Sustainability Hub

Collaboration

The Sustainable UM2030 Taskforce and UM Green Office have started collaborating with the student-led network KlimaatActie Netwerk (KAN) Maastricht to create the Student Sustainability Hub in our Tapijn A building. The UM Green Office supports the development of the Hub to become a breeding ground for student initiatives on sustainability. UM Green Office promotes sustainability within the student community and on campus. 
 

Tapijn A

The building Tapijn A has not been renovated yet, so facilities are limited and low-tech. Tapijn A is a characteristic and historical building, suitable for experimental initiatives for a sustainable world. The Hub is there for students, but UM employees are also very welcome to join. 

Circulatory Projects at the Hub

• Swap room The Swap Room is an indefinite, self-sustaining project that enables students to swap good condition clothes that they no longer like for clothes that another student brought to the room. It is essentially an in/out system where students are allowed to take as many clothing items out as they brought in. These items are all organised in racks and are regularly checked to ensure that there are no broken or dirty items. If such items are found, they are placed in another area where they can be used in upcycling workshops or given to organisations that recycle clothing. 
• Library of things is based on the principle of how typical libraries work, except instead of books, students can borrow almost anything! From projectors and appliances to camping gear, fairy lights and even sports equipment. The Library of Things is sure to be the place where students can find what they are looking for. It runs on an honesty system, where a simple online form is used to declare who took out what and when it is expected to be back. All items have a unique barcode which is used to maintain a database of information regarding amount, condition, etc. of each item.  
• Reroom The Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse, Remake Room (or the "Re Room" as we like to call it) is a workshop space within the Hub where students can make use of all sorts of equipment, tools and art accessories to create and upcycle whatever they'd like. It is also a space that is often used for creative workshop sessions that volunteers can organise to share their skills with others, see "SkillShare" for more information down below!
• SkillShare is a project at the Hub that enables students and volunteers with valuable skills to teach others and share their knowledge. Workshops are held within the spaces at the Hub and promoted through the Green Office communication channels to the UM community. These workshops can be free or require a small fee, depending on the tools and facilitators that provide them. An ongoing SkillShare that regularly happens at the Hub is the "Fix Your Bike" workshop offered by Wilder Shinaver, a student at UM. He shares his knowledge with students and teaches them how to fix their bikes themselves.  
• The Community Garden is an exciting project that is just starting to bloom again! Run by students and assisted by locals within Maastricht, the garden is located just outside the Hub and provides an area for students to unwind and reconnect with nature while growing veggies, flowers and herbs. Knowledge about farming is combined within the community, and external workshops are organised to share this knowledge with the wider public community. 

Users of the Sustainability Hub

Currently the Sustainability Hub is home to over 22 organisations, and counting! If you want to participate in creating at the heart of sustainability in Maastricht, or your sustainable-minded organisation is in need of a meeting or working space, please contact Green Office at green-office@maastrichtuniversity.nl.