Building Green Refugee Settlements: Bridging Sustainability and Dignity

The workshop “Building Green Refugee Settlements: Bridging Sustainability and Dignity” lasted two hours and focused on reimagining refugee camps as models of sustainability and dignity. Participants engaged in hands-on, collaborative design activities, working in small groups to create innovative settlement ideas integrating water, energy, and waste systems.

The session began with an opening circle where participants shared one word associated with “home” or “sustainability,” followed by a presentation from the organizer. Groups were then assigned roles such as displaced community members, aid workers, planners, or environmental activists and spent time brainstorming settlement designs. A gallery walk allowed participants to explore and reflect on other groups’ ideas, followed by a facilitated discussion to share insights.

The workshop closed with a one-word reflection from each participant. It was led by a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Hyderabad, with extensive experience in refugee education, migration, and sustainability, and a member of the Earth Heroes Foundation, emphasizing climate action and human dignity in humanitarian responses.