Sustainable life in view

UBTaktuell: Why is the University of Bayreuth concerned with the topic of sustainability?

Prof. Dr. Susanne Tittlbach: The sustainable development of our society is one of the most important tasks of our time. As the University of Bayreuth, we want to take on this task and face the associated challenges. This means that as a university we have to be a shaper of the sustainable transformation of society. Our research should contribute to sustainable approaches to solutions. Our teaching, but also campus life, should support students in sustainable action and thus in their development into independent, responsible and sustainable personalities. Our Third Mission is to develop and test new, innovative and viable solution concepts for a transformation to a sustainable society through the mutual exchange between science and actors from society, business and politics. But the university itself also does its utmost to ensure that its teaching and research activities are resource-friendly. As the University of Bayreuth, we are training the leaders of tomorrow. They must be prepared for innovative and sustainable action!

What are the prerequisites for a university to be able to develop sustainably?

An important prerequisite is the commitment and willingness not only to strive for sustainable development, but also to implement it. With our sustainability strategy, we both demanded and established this commitment - much earlier than other universities. All members of the campus family were able to contribute their views, wishes and needs at that time. I perceived this participatory process as very positive, because everyone had a say. And even though this process already took place three years ago, I experience in many places that the awareness and the willingness for sustainable development are there. It is not as if the whole thing was not challenging for everyone involved. Without a willingness to rethink this challenge and to act prudently, we will not get anywhere. I am very glad that we at the University of Bayreuth already live this willingness - in academia, administration and the student body - and can build on it.

As Vice President, you are responsible for the topic of sustainability. What are your plans for the coming years?

Concrete goals include the implementation of an energy management system, the preparation of a greenhouse gas balance, the promotion of education for sustainable development as well as sustainable mobility in cooperation with the city and the region, and of course the further promotion of research on sustainability topics. However, it is also clear that I cannot implement this alone. A large number of colleagues contribute their expertise and resources to achieve these goals. This again demonstrates the willingness mentioned in the last question to shoulder the great goal of sustainable transformation together! I am very grateful for this commitment.

There is a team working with you on this - the GreenCampus team. Tell us briefly what is behind it.

GreenCampus is the sustainability office of the University of Bayreuth. Since 2016 - long before the sustainability strategy was launched - all activities related to sustainability on campus have been bundled there. GreenCampus is thus both a contact point for students and employees and an interface between the university management and the campus. Current examples of the work of GreenCampus are, for example, the snack vending machine with sustainable snacks in the refectory or the considerations for a transparent refectory, in which the nutritional values and the CO2 footprint of meals are to be stated. In addition, GreenCampus is a permanent contact for the RadBox and has helped the University of Bayreuth become a Fairtrade University and can also renew this title every two years.

Many students are interested in the topic of sustainability. How can you get involved in this at the University of Bayreuth?

Since 2021, we have been offering the supplementary sustainability course, which is open to all degree programmes and is already in high demand. There, students gain an insight into ecological, economic and social topics of sustainability and learn about concrete fields of action. In addition, the many student initiatives on campus offer the opportunity to get involved in the topic of sustainability. GreenCampus is one of the first points of contact here, as is the student parliament, e.g. with the speaker's council for technology, environment, mobility and infrastructure or the sustainability working group. Once a semester, GreenCampus organises the so-called Green Pub. This is a networking meeting where, usually in the Glass House, all student and regional initiatives relating to sustainability present themselves and network with each other, and where further ideas for the sustainable design of our campus are often launched. Likewise, this year the students organised the Sustainability Week. Over the course of an entire week in July, student initiatives, colleagues and invited experts joined us in enriching the week thematically in the form of lectures, film evenings, ÖBG tours, workshops, panel discussions, as well as the award ceremony for the UBT Sustainability Prize. The format was so successful that we will continue it next year.