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.

• Our vision and mission
• Our team
• Our corporate organisation: Green Office Movement
• Our office: Green Hub
• Volunteering or working for the Green Office

Projects on sustainable education

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 organise yearly summerschools on degrowth, climate and animal welfare, by and for students and several partners.
• Take a look at the Future Proef website (in Dutch) where we put interesting master theses about sustainability subjects in the spotlight.
• With the Future Proef Award, we crown the most sustainable theses
• In 2021, we surveyed students on the sustainability in their programs with the sustainability survey (in Dutch).
• Occasionally, we organise our own student-led classes

Projects on sustainable campuses

What does a sustainable campus look like? And how can a university itself set a good example. We look for possibilities and test it out. 

• We unhardened and greened at Rectoraat, Muinkschelde, at campus Dunant, campus Sterre, campus Coupure (in Dutch).
• We collaborate on ecological green management plans and biodiversity inventories.
• With this list of sustainable cateraars we show you the way!
• We support in organising sustainable events or in making their operations more sustainable.
• With the Sustainability pact we focus on good practices.
• 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.

Social sustainability

Together with Durf Divers Denken (in Dutch) and the coordinator Diversiteit en Inclusie we also work on social sustainability.

• We organise accessibility rounds, where we go around the campus and identify all kinds of barriers.
• We spread a survey (in Dutch) on how faculties deal with diversity in teaching, student contact, and discrimination.
• We support a lot of events in the month of diversity and inclusion.

Community and network

We connect committed students and staff and encourage and support colleagues, volunteers, and policymakers who want to work sustainably.

• Would you like to become a volunteer? Or just come and meet us? Contact us or pop by at the Green Hub!!
• Join the thinktank Transition UGent.

• 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!

• Climate plan

Outreach

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.

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram our subscribe our newsletter! 
• Join Making Tomorrow or one of our Sustainights.
• With an annual Ecomarket, we create 'the place to be' for all things Sustainability, Fairtrade and Second-hand.