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Kick-off Education for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Research

Output from the brainstorms

Making the university more sustainable requires more than saving energy and reducing waste. Everyone should get involved. That is why two key themes of Sustainable UM2030 are education and research. Hence the Sustainable UM2030 team organized an afternoon of brainstorming with staff and students about these subjects last December, as a ‘kick-off’ for taking action.

Sustainable UM2030 team members Ceren Pekdemir and Ron Cörvers explain what these themes are about and how you can get involved:

What was the kick-off about?
“The Sustainable UM2030 pillars Research and Education presented themselves to the UM community in a joint event. We wanted to present some of the current ideas that we have, and include the UM community in an interactive way to think along with us.”

Why is it important to look at education for sustainable development and sustainable research at UM?
“When thinking about sustainability at universities the focus is usually on operations (e.g. energy saving), but research and education play a crucial role in pursuing sustainable development, at campus-level and far beyond. Luckily, we are not starting from zero, as we do have various courses on sustainability and research projects on sustainability. There are however many more initiatives and projects to undertake in order to fully fulfill our mission to be a sustainable institution in the broadest sense.” (Continues below)

Subjects that were discussed during the brainstorms
Outcomes of the brainstorms

​What will happen with the outcomes?
“The enthusiasm and ideas of the participants were reported and will be shared UM wide. The project owners and coordinators of Research and Education will try to bring promising ideas to the next phase (e.g. exploring in concrete terms whether a UM minor sustainable development is feasible, how buildings can contribute to wellbeing).”

How can people get involved?
“Students and staff interested in sustainability issues related to UM Research, Education or Operations can always contact the programme organization, and they will try to help or forward to the right person or unit. We welcome ideas and the commitment of the UM community to sustainability!”

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