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The people behind the science, and the science behind the people.
Sophie Banke is born to be am explorer of new knowledge and new worlds. Driven by a bottomless love for new cultures, languages, and the environment, she has dedicated her life to learning and making an impact. At Wetsus, she found herself surrounded by international experiences and like-minded people, all connected through a vast network of research institutes and companies. For four years, she immersed herself in her favorite discipline: inorganic chemistry and used it to magnetically extract the essential fertilizer component phosphate out of manure. Now, a new challenge lies ahead – choice paralysis – as she stands at a crossroads, ready to delve into her own mission and choose her next adventure.
Sophie’s restless curiosity was evident from high school. When the opportunity arose to move to Argentina for a short while, she embraced it, spending her days volunteering in a natural protection area. There, she grew native plants and worked in a garden made of recycled materials, including a greenhouse built from recycled bottles and tiny gardens in old rubber tires. Her mentor, a retired social science teacher, became a guiding figure. Together, they hacked through vegetation, attended lectures, and shared a drink of mate and philosophies every day. “I’ve always had a drive to explore new countries, cultures, and languages,” Sophie reflects. It’s the drive that took her from Argentina to France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, and China over the coming years.
Her love for learning was deeply influenced by her family. With both parents and extended family rooted in academia, Sophie’s path seemed almost inevitable. Yet, it was her own passion for environmentalism that truly shaped her journey. She recalls a vivid memory: “I clearly remember when a new label was introduced for fishery products, making consumers aware if the fish was sourced sustainably. My dad and I searched the whole supermarket for fairly caught fish, eventually ending up asking the assistant store manager,” she laughs. “Of course, not a single product had the label yet, but the support from my parents to engage with global issues has always been there.”
After her voluntary year, Sophie moved again, this time for her studies. She earned a German-French bachelor’s in chemistry, then pursued a master’s in batteries and water research. It was during these studies that she discovered her fascination with inorganic chemistry. When she found the PhD position at Wetsus, it felt like fate: “They were looking for me.” The interdisciplinary and international environment was a perfect match for her curiosity, offering her the chance to connect with a wide range of sectors, disciplines, and industries.
Her research focused on removing phosphate from manure, a challenge that allowed her to dive deep into the complexities of iron chemistry, particularly in creating the magnetizable mineral vivianite. “Iron chemistry is very versatile, but its many possible interactions are the downside when aiming to form vivianite,” she explains. Carbonate, for example, is seven times more prevalent in manure than in wastewater and binds iron away, making phosphate recovery more difficult. Next, sulfur’s strong binding properties led her to experiment with introducing oxygen to the system, a creative solution to a stubborn problem. . What intrigued Sophie was applying such fundamental science to efficiently extract phosphate, an important fertilizer resource but also a powerful pollutant if remaining inside the manure. One of her favorite parts of the PhD journey was supervising students. She spent perhaps a little too much time telling chemistry jokes and guiding young researchers through Wetsus’ honors program. However, she found the output-driven nature of academia challenging, especially when coordinating the demands of thesis proposals nowadays. “I learned more on my own mission,” she says. During her degree, she often fantasized about becoming a bike repair shop owner or a ski instructor, but maybe other challenges lie ahead.
After the PhD experience has had its greats ups and downs for Sophie, she already put some of her plans in motion, giving ski lessons in the black forest, and going to language school in China. Whether she ends up in a lab, a workshop, or on a ski slope, her passion for understanding the abstract, curiosity for the unknown, and desire to act will undoubtedly lead her on her next adventure.
Abstract
The realisation of a circular economy has thus far unfolded under the assumption that it would fit within existing economic arrangements. In practice, we witness many circular initiatives struggling to give shape to their ambitions, let alone develop to maturity. These past months, various material recycling organisations terminated their activities, seeing virgin alternatives from other parts of the world flooding the market at prices against they cannot compete. If the transition towards a circular economy (i.e. an economy of value preservation) is to be taken seriously, a new perspective on value in our economic system seems unavoidable, as the rewriting of the rules of the economic game. At this moment, current perceptions of value stand in the way of this transition both at micro as well as macro levels. Several contours for a collective exploration of new directions of value and economic configuration that foster circular transition will be addressed.
Abstract
In his key note he will conclude after a life of innovations that it is impossible that humanity will stay within the save planetary boundaries with innovation only. We should be more critical about the behaviour of the rich population in the world and more critical about new innovations that prove to be dangerous, like the PFAS crisis shows at this moment. In his keynote he will investigate how to look at the world that can stay within the save planetary boundaries, how should we change ourselves? It is clear if we only talk about the words of science and systems we miss the essential words of how we should cooperate and change ourselves. And his search for coherent save innovations. Which innovations will be save and will lead to a fair and sustainable world? And will lead to a world we want to live in.
Abstract
There is a growing number of new sustainable, inclusive, cohesive, participatory, just and humane economic models. A possible next step in the discourse about them is the comparative analysis in order to find out key commonalities, potential synergies, and “requirements” for a future-fit economic model. The author and initiator of the Economy for the Common Good provides an overview of these „new sustainable economic models“ and compares them according to underlying values, principles, and practical ways of implementation. The keynote addresses the cooperative spirit of the conference and prepares the ground for its public highlight on the eve of June 3rd, the round table with representatives of diverse future-fit economic models.
Abstract
The scientific debate on whether economies should always continue to grow increasingly becomes a political and societal debate. On the one hand further growth for the most affluent countries seems neither possible nor valuable, but on the other hand there is still lack of understanding and knowledge what a non-growing economy should look like and could best be governed. In this lecture we discuss various policy measures that can be realistically implemented, take into account government finances and aim at a higher quality of life despite a non-growing economy.
Abstract
Democracy is under pressure, and less and less able to stir the economy into a sustainable direction. Therefore, to stabilize democracy and to make possible the socio-ecological transformation of the economy, democratic principles need to be implemented directly in the economy. This is not only a matter of morality, but also has practical advantages. Democratizing the economy can increase legitimacy and take advantage of the “knowledge of the many” to accelerate the transformation. Democratic practices, especially deliberation, allow bringing together different forms of knowledge, which is crucial for the local implementation of principles of social and ecological sustainability. This talk explores what this idea means in more concrete terms, from democratic participation in the workplace to the democratization of time.
Abstract
Over the past decades, markets have conventionally been seen as the best instrument to stimulate economic growth and enhance prosperity and well-being. The automatic link between markets and economic growth is increasingly questioned, however, as well as the automatic link between economic growth and enhancement of well-being. This has led to attempts to capture well-being development more directly than through GDP per capita figures and has produced a more variegated picture of well-being growth. Also, this has led to a shift of focus to other coordination systems than the market, as primarily the state but increasingly also the association. Analyses of the historical record suggest that especially the latter could be a vital component in future well-being.
