EUR campus as a living lab for sustainable innovations
Introduction
It is our ambition to work towards a CO2-neutral campus in 2024, with regard to scope 1 and 2 emissions (see the chapter on Carbon Footprint). We aim to achieve this by being more energy sufficient, through sustainable catering, more biodiversity, sustainable procurement and mobility, by reducing, reusing and recycling waste and by contributing to the Climate Agreement of 2030.
In this chapter, we proudly present an overview of our operations-related efforts and activities regarding sustainability in 2022.
Facts and figures
Renewable energy
The university is powered entirely by renewable energy: our electricity is supplied by a combination of wind energy generated in the Netherlands and solar energy produced from photovoltaic systems mounted on nine rooftops across the campus. We rely on district heating for our heating and hot water needs but compensate for the ensuing emissions with carbon offsetting.
Building Management
In 2022, two new sustainable buildings were completed on campus Woudestein. In September, the new Sports Building was opened. The building is completely energy-neutral thanks to the use of solar panels and its connection to the campus' thermal energy storage system. Wherever possible, recycled building materials have been used.
Langeveld Building, a multifunctional education building, opened its doors in November. The building generates its own energy, has an innovative ventilation system that uses 85% less energy than a traditional ventilation system, is climate-proof and can be used flexibly for all forms of future education. The design also reflects green and natural elements and has incorporated recycled materials as much as possible. This has resulted in a BREEAM-outstanding certification. Only less than 1% of buildings in the Netherlands have this top qualification according to the world's leading sustainability assessment method, which makes Langeveld Building on of the most sustainable educational buildings.
Electricity consumption (in kWh) per year
The chart above in tabular form:
Energy consumption (in GJ) per year
The chart above in tabular form:
Water use (in m3) per year
The chart above in tabular form:
The total consumption has increased in 2022 when compared to 2021 and 2020. In the case of energy consumption, is even higher than 2019, which is a regular year before COVID-19.
Most rooms on campus are equipped with motion sensors to avoid any unnecessary use of electricity, and more sensors are on the list of upcoming renovations. Starting in 2023, the opening hours of the offices at Woudestein Campus will change. By limiting the opening hours and concentrating evening classes in energy-efficient buildings, the university expects to save around 5-10% energy.
Waste Management
As of April 2022, a myriad of food leftovers end up in EUR's brand-new composting machine. The machine quickly turns organic waste into nutritious compost. This represents a big step towards lower CO2 emissions for EUR, as it reduces waste volume and weight by a staggering 85 percent! That’s because organic waste consists largely of water. The machine takes out the water, making the waste volume much more compact. As a result, much less waste needs to be transported from campus.
Waste collection in tonnes per year
The chart above in tabular form:
Waste consumption [tonnes]
2018
793
2019
687
2020
353
2021
298
2022
426
Highlights and achievements
Food and catering
EUR aims to transition to a vegan campus in 2030, to lower our carbon "foodprint", offer healthy food and contribute to the necessary change in our food system.
Coffee supplier Maas launched a pilot with plant-based milk in October. During the pilot, it was possible to get a plant-based cappuccino or other hot drink from three vending machines on campus.
Also, our big events are more sustainable as of last year: food that is served during the Dies Natalis and the Opening of the Academic Year is completely vegan and from local producers. The faculties give more attention to plant-based food as well.
Erasmus Food Lab organised the Co-Ex challenge: a competition between the three biggest faculties of our university (ESL, RSM and ESE). The goal was to encourage people to choose vegan options. Erasmus School of Economics was named the winner.
EUR aims to make it as easy as possible for employees to take the train by working with an external travel agency for bookings. The tender was prepared in 2022, and a fixed contract can be expected in 2023.
A decrease in international travel can be seen in the past years (also due to COVID-19). In 2022, EUR had over 1,000 flight movements less in comparison to 2019. That's a decrease of 43%.
In addition, EUR has signed the Rotterdam Climate Agreement. This makes the university a partner of the Climate Alliance for Sustainable Mobility, with a target of 50% lower CO2 emissions from passenger transport in 2030 compared to 2016.
Green campus
The global energy crisis also had its effect on the EUR. Therefore, thermostats have been turned down to a temperature of 19 degrees Celsius in all buildings. Also, outside of the buildings, there have been many innovations that contribute to our ambition to become one of the most sustainable universities of the Netherlands.
Our new electric mail truck with LED lighting has replaced the old diesel truck on campus Woudestein. As a result, we save about 500 litres of diesel and 1.6 tons of CO2 emissions per year. That's about the same as flying an aircraft from Amsterdam to Rome three times over. Moreover, it immediately makes the air on campus slightly cleaner due to fewer diesel fumes.
ICT
Old laptops and desktops do not end up in landfills if they come from EUR. Rather, they are given a second life and put to good use. Our ICT Service Desk donates these laptops to EcoWare, on behalf of faculty demand managers. Collaboration with this company was continued in 2022.
In the Smart Campus Project, data are used to make Campus Woudestein more liveable and sustainable. Sensors are placed at various locations on campus to collect data on air pollution, indoor climate, people flows and heat distribution. In combination with other data from campus users, issues relating to use of buildings, energy consumption, travel behaviour, signposting and health will be addressed and tackled. More information about the Smart Campus Project can be found on the website of the Erasmus Centre for Data Analytics.
Environmentally sustainable operations will consume less energy and produce less waste.
