Maffia Farm! Throughout the micro intervention process, we have been dedicating one day each month to bring #sustainable and #healthy eating closer to our target group members, #singleparents. Finally, we have harvested our first crops: peas! After munching on these fresh and crunchy delicacies, together with the kids, we built bug hotels to provide some refuge to our vulnerable but crucial companions, too. And, in the meantime, our dietitian colleague, Emese Antal, has introduced us to menu planning with the help of the Smart Plate concept. Diana Szakál Vanda Pózner Katalin Varsányi

🏖️ We are back from our offline-only team retreat at the Danube house in Szentendre. 🔮Our team had a mental health workshop on our common future, practising presence and reimagining our future. We extracted insights through strategic discussions on the next 15 years.  🫶We also brainstormed about feedback culture and worked collaboratively to refine our gender equality and wellbeing plan (GEP). 🌶️ We competed in a Bosnian food quiz. (Our recent research experience abroad.) 🎈 The place lends itself to free formations, play, and laughter — an easy way to understand why we are grateful to each other. We’ll continue in autumn, building on what participants need most. 🌊