“Green Offices are an excellent way to integrate education for sustainable development into universities, affecting teaching and learning, the physical campus and student life.” (UNESCO). Eager to be involved? Follow us on Facebook or Instagram, our newsletter or visit us at the Green Hub.
About us
Since 2015, Ghent University has had a Green Office, where students and staff shape and strengthen the sustainability policy together, by initiating and coordinating sustainability projects, experimenting and connecting. The Green Office is the central point of contact for sustainability.
As students, we want sustainability to be covered much more in our education. We are experimenting with student-led education and trying to distribute theses around sustainable topics widely.
We experimented with GFT collection, which is now collected by default, and are working on recycling points. We created attractive waste islands.
Projects on sustainable student life
We also put students on the road: in the student union and in their daily lives (in Ghent).
We show (international) students the way with a Green Guide.
With the Groene Ruijter we reward students' most sustainability actions. Submit (in Dutch)!
The Swap shop ensures that stuff goes from one (international) home resident to the next. We provide giveaways and book exchanges and collaborated on the sharing platform for study books.
We raise awareness about consumerism, drinking water fountains and reusable drinking cups, and we experiment with disposable coffee corners, vending machine-free buildings, post-mix facilities, ...
Every year, we organise March Environment Month with the homes.
We took part in the Gruute Kuis Gent and work on projects with the City on avoiding litter.
Put your expertise and commitment by joining one of the transition working groups or experimenting in our buildings or on our campuses in a living lab.
Do you have an idea for an event on sustainability? We support a lot of student organisations and staff members who want to organise sustainable activities (both in terms of content and logistics).
Sustainability policy
We also participate in sustainability policy and do policy preparatory work, e.g. through the transition working groups. At the same time, we also put pressure on policy, which remains too slow, too conservative and too cautious. But always constructively and in dialogue!
With lectures, workshops and debates, we inform and engage people. We regularly launch our own awareness-raising campaigns, pamphlets and memoranda. In this way, we show which actions already happen at the Ghent University, and we imagine how a more sustainable university can look like.
