From idea to impact: students spark sustainability at UM

With around 20 participating teams, the challenge was a great success. Ultimately, three inspiring initiatives emerged as winners:

The three winning teams

• ReCrafted – circular graduation gifts made from UM waste
  This team aims to use materials from UM waste streams to create circular graduation gifts for Circular Engineering students. In doing so, they achieve two goals at once: reducing waste and giving students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in practice. ReCrafted receives €500 to implement their idea.
• BottleCycle – improved collection of deposit bottles and cans
  Especially during busy periods such as exams, many deposit bottles and cans still end up in general waste. BottleCycle aims to change this by improving the collection system at UM. They receive €2,000 to put their circular solution into practice.
• The Powerdown Challenge – energy savings through a student competition
  This initiative encourages faculties and students to actively contribute to reducing energy consumption. The student behind the idea aims to create a competition in which energy‑saving opportunities are identified and implemented. With €2,500, the competition can be organised and rolled out across UM.

Implementation soon visible on campus

All three projects will be implemented at UM before the end of this academic year. Students and staff will soon see the impact of these sustainable ideas in their daily environment.

We would like to thank all students who contributed to a more sustainable UM by participating in the UM Sustainability Challenge. The challenge has certainly inspired us – and we plan to launch a new edition next year!