In the Klima N network, TU Ilmenau, the University of Erfurt, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences and Erfurt University of Applied Sciences are working on anchoring sustainability in research, teaching and on campus. The idea: by networking, the universities benefit from their different expertise. At a recent symposium at Erfurt University of Applied Sciences, the participants exchanged views on current topics and issues relating to sustainable university development. In addition to specialist presentations and examples of best practice, student work on sustainable campus design was also presented.
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Sustainability as a common goal: Thuringian universities pool expertise in the Climate N network
"Strengthening sustainability at universities is a task that affects all areas of the university and all its members," says Prof. Jens Wolling, expert in sustainability communication at TU Ilmenau. From research to teaching to administration. Not only at TU Ilmenau, but throughout Thuringia, universities have set themselves the goal of anchoring sustainability more firmly in all areas. In the Klima-N network, Prof. Wolling and Dr. Rochyadi-Reetz work together with partners from three other Thuringian universities to support each other in this goal. By networking, they benefit from the mutual exchange of knowledge and experience. The idea is that the concepts developed and successfully tested at the individual universities can be transferred to other universities in the network and the partners complement each other's expertise. The project is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) until September 30, 2025 as part of the "Transformation Pathways for Sustainable Universities" funding measure.
Impulses and best-practice examples at a symposium
On January 16, the participating universities met for a symposium at Erfurt University of Applied Sciences. The program included a lecture on the cultures of sustainability, presented by Jacobus Bracker from the German Rectors' Conference, as well as a keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Kai-Uwe Sattler, President of TU Ilmenau and Chairman of the Thuringian Conference of State Presidents, on the sustainability initiatives at Thuringian universities. Students on the Master's degree course in Landscape Architecture at Erfurt University of Applied Sciences presented concepts for sustainable campus design. A report on the development and work of the Sustainability Network of Hessian Universities (NNHH) by Juliane Wegner and insights into the formation of cross-university climate and sustainability networks in Austria and Bavaria by Prof. Dr. Hans Stötter from the University of Innsbruck provided impulses and suggestions on what should be considered when setting up the planned Thuringian sustainability network. In the concluding panel discussion, these suggestions were discussed further and ideas were developed as to which steps could contribute to establishing a strong university network for more sustainability in Thuringia.
Four work packages for a sustainable future
Four central work packages, which cover various aspects of sustainability at universities, make up the Climate-N project: The University of Erfurt is dedicated to education for sustainable development (ESD), while Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences and Erfurt University of Applied Sciences, focusing respectively on energy and operations and mobility and biodiversity, are concerned with the implementation of a climate-friendly campus. Under the leadership of Prof. Jens Wolling, TU Ilmenau is responsible for the sustainability communication work package - a multi-layered subject area, as the Head of the Group for Media Research and Political Communication says. His research focuses on three aspects of sustainability communication: communicating information about sustainability, presenting university sustainability activities ("of sustainability") and active communication to promote sustainable behavior ("for sustaiability"):
We try not only to provide information about sustainability, but also to create incentives to actively participate. We want to initiate practical changes and at the same time reflect scientifically on which communication measures work. Successful sustainability communication is the key to change.
Sustainability initiatives at the TU Ilmenau
All universities focus on the so-called "Whole Institutional Approach", i.e. the anchoring of sustainability in all areas - this is also the case at TU Ilmenau. Over the past few years, the university has embarked on a wide range of sustainability projects in teaching, research and infrastructure to create a sustainable community. In line with this holistic approach, the Executive Board has set up the Sustainability Task Group with members from various areas of the university. Students and employees are involved in planning and implementing sustainability measures. In addition, the TU Ilmenau Student Council has founded the Sustainability Working Group, whose members implement a variety of sustainability campaigns. For example, Sustainability Days are held every semester.
TU Ilmenau has succeeded in reducing its energy requirements by better utilizing its machines and laboratories, introducing an interdisciplinary lecture series on sustainability and increasing biodiversity on campus through wild flowering meadows. In line with the 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN), sustainability has been included in the strategic development goals of TU Ilmenau as an integral part of university life.
As a university with a wide range of engineering courses, Prof. Kai-Uwe Sattler sees sustainability as an integral part of engineering education:
Engineers should learn from the outset to design materials and products in such a way that they conserve resources and are durable. Sustainability should be considered from the outset in the sense of a circular economy.
To this end, TU Ilmenau has joined forces with six other universities in Thuringia in another cross-university project, "Thüringen Lehrt und Lernt Nachhaltig"(ThüLeNa), which is supported by the Carl Zeiss Foundation with funding of 2.5 million euros, in order to anchor sustainability as a central element in engineering degree courses. The aim is to enable students to understand the complexity of social change towards sustainability, to analyze problems holistically and to develop solutions in inter- and transdisciplinary working environments.
More about sustainability at the TU Ilmenau: www.tu-ilmenau.de/en/university/profile/sustainability
Impressions of the Climate N Symposium in Erfurt
