From Minerva to European Policymaking: How Gereon Fju Mewes Is Advancing Sustainability Through Governance

For Gereon Fju Mewes (M22), sustainability is a question of governance, cooperation, and how societies choose to solve complex problems together. Today, working at the intersection of circular economy, innovation, and public policy in Europe, he draws on lessons that began during his time at Minerva.

Transition to Sustainable Governance

Gereon's interest in sustainability took shape at Minerva, where courses spanning the social and natural sciences encouraged him to view environmental challenges through the lens of governance and policy. Rather than seeing sustainability as a purely scientific problem, he came to understand it as one that requires collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and cultures.

He credits several faculty members with shaping that perspective, including Professor Vicki Chandler, who supported him when he was short on credits, and his Capstone professor, whose mentorship helped him transform academic ideas into practical research.

For his Capstone project, Gereon explored the circular reuse of oil refinery by-products, examining how industrial waste could be reintegrated into production systems, particularly in regions where policy frameworks and infrastructure are still evolving.

Looking back, he smiles at how that research foreshadowed the work he would later pursue professionally.

Putting Research Into Practice

After Minerva, Gereon joined the UN Economic Commission for Europe, working in Geneva’s Economic Cooperation and Trade Division. There, he contributed to circular-economy frameworks across Europe and Central Asia. While the experience was formative, he realized that institutional structures can limit growth. 

“You learn a lot at the UN,” he said, “but it’s hard to feel your impact early on.”

That realization led him to pursue a master’s degree in Belgium and shift toward the European Union ecosystem, where he could work closer to implementation and entrepreneurship. “I wanted to be where decisions turn into action,” he said.

Today, Gereon continues exploring how communication and culture shape sustainability dialogue across Europe. He observed that many professionals in EU institutions have deep policy knowledge but limited international exposure. 

“Having studied and lived in different countries gives you a different lens,” he said. “You understand how systems can work in very different ways—and still work.” 

He often compares the European Union to India: diverse languages, decentralized governance, and yet a functioning unity. “It reminds you that sustainability isn’t just technical—it’s social. It’s about how people choose to cooperate.”

Advocating for EU Dialogue

Gereon also spoke about the importance of open dialogue in European sustainability. He finds that public conversations often remain siloed within national narratives — Polish, Dutch, German — without connecting the shared European dimension. “We need to talk about these issues together, not as competing stories,” he said.

He compares the European Union to India: diverse in languages and regions but bound by cooperation. “It’s messy,” he laughed, “but it works — and that’s the point. It shows how coordination and flexibility can coexist.”

His advocacy now centers on encouraging policymakers and citizens to treat sustainability as a collective European conversation, not a set of fragmented debates.

Lessons from Mentorship

Beyond his professional work, Gereon also served as a Senior Thesis Teaching Assistant at Minerva, advising and evaluating more than 30 student Capstone projects across the social and natural sciences.

The experience reinforced his belief that interdisciplinary thinking is one of Minerva's greatest strengths.

“What struck me most,” he shared, “is how Minervans approach problems sideways. They don’t start with a method; they start with a question that bothers them. That curiosity — the willingness to cross boundaries — is exactly what policymaking needs.”

He sees the same mindset reflected in sustainability work, where meaningful solutions require connecting economic, environmental, and social systems rather than treating them as separate challenges.

International Perspective

Reflecting on his global education, Gereon said that living and studying in different countries fundamentally changed how he views governance. 

“Many of my colleagues in EU institutions have never really left Europe,” he observed. “Studying abroad forces you to see how systems operate differently — and yet still function.”

For him, international exposure wasn’t just cultural enrichment; it was a way of learning resilience, flexibility, and perspective. “In India, systems aren’t always formalized, but they work. In the EU, everything is formalized, but it can be slow. Both models teach you something valuable.”

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