08 Looking ahead to a new sustainable year

As of 1 January 2024, disposable cups are no longer available at the Vitam coffee corners and coffee machines on campus Woudestein, EUC and ISS.  Students and staff are encouraged to bring their own reusable cup to campus. 

As a part of the new sustainable mobility scheme, from 1 January 2024, the parking day rate for employees was raised by 50 cents. 

The last sustainability dialogue, ‘From Words to Action’, took place on campus on 5 February 2024. Eleven previous dialogues were organised: two cross-school dialogues on FFI engagement and eco-positive campus, and nine school dialogues on sustainability in education, research and operations of each faculty. During this final event, the outcomes of all dialogues were shared with the EUR community.   

Late last year, a pilot started in the Langeveld Building, aiming to reduce litter in the lecture rooms. Various 'nudges' such as posters and banners, grounded in scientific research, were placed throughout the building. Results show that, thanks to this method, litter in the teaching spaces of Langeveld Building was reduced by 63%!

The renovation of Tinbergen Building is an important part of improving the sustainability of campus Woudestein. The renovation ensures more efficient energy use through double glazing, solar panels, energy-efficient installations, natural ventilation and sustainable materials.

Now, students and employees can get coffee with oat milk by default at caterer Vitam's coffee corners on campus Woudestein and at EUC. If they prefer cow's milk instead, they need to order it explicitly. With this step, Vitam wants to reduce its environmental impact. 

Due to the success of the Dutch version of the Inclusive Energy Transition Honours Programme, an English track is being developed and will start in the 2024/2025 academic year.  

The Marketing & Communication department is actively working on the Sustainable Event Application, aiming to share it with the EUR event planning community and make it accessible beyond the university's reach. The Sustainable Event Application will help (EUR) event managers plan CO2-neutral or even eco-positive events.

Based on input from the EUR community, the industry collaboration policy guidelines will be developed and submitted to the Executing Board. The goal is to implement a new industry collaboration policy in the 2024/2025 academic year. 

During the Opening of the Academic Year in September, the Sustainability Award 2024 will be awarded to a sustainable initiative. Last year, the award went to the Economic Faculty Association Rotterdam (EFR). 

We are very happy to announce that we will welcome higher education institutions and organizations from across The Netherlands on the 11th of October 2024 at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Together, we’ll reimagine the role of universities in shaping a just and sustainable society and foster a collaborative movement within Dutch academia. Regardless of our fields of study or research, the desire to leave behind a thriving planet for future generations unites us all. 

The pond needed a major overhaul. Fences have been placed; the water has largely been pumped out for access, and work has started to renew the walls and much more. This project will take until early November to complete.

As the current strategic period concludes in 2024, all associated strategic programmes will also come to an end. Looking ahead, sustainability will remain a core theme in the new strategy for 2025-2030. However, the approach to implementing sustainability initiatives will be thoroughly revised to better align with emerging challenges and opportunities. This revision aims to ensure that sustainability practices are more effective and integrated across all parts of the organisation.