Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress Chicago: Photo essay

In June 2025, members of the Co-SFSC team traveled to Chicago for the Belmont Forum SSCPmid-term meeting at the Sustainability Research and Innovation (SRI) Congress.

Pia Laborgne of KIT presenting about the progress of the Co-SFSC project at the Belmont Forum: Systems of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SSCP) CRA midterm meeting session. Photo courtesy of Ying-Chen Lin

Representatives of each of the Belmont Forum funded Systems of Sustainable Consumption and Production projects, presenting at this mid-term session at SRI Chicago. Photo courtesy of Ying-Chen Lin

Wanda leads Co-Creating Theories of Change for Sustainable Systems of Consumption and Production through Serious Gaming, an interactive session focused on Theories of Change (ToCs) and how they can be used to answer questions about advancing sustainability and equity in research projects. Photo Courtesy of Ying-Chen Lin.

Co-Creating Theories of Change for Sustainable Systems of Consumption and Production through Serious Gaming session, which included seven funded projects in the Belmont Forum SSCP CRA. Photo Courtesy of Ying-Chen Lin

Co-Creating Theories of Change for Sustainable Systems of Consumption and Production through Serious Gaming session. Photo Courtesy of Pia Laborgne

Co-Creating Theories of Change for Sustainable Systems of Consumption and Production through Serious Gaming session. Using a serious game format, participants worked together to develop and refine theories of change for one of the specific use cases based on examples from the Belmont Forum SSCP program. Photo Courtesy of Ashley Colby.

Pia presented the Co-SFSC project as a “Star Talk”. Photo by SRI congress

The SRI Congress took place along Chicago’s Riverwalk. Photo Courtesy of Ashley Colby

An artist captured themes from this year’s conference through input from participants. Photo by Mohammad Khadhrawi

Aylin Topal from the Turkish hub of the Co-SFSC team had a winning photo in the 2025 Belmont Forum photo competition. Location: Yedikule Gardens, İstanbul, Turkey. Photo courtesy of Aylin Topal.

Aylin Topal’s touching photograph from the CO-SFSC project transports us to the historic Yedikule Urban Gardens in Istanbul. These ancient bostans (urban gardens), thriving since the 5th century, have long fed the city. However, the image reveals a modern reality: a newly constructed road slices through the fertile land, and a sports complex encroaches on this fragile heritage. The research team, captured gazing through a construction fence with expressions of concern and resolve, embodies the tension between sustainability and urban expansion. This powerful image reminds us of the sensitive future of sustainable urban agriculture, collective memory, and local food sovereignty.