The Sustainability group aims for Aurora universities to
• Operate and build sustainable universities that balance the four pillars of sustainability which are governance, environmental management, learning; research and social policy
• Create a working and learning environment at our universities in which sustainability is valued and measured.
• Capitalize on the ability to generate creativity and solutions from different perspectives both in our practices and education.
As a strategy, it aims to promote good practice, stimulate joint activities, and develop benchmarks to monitor progress at individual institutions and collectively as Aurora.
A starting workshop in Norwich, May 5 2017 helped to identify specific activities
Specific activities and results (as intended before the Reykjavik meeting):
- ‘Green Offices’ or equivalent (VU Amsterdam): knowledge transfer and sharing of best practice; possibly with proposal development for student survey/data collection on green issues and expectations of new students with the potential for benchmarking;
- Aurora sustainability strategy (UEA)
- Criteria to label ‘sustainable” courses (UGoth)
- Aurora Sustainability Award (???)
- Aurora SDG lecture series (Aurora office and UEA)
Green Office
In June, the Green Office of VU Amsterdam received a delegation from both the University of Grenoble Alpes and the University of Aberdeen.
Sustainable VU
During the 2017 Dies Natalis celebrations of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the spotlight has been on VU’s profile theme Science for Sustainability.
This year’s celebrations were entitled: Sustainable minds. Our agenda for change. How can VU Amsterdam contribute to solutions to sustainability issues? How can the way our teaching and research is organised help us?
In his Dies Natalis Lecture, Pieter van Beukering (Associate Professor of Environmental Economics) outlines a strategic vision of sustainability for teaching and research, in which students, researchers and lecturers seek comprehensive answers to these key questions.
His full VU Dies Natalis lecture can be found here: Text Dies Natalis VU Beukering
Related news
Iceland: The Quiet threat of ocean acidification
Read more
