Environmental management | Governance

Osnabrück University views the issue of sustainability as a systemic, comprehensive approach from which a sustainability transformation is derived. The university management and members are pursuing the environmental goal of being climate-neutral by 2035 and are acting within the framework of the UOS environmental guidelines. They are creating an organizational framework, updating the greenhouse gas balance, implementing concrete measures and supporting regular reporting. The aim is to develop and implement a sustainability strategy and thus establish a culture of sustainability.

Osnabrück University's environmental management records and evaluates all of the university's environmental impacts. This includes the consumption of energy, heat and water as well as the volume of traffic caused by students and staff or the consumption of paper and other materials. The aim of environmental management is to derive measures and reduce the environmental impact. A detailed analysis of this can be found in the climate protection concept (the concept can be obtained from the  Environmental Coordinator).

An important component of the environmental management system is our  energy management. The constant improvement of energy efficiency, the sensible and economical use of energy and the expansion of the use of renewable energies are central guiding principles.

Preamble

Osnabrück University has adopted the following guidelines in accordance with the "Copernicus Charter for Sustainable Development". These guidelines are to be adopted and innovatively implemented by the members of the University in their personal areas of work and study.

Operation of Osnabrück University

  1. For us, protecting the environment means avoiding dangers to people and the environment, continuously reducing the consumption of resources and energy and minimizing emissions and waste so that the University makes its contribution to sustainable development.
  2. In order to achieve this, the university will set environmental goals with the involvement of university members and establish an effective environmental management system to implement them, the development of which will be regularly reported to the Senate.
  3. Environmental protection at the university is to be networked across departments so that both the administration and schools cooperate in environmental protection matters. In addition, the university maintains an exchange with other universities to promote the idea of environmental protection. It strives for political and social support in order to achieve the goal of an environmentally friendly and sustainability-oriented university.
  4. The university maintains an open dialog and conducts targeted public relations work. This ensures that the steps taken to implement its environmental policy can be evaluated by the university public.
  5. The university provides further training for staff in environmentally relevant areas.
  6. The environmental impact of future investments and purchases by the university should be considered in advance. Environmentally friendly options should be given preference wherever possible. The university works with its business partners to achieve an ecological improvement in the goods and services it procures.
  7. Legal requirements and official regulations are minimum standards that must be complied with and should be exceeded wherever possible.

Teaching and research

  1. The University endeavors to give due weight to environmentally relevant issues in teaching and research.
  2. A prerequisite for guaranteeing freedom in research and teaching is the assumption of responsibility for its consequences. This includes the preservation of the natural foundations of life in the interests of present and future generations. Teaching staff and students therefore strive to minimize the negative effects of teaching and research.
  3. The schools and the university's interdisciplinary institutions promote scientific work in the environmental field and participation in events on environmental issues.
  4. They are committed to the networking and interdisciplinary processing of environmentally relevant issues in research and teaching, both within the university and in cooperation with other universities.

By signing the Copernicus Charter of the European University Rectors' Conference and by adopting the Environmental Guidelines (1997), the University adopted two frameworks for environmental protection at an early stage, which are binding for all members of the University.

On December 9, 2020, the state of Lower Saxony passed its own  climate law, whose climate protection targets were raised in the amendment.

The current valid version (from 2024) requires greenhouse gas neutrality for the state of Lower Saxony by 2040 and greenhouse gas neutrality for the state administration by 2035.

The GHG balance (greenhouse gas balance) of Osnabrück University was calculated in accordance with the  GHG Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol). It is made up of three parts, which also determine the system boundaries.

Scope 1: Direct generation of GHG - here through the operation of gas heating systems and the use of our own vehicles powered by fossil fuels

Scope 2: Indirect generation of GHGs, primarily through externally generated and internally consumed electricity energy

Scope 3: This part of the protocol accounts for further indirect emissions from procurement, business travel, water/wastewater and waste.

In addition: Commuter mobility and land use are reported as additional items.

The detailed greenhouse gas balance sheet 2022 can be found in the climate protection concept.  Read more

In the  COUNTS project of the Sustainability Network of Lower Saxony's Universities (HochNiNa), the GHG balance sheet is being further modified.

Environmental reporting has been carried out regularly every two years since 2002. Old reports and information on the development of corporate environmental protection at the university can be obtained from the  Environmental Coordinator.