Sustainability as a practice of responsibility

This article is a transcript of the episode Sustainability and Research with Nicole Ticchi from the series “The EDUS Podcast”. Text adapted for the written version. Listen to the full episode.


In the framework of the European project EDUS, Nicole Ticchi reflects on the intersection between healthcare, research and long-term responsibility, exploring how scientific progress can evolve into a more conscious and integrated practice.

Sustainability is often reduced to environmental indicators, policy frameworks, or climate data. But what if it is, first of all, a question of responsibility? Of understanding how today’s choices shape tomorrow’s realities?

Nicole Ticchi works at the intersection of sustainability, health, and research. With a background in medicinal chemistry and experience spanning laboratory work, science communication, and innovation ecosystems. She explores how scientific progress can align with environmental responsibility and social inclusion.

In this conversation, which arose within the framework of the European EDUS project, we discuss how sustainability extends beyond environmental concerns, why health and research cannot be separated from ecological systems, and what it means to build a professional path grounded in long-term thinking.

You describe yourself as working at the intersection of sustainability, health, and research. How did this path take shape?

I am a science culture specialist with a background in medicinal chemistry and experience in science communication, innovation ecosystems, and education.

Over the years, I have worked both in laboratory settings and in research support environments. I collaborate with research institutions, innovation clusters, and European projects, focusing on how knowledge is produced, communicated, and translated into real-world impact.

My work today centres on exploring how scientific progress can be aligned with environmental responsibility and social inclusion.

Sustainability is often discussed in technical or political terms, yet its meaning becomes clearer when we move closer to everyday experience. If you had to explain what sustainability means to a very young person, how would you describe it?

I would begin by saying that sustainability is about choices and about understanding the consequences of the choices we make. It means recognising that what we do today shapes what we will experience twenty years from now. What we consume, what we study, what we create and build, and what we choose to consider or ignore all shape the future.

To explain sustainability to a young person, I would not start with data or policies. I would start with agency, the awareness that each person has the ability to act.

Sustainability asks: if we continue acting as we are now, what kind of world will exist in twenty years? And do I want to live in that world?

It also requires understanding that everything is interconnected. The system is complex and imperfect, but we still have the ability to take small, meaningful actions in our own lives.

Looking back, it seems the expansion of sustainability beyond environmental metrics did not happen all at once for you. At what point did you realise that sustainability was not only about the environment, but also about social and cultural dimensions? Was it a specific moment or a gradual shift?

It was a gradual process. I was working in research and innovation environments, from both a technical and organisational perspective. I kept noticing that while environmental issues were being addressed, they were not the only ones that required attention.

Many laboratories were equipped with advanced technologies, yet these technologies had limited reflection in terms of inclusion and access. Sustainability strategies were often technically solid but socially disconnected.

About three years ago, I attended a master course on diversity and inclusion management. In the health sector, I saw clearly how gaps in representation and social rights affected outcomes. That was a turning point for me.

I realised that sustainability ultimately concerns how we organise our priorities as a society. It is closely linked to how systems function, how habits are shaped, and how incentives operate.

If culture does not change, even technically strong environmental measures remain superficial and difficult to implement effectively.

When we speak about health and research, sustainability is not always immediately included in the same frame. Why do you see these three areas as deeply interconnected?

Environmental conditions directly affect human health – through air quality, water pollution, food systems, and climate change. There are also indirect effects, such as inequalities and access to care.

Research plays a central role because it produces new knowledge, treatments, and technologies. At the same time, research consumes resources and shapes priorities, influencing what we choose to study and what we neglect. For me, health, sustainability, and research form a triangle.

Health provides the ethical urgency to act. Research provides the tools and technologies for innovation. Sustainability ensures that what we build does not create additional problems while we are trying to solve others. The aim is to preserve a virtuous circle rather than allowing it to become a negative one.

Recognising the relevance of a topic does not automatically mean making it central to one’s work. Was there a moment when sustainability, health, and research became central to your professional path?

