Sustainability development in university operations

Universities are currently expected to play a pioneering role on the path to sustainable development. Sustainability issues should not only be increasingly addressed in research and teaching, but also be applied in day-to-day university operations.

With the sustainability concept for operations adopted in 2022, the University of Kassel is building on its many years of environmental profile development as well as on existing structures for operational sustainability management. In this way, a comprehensive operational change process towards more sustainability and climate protection is to be achieved. The concept encompasses campus development under sustainability aspects and combines strategic control issues with operational implementation. It includes: Guidelines for improving environmental performance, an overview of the new organizational structure, and steering measures to increase internal university commitment in terms of a sustainable organizational culture.

To drive the operational sustainability process, the University established a Sustainability Office (Green Office) in July 2022. The Green Office acts as a central contact, organizational, networking and coordination point on the topic of sustainability in the company and on campus. This is intended to promote the sustainable development of operational processes as a cross-sectional task. The defined guidelines for sustainable action in daily operations are intended to help initiate important structural developments and changes at the university and improve environmental performance. With its participatory approach, it involves all university stakeholders and departments in the development process and thus relies on the commitment of everyone.