Future Forum on Climate-Friendly Universities - Small and medium-sized universities on the road to climate protection

In the "Future Forum for Climate-Friendly Universities" project, 15 universities are becoming pioneers in climate protection as part of a whole-institution approach. In the short term, the universities are to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and in the long term implement climate protection concepts.

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Your university can be a pioneer for climate action and become a flagship for the region and society!

For universities interested in participating in our project, there are two information sessions in November.

Thursday, 09.11.23 from 2:30 p.m to 3.15 p.m
Wednesday, 22.11.23 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m

Feel free to contact us if you would like to attend one of the information sessions.

StandZKH

Project presentation at HBdV

At the annual conference of the university network Education through Responsibility from September 21-22 at the HNEE, the netzwerk n presented the project and drew the attention of the first representatives of universities to the project and a possible participation.

Project kick-off in Hamburg

On 28.9.2023, the partners of netzwerk n, the University of Vechta and HNEE met for the joint project launch.

f.l.t.r. Prof. Dr. Benjamin Nölting (HNEE), Tabea Selleneit (HNEE), Marieke von Elert (netzwerk n), Alexandra Reith (Universität Vechta), Andra Krogmann (netzwerk n)

Project description

So far, only a few of the more than 400 universities in Germany have placed climate protection at the center of their work. The majority of universities are still slow to respond to pressure for change. The commitment to climate action at universities has had little impact so far, as it is often not seen as a strategic goal of university management and climate committed students, administrative staff, professors and academic staff often act as individual fighters.

This is where the project "Future Forum Climate-Friendly University" comes in and accompanies 15 small and medium-sized universities on their road to climate protection.

The project shows how universities can align their structures with climate protection by involving all status groups, as well as through transfer and networking at the regional level. The status groups include students, university management, administration, teaching and research staff, and regional stakeholders. Central to the project is the empowerment of students with the goal of a student-driven sustainability transformation.

Goals for the universities are:

Short-term: greenhouse gas emissions reduction by at least 10%.
Long-term: implementation of holistic climate protection concepts in the sense of a Whole Institution Approach.
Long-term: Role model function, transfer and networking with other actors and organizations in the region.

At the beginning of the project, the greenhouse gas emissions of the participating universities will be assessed and existing climate protection strategies, if any, will be analyzed. On the basis of this analysis, fields of action are identified and targets set. The universities are then accompanied and advised by external teams of experts. Another sub-goal is the empowerment of students as part of the teams of experts. In coaching sessions, they will be empowered to act strategically and to become involved in the change process at their university.