There wasn’t a single “eureka” moment. I was working in an innovation ecosystem environment, but my mind kept returning to my earlier experience in the lab, where I was involved in drug development. I began questioning the broader impact of those activities.

We were working to improve health, yet we were not addressing the environmental and social impact of what we were doing. Something felt incomplete.

I started exploring scientific literature and books on the environmental impact of health and realised there was a strong connection. I also began discussing these topics with other researchers and policymakers and noticed significant interest, and even relief, in being able to address them openly.

That’s when I understood this was not simply a side interest. It pointed to a structural gap that needed to be addressed. While some of these aspects are already considered in private industry, in academic contexts they were not a priority. Introducing this perspective there felt necessary.

Turning awareness into action often begins with narrowing the focus and identifying practical entry points. How do you move from a personal interest in sustainability to building concrete communication or outreach projects?

It’s important to start from something specific and manageable. If you say, “I care about sustainability overall”, it becomes difficult to identify concrete actions. In my case, I started from laboratory activities and asked myself and my colleagues what could realistically be improved in a week, in a month, or in two years.

It is also important to create space within your daily activities and to build alliances with colleagues and other relevant stakeholders. Collaboration increases the impact of what you are doing. You start from something specific, build alliances, and gradually explore broader approaches to improve projects in a sustainable way.

Encouraging younger generations to engage with sustainability often begins with connecting the topic to their existing knowledge and daily experience. If you had a room full of young students, how would you encourage them to engage with these topics?

I would suggest starting from what they already know well. If they are studying a specific subject, they should begin there. Starting from a familiar field allows them to act with competence and confidence.

They can identify a concrete issue within their everyday academic activities and explore sustainable ways to address it – not only in the short term but also over the long term. It is helpful to speak with professors, classmates, and professionals they encounter regularly and to create something small but meaningful within their specific context.

While sustainability certainly requires technical competence, building a meaningful path in this field involves more than expertise alone. If someone wants to build a career in sustainability, what skills are truly essential?

Technical expertise is important, but it is not sufficient.

To navigate complex ecosystems and contribute to meaningful change, it is necessary to develop broader cultural awareness and soft skills.

One key ability is the capacity to see connections between problems that may appear unrelated at first glance. Communication is equally important. It allows you to share your perspective clearly and to be recognised as a credible contributor. Ethical reasoning is particularly relevant, especially in areas like health, where decisions frequently involve trade-offs. Being able to navigate those trade-offs responsibly is essential. Finally, flexibility and adaptability are crucial. Innovation ecosystems evolve rapidly, so it is important not only to be technically aware but also to understand what matters in a given context and to continue learning.

The transition from discussing sustainability to embedding it in everyday routines often depends on how the issue is framed. What happens when people move from talking about sustainability to acting on it?

A significant shift occurs when the focus moves from guilt to tangible benefits.

When I conducted seminars with researchers about environmental impact in laboratory settings, there was initial resistance. Many felt that sustainability meant adding another responsibility to an already demanding workload.

When we began discussing concrete benefits. such as sharing materials, improving efficiency, and recognising potential economic advantages, the perspective changed.

The discussion shifted from abstract global sustainability to practical improvements in daily work. Instead of perceiving sustainability as an additional burden, researchers began to see it as something feasible and relevant to their routine activities.

As health crises increasingly intersect with environmental degradation, the need for more integrated approaches becomes evident. What kind of future do you envision for the relationship between health, environment, and education?

We are living in a complex moment. Many health challenges are closely linked to environmental degradation and pollution. This may push institutions to integrate environmental metrics and indicators into health policies — something that is not yet fully implemented.

Education will play a central role in creating new connections across these domains.

Ideally, in ten years, sustainability in health will not be considered a separate or new approach. Instead, it will be embedded in how we define quality of life, responsibility, and innovation. The key challenge will be awareness and how we use that awareness in a coherent way, aligning it with social values, funding priorities, and daily practice.

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