New edition of the “Second Life” Fair reinforces UAlg’s commitment to sustainability

On 3 March, the Gambelas Campus of the University of Algarve hosted the 3rd edition of the “Second Life” Fair, an initiative that promotes the reuse of goods donated by the academic community — such as clothing, footwear and books — encouraging responsible consumption, sharing and waste reduction.
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The fair, organised within the framework of the European University of the Seas (SEA-EU), was held in collaboration with the Academic Association of the University of Algarve (AAUAlg), bringing together hundreds of members of the academic community around the theme of sustainability.

Throughout the afternoon, students, academic staff and professional staff had the opportunity to give a new life to various donated items, promoting sharing practices and circular economy principles within the campus. The initiative also benefited from the support of AAUAlg volunteers, whose contribution was essential for the organisation and smooth running of the fair.
The initiative originated from a winning idea of the 2025 edition of the “Greening Our Campus” contest, a SEA-EU programme that challenges the academic community to present concrete proposals to help make university campuses more sustainable.

The opening session included welcoming remarks by the Vice-Rector for Partnerships and European University, Patrícia Pinto, and the Pro-Rector for Sustainability Sciences, Vânia Sousa, who highlighted the importance of participatory initiatives that mobilise the academic community towards more responsible and sustainable practices.

The “Second Life” Fair is part of Task 4.4 – “SEA-EU Goes Greener”, an initiative that promotes concrete sustainability actions across the campuses of the alliance’s universities and encourages the active involvement of the academic community in building greener and more resilient universities.

Through initiatives such as this, the University of Algarve continues to strengthen its commitment to sustainability, demonstrating how small actions, when shared by the community, can contribute to a positive environmental impact and foster a culture of environmental responsibility in higher education. A 4th edition of the “Second Life” Fair is already planned for the Penha Campus, with the date to be announced.

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