Participation

GreenTeams, Sustainability Round Table, and Others

The picture shows a hand writing a note on a notepad with a pen. In the background, a person is sitting and writing on a computer.
Martin Braun

Participation is a central and guiding element of RWTH’s evolving sustainability journey. The aim is to continuously integrate the expertise, ideas, and perspectives of all our University’s members as we move forward.

The GreenTeams

The GreenTeams have become an important forum offering all our University’s members the chance to engage in our sustainability journey. These teams emerged from the first “Sustainability at RWTH” workshop in 2021. Since then, the meetings have been held once a semester on the topics of campus operations, research, and teaching and learning. The GreenTeams are led by the respective Rector's Delegates for Sustainability and supported by the Sustainability and University Governance Staff Unit. The first sessions took place in the fall of 2021. By the end of 2022, we were able to look back on nine online sessions with a total of 405 participants. The meetings were open to all members of the University. The participants in the GreenTeam sessions got to learn about various exciting topics, such as sustainable electricity procurement at RWTH, the Sustainability Micro-Bachelor’s program, and the Sustainability Roadmap, and actively contribute their ideas and perspectives. Direct feedback from staff and students is extremely important for our ongoing journey toward sustainability. This way, we can cater to everyone’s various needs, such as providing more background information for new projects or offering other helpful approaches, such as fact sheets for specific sustainability topics.

Sustainability Round Table

Every semester, the Sustainability Round Table offers a platform for student initiatives, student councils, the AStA Students’ Committee, and the Sustainability and University Governance Staff Unit to discuss issues and share their ideas. The meetings offer students an excellent opportunity to discuss ongoing progress and planned developments. Guests are regularly invited to the meetings to contribute their expertise and ideas on various sustainability topics. Students also have a chance to introduce their student initiatives and showcase current projects. They can furthermore share their ideas and information with the University Governance Staff Unit and discuss them with other students.

Sustainability Round Table at Platanenplatz
Hannah Georg

The first Round Table took place in June 2021. By mid-2023, six more meetings had been held. The topics ranged from general questions about RWTH’s sustainability journey and how the University communicates with students to the greening of the campus.

Sustainability Network

The Sustainability Network was established in May 2022 to develop clear and transparent communication channels and show who is responsible for the different sustainability topics at RWTH Aachen University. The network comprises over 40 sustainability officers at the University’s faculties, institutions, student councils, and administrative departments. These officers are available to University members as contacts and facilitators and help address sustainability issues at the various RWTH institutions in a targeted manner. Network meetings are held twice a semester to allow network members to engage in dialogue regularly. In 2022, there were a total of four network meetings. These were some of the key questions discussed: “Do we need a sustainability culture at RWTH?” or “How can we motivate University members to save energy?” Many sustainability officers were also ready to share their ideas at the 2nd RWTH Sustainability Workshop in March 2023.

Further Information
Sustainability Networks at RWTH