FAQ
What does the Sustainability Office do? What sustainability and climate protection reports are published by Universität Hamburg? And what kind of certification is the University seeking? You can find the answers to the most important questions on the topic in the FAQ, which is regularly updated.
What does the Sustainability Office do?
The Sustainability Office was established in December 2022 and has since been coordinating sustainability activities at Universität Hamburg.
What is the Tiny House?
Since April 2023, the Von-Melle-Park campus has been home to a tiny house that belongs to the Sustainability Office. It is a meeting place and events venue. Teams from the Sustainability Office and the Green Office use it.
What is the open plenum on sustainability?
The open plenum on sustainability is an open forum that takes place every semester. Here you can introduce and discuss ongoing sustainability activities at Universität Hamburg.
What is the sustainability certificate? Who can earn it?
The sustainability certificate is an interdisciplinary certification program for sustainability and is awarded by the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Academic Skills (ISA) at Universität Hamburg.
The offer is available to all students at Universität Hamburg. However, places are limited, and you need to apply.
Does Universität Hamburg have a climate protection plan?
The Sustainability Office and the expert departments are currently developing a climate protection plan. For this, emissions are being calculated, measures are being planned, their efficacy is being evaluated, and measures are being prioritized.
Is the emissions accounting for Universität Hamburg being done in line with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol?
The greenhouse gas emissions accounting is being done in line with the GHG Protocol. The GHG Protocol is considered one of the most widely used standards for accounting for greenhouse gas emissions.
It is a private transnational standard for accounting for greenhouse gas emissions, both in the corporate sector and increasingly in the public sector. It covers all direct and indirect emissions, including those arising from the procurement of goods and services, mobility, or waste.
Does the University issue a sustainability report?
There will be a sustainability report every 2 years in addition to the annual climate protection report. The next sustainability report should be completed at the end of 2023. This report will depict sustainability activities in research, teaching, and knowledge exchange at Universität Hamburg.
Is the University seeking Blue Angel certification from the Regional Computing Center?
The University is seeking Blue Angel certification from the Regional Computing Center. The Blue Angel environmental label certifies computing centers that use energy and resources especially efficiently and sustainably.
Is the University seeking EMAS certification?
The University is seeking Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) certification. EMAS, a European environmental management system, is a voluntary instrument of the EU that corporations can use to preserve resources intelligently. EMAS-certified organizations make an effective contribution to environmental protection, save money, and demonstrate social responsibility.
EMAS ensures that all aspects of the environment, from the exploitation of energy to waste and emissions, need to be handled legally and transparently.
Is the University discussing sustainability with other local universities?
Yes. The Sustainability Office closely exchanges with other universities in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.
What is the University doing to reduce the use of paper?
The University takes part in the Papieratlas competition, which fosters the use of recycled paper in Germany’s cities and universities. The University also has internal guidelines for using recycling paper only.
Are the University’s investments sustainable?
Its annual reports and in its reviews, Universität Hamburg already publishes the corporations and organizations it invests in. Moreover, the City of Hamburg also identifies the University’s participation in publicly accessible participation reports.
As a rule, no investments are made in companies or organizations that pursue goals that are harmful to the environment or climate. Universität Hamburg scrutinizes the companies and organizations it invests in to realize the University’s legal goals for the long term.
Furthermore, starting in 2024, it will set up a special fund to consolidate donations and bequests. A special focus of our efforts is the topic of sustainable investments in securities.
Do University procurements take sustainability into account?
The University takes sustainability criteria into account for procurements—for example, using life-cycle cost calculations, considering sustainable and/or fair-trade offers, and heeding the City of Hamburg’s environmental guidelines.
What does the University do for sustainability at conferences?
We are currently working on guidelines for sustainable conferences.