vision and mission statement: We will operate the THM locations in Giessen and Friedberg from 2030 CO2-neutral and are among the most sustainable German universities in terms of per capita consumption of natural resources per student/employee/professor. We procure regional, durable and energy-efficient products from sustainable sources. We make a significant contribution to optimizing THM 's ecological footprint.
Definition of "sustainability" for the performance dimension of university operations: Sustainable university operations include the efficient use of resources and the substitution of non-sustainable sources with sustainable ones. As a result, sustainable university operations lead to reduced resource consumption and improved waste, wastewater and emission values.
The structures existing at the THM in the various Department and the existing know-how should be used to further develop the sustainability issues and to introduce them to the THM . Department and Departments of the THM should be coordinated and supported centrally in order to be able to contribute as best as possible. The THM is supposed to be real laboratory serve. For example, the existing knowledge in energy or building management should and can be applied directly on site. Among other things, research projects, theses and case studies should be used for this purpose.
Together with the sustainability management and controlling of the THM , a sustainability controlling be set up so that on the one hand the potential and on the other hand the success of the implementation can be assessed more precisely.
Selected topics with high sustainability potential are presented below:
- Waste management: Circular economy, waste prevention, separation and reuse
- Procurement: certified sustainable; regional
- Energy management: Energy concept for a CO2-neutral university (ECO2)
- IT: paperless studies and administration, green digitization
- Infrastructure and resource management: Development of share culture, adapted space management
- Mobility: bike-friendly university, mobility and business trip management
- Sustainable campus: Biodiversity, microclimate, sustainable nutrition (canteen), climate adaptation
- Sustainability controlling and communication
Real laboratories as a conception and implementation environment in interaction with the established sustainability controlling not only represent the start in the short term (until 2025), but also provide the framework for the further medium and long-term operational sustainability goals. Both the prioritization of the identified topic areas and their implementation in the time horizons up to 2025 / up to 2030 / up to 2045 are process-based, step-by-step in parallel and with different levels of detail.
The complete Sub-strategy of university operations, including suggestions for measures and their measurability, is available as a PDF.