An update on the goals for Sustainability at RWTH

 

In order to improve sustainability at our university, a "Sustainability Roadmap" was created as early as 2021. After first seeking input for strategies and goals in 2022 and then sorting these, we moved on to prioritization in 2023. The goals were divided into the areas of "study and teaching," "research," and "operations."

In the area of "Study and Teaching", the focus of the goals is especially on the creation of study programs and topics in which students learn skills and knowledge that can be applied to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. In our Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering, for example, the study program "Sustainable Resources and Energy Supply B.Sc." was created in the spirit of this goal.

In research, the visibility of sustainability-related topics is to be increased in particular. To this end, structural incentives are to be developed and networking with start-ups, alumni and RWTH members is to be expanded. In order to establish possible benchmarks for research, the research contributions are to be evaluated in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals in the future.

Various fields of action have been defined for the "Operations" area. For the "Business Travel" field of action, for example, a drastic reduction in (domestic) air travel and mobility-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 has been set as a target. An internal climate fund pilot project and a decision tree are being developed for implementation.

Further and more in-depth information on the topic of sustainability at RWTH can be found at any time on the RWTH sustainability website. To become active yourself, you can register with the GreenTeams now!