governance

Governance in connection with sustainability refers primarily to the so-called “good university management”, which means that the holistic approach must also be implemented organizationally in the university structure and its processes. Within the university management, Vice President Prof. Dirk Metzger is responsible for sustainability. Prof. Holger Rohn acts as the sustainability officer of the THM . The formation of a sustainability board is planned to broadly anchor and ensure the participation of university members.

sustainability management
The creation of basic organizational structures is an essential component for the permanent anchoring of sustainability in our university. The sustainability department acts as a coordinating and organizing structure and forms the sustainability management of the THM together with the sustainability officer and the vice-president 'strategic building planning and sustainability, facility management'.

sustainability strategy
The THM can only become more sustainable if broad participation is made possible for all university members at the different levels of the university. The assumption of responsibility and the personal commitment of each individual both strategically, organizationally and operationally is crucial for the success of our common path towards a more sustainable THM .
The strategy concept to be developed should formulate concrete development perspectives and possible sustainability goals and incorporate the links planned in the THM university strategy. The development will take place with the help of a participatory strategy process within the university.

Studies & Teaching

In the performance dimension of teaching, existing activities at the interface to sustainability are to be bundled in close cooperation with the responsible Vice President. For more sustainability in teaching, new initiatives are to be created, such as an overview of degree programmes with a focus on sustainability and information on theses with a focus on sustainability. Relevant cross-cutting issues are identified in order to be able to define and visualize “sustainability” in teaching for the THM .

research

In the research performance dimension, existing activities of the departments and the Centres of Competence are to be bundled in close cooperation with the responsible Vice President at the interface to sustainability. For more sustainability in research, new initiatives are to be created, such as greater networking of researchers on the subject of sustainability THM - both internally and externally, and information on research work with a focus on sustainability. Relevant cross-cutting issues are identified in order to promote "sustainability" in research for the To be able to define THM and make it visible.

transfer

In the transfer performance dimension, which is closely associated with teaching and research, existing activities of the departments and the Centres of Competence at the interface to sustainability are to be bundled in close cooperation with the responsible Vice President. For innovative transfer formats with a focus on sustainability, existing activities should be continued and new initiatives created. Relevant cross-cutting issues are identified in order to be able to define and visualize “sustainability” in the area of ​​transfer for the THM .

university operations

With a focus on energy efficiency and climate protection, THM has been working intensively on the subject of sustainability for several years. This is implemented in particular in the ECO2 project and documented in the energy and resource report. With the aim of making other facets of the university operations of the THM more sustainable, the priorities listed below were identified.

ECO2 – Energy concept for a CO₂-neutral university
Due to the continuous increase in the number of students in recent years as well as further new buildings and additional space rented, the energy consumption of the university has increased significantly. It is important to reduce energy consumption as best as possible through energy-saving measures and to compensate for it with renewable energies in order to achieve the goal of CO by 2030 ₂to realize a neutral university. Because the Hessian state government has the CO ₂- neutral state administration by 2030. An energy concept to reduce CO ₂-Emissions created at the university, from which effective measures are derived and implemented.

Sustainable Campus
In the commitment to a more sustainable THM campus, especially at the Gießen and Friedberg locations, concrete measures are to be designed and implemented. The focus is on low-threshold projects in the areas of biodiversity and microclimate, approaches to adapting the campus areas to the climate, as well as the activation of building surfaces or the use of rainwater (etc.). University areas such as paved campus areas, green spaces and buildings offer potential for the preservation and improvement of local biodiversity, which is important for habitats, especially in urban areas. Through the availability, type and extent of planting, natural habitats can be preserved or created and at the same time offer users a positive environment. The goals and measures for the sustainable campus affect all fields of action, but in particular the "university operations", "study and teaching" and the "transfer" of the THM . They also generate higher visibility and thus contribute to the communicability of sustainability activities.

Green IT
The aim of the Green-IT project is to develop a strategy, design, implement and support sustainability measures in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT).
The increasing role of ICT in everyday university life has a high direct and indirect impact on the consumption of raw materials and energy and the associated environmental pollution such as CO_2eq-Emissions, critical raw materials etc. after themselves. An integrated concept for procurement, operation, user behavior and an end-of-life strategy should counteract this and achieve the highest possible efficiency. With the development of concepts for the operation of IT infrastructure, such as in data centers, including the use of waste heat, an attempt should be made to embed IT operations in a higher-level energy concept. By informing, raising awareness and training the university members, they should be instructed in responsible use. More sustainable IT infrastructures in connection with an adapted user behavior influence all fields of action of the THM : governance, studies & teaching, research, transfer, university operations and create interfaces to all other sustainability components of the THM .

Sustainable mobility
The project sustainable mobility has the creation of concepts for the reduction of mobility-induced environmental pollution, such as CO_2eqemissions, the establishment of mobility management and the implementation of low-threshold measures for more sustainable mobility.
Based on the first internal investigations, it can be stated that the area of ​​mobility, especially in the form of the arrival and departure of students and employees, is the largest CO₂-Driver at the THM as a presence university in the region (examination 2019/20 before the COVID-19 pandemic). Alternative concepts, cooperation with municipalities, the districts, the student union and other actors (e.g. public transport, intermodal mobility) should be used to find ways to reduce the CO ₂- Reduce the footprint of all arrival and departure activities. In terms of a transformation of mobility, these must be continuously defined, implemented, evaluated and optimized through mobility management. In addition, the THM fleet (cars and commercial vehicles) is to be consistently converted to more ecological alternatives or supplemented. Another focus of mobility management is the optimization and reduction of business mobility (especially short-haul flights) and actively supporting changes in user behavior (raising awareness, push/pull measures). So that mobility can be made more sustainable, more environmentally friendly and with fewer emissions, all fields of action of the THM within the meaning of the WIA must be included.

Contact

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Sustainability department