Bein’ Green - News from Green Campus

The University of Bayreuth has gained a new family member. At least, that is how the latest change in the organizational chart could be interpreted, taking the form of an inconspicuous box labelled 'Staff Unit - Green Campus'. Sustainability as a permanent and central concern of the entire University had, in fact, already entered our way of life, but now the organizational underpinning has been well-and-truly installed.

Behind this lies a potpourri of projects and far-reaching innovations, supported by a team of currently ten motivated students and doctoral candidates. Over the past semester, we have come much closer to our declared goal of thinking and living sustainability as a credo shared right across the University.

Meanwhile, the process of developing the University's sustainability strategy (NHS) continues to take shape. It all began with the tireless work of the members of the Student Parliament Sustainability Work Group, who spent their summer vacations preparing a first draft. Now the University-wide discussion process is set to start, in which representatives of all stakeholders will participate. Green Campus, in cooperation with the University Governing Board, is coordinating this intensive and time-consuming process. The goal is to have the NHS passed by the Senate this summer, which would place the University of Bayreuth in the vanguard of sustainability in Germany.

A measure of particular importance is the additional course of studies in sustainability. The University of Bayreuth is already an interdisciplinary university - so it was high time to give all students the opportunity to choose from a common pool of courses. The supplemental programme is to start in the coming winter semester.

The introduction of returnable cups on campus has been a direct and effective contribution to environmental protection. The approx. 400,000 paper cups saved per year not only eliminate a mountain of trash that would reach from Bayreuth to Nuremberg lined up end to end, but are also associated with a price reduction when using the coffee machines. In close cooperation with Studentenwerk Oberfranken (Upper Franconia’s Association for Student Affairs), further reusable systems are to follow in order to continuously reduce the volume of waste.

Another effective instrument in avoiding waste was introduced in the libraries. Since October 2019, carrying baskets have been made available to replace the plastic bags previously used.

These measures are based on the approach of conceiving of convenience and environmental friendliness in conjunction. Where this unity of the two cannot be achieved, campus members often continue to opt for the more convenient action. For example, if someone in the rest rooms is in a hurry to dry their hands, a whole bundle of paper towels sometimes ends up in the rubbish bin. Or, when you choose to drive to the shops on the spur of the moment, this usually means an under-utilized car, which might well have carried a room-mate and their shopping as well. For this reason, Green Campus has developed slides that show positive behaviour patterns, which are beamed onto screens by all digital projectors on campus when in passive operation. In addition, stickers have appeared in the restrooms, which draw attention to resource consumption there with great immediacy and playfulness.

Furthermore, we have become a much sought out point of contact for several University events, such as Mensa Evening, Rondell(V)ous, UNIKAT, and Bayreuth Dialoge. Green Campus is at your service during normal opening hours as a networking and support facility when it comes to ideas relating to sustainability.

Upgraded to a staff position, an increasing number of projects that have grown both in terms of depth and impact, and a staff of almost a dozen - Green Campus has developed brilliantly. And yet at its core it is not an administrative unit, but rather the structurally anchored visualization of the vision of a sustainable campus, characterized by the participation of all University members, which sends a powerful signal far beyond the University's sphere of influence: Sustainability is not a buzzword, but soon to be a living and breathing reality.