The Sustainability Map

Explore Sustainability Features Online

The sustainability map is an interactive map of the RWTH campus and provides an overview of activities and features related to sustainability. What is special about it? It shows exactly where everything is located on campus. This way, anyone can quickly see what is happening where. Members of the campus community enter their various projects and features themselves, and after an official check, the entries are published.

The picture shows a schematic map of the RWTH campus. The map shows circles with numbers and colored symbols at specific locations. The numbers mark the spatial location of sustainability projects on the campus.
The Interactive Sustainability Map of RWTH Aachen University
The picture shows a schematic map of the RWTH campus. The map shows circles with numbers and colored symbols at specific locations. The numbers mark the spatial location of sustainability projects on the campus.

All entries on the sustainability map are furthermore assigned to the different global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to the organizational unit and status, the area of activity (formerly sphere of action) is also indicated. You can choose between: Research, Teaching and Learning, Operations, Governance, and Cross-Cutting Tasks. Various filters allow you to highlight which of the above areas interests you.

The graphical representation makes it easy to see where RWTH and the campus community are creating a more sustainable future on campus in real life and how diverse the various points of interest are. The map thus offers an initial orientation to projects and activities with a sustainability focus at RWTH. If you are particularly interested in specific entries, you will also find contact information and links to further information.

Entries in RWTH’s Sustainability Map by impact area. On the right: Aspects addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), multiple assignments are possible. The map includes activities that are planned, currently being implemented, or have already been completed, and ongoing projects (as of mid-2023).
Entries in RWTH’s Sustainability Map by impact area. On the right: Aspects addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), multiple assignments are possible. The map includes activities that are planned, currently being implemented, or have already been completed, and ongoing projects (as of mid-2023).

Which Activities Are Shown?

Approximately half of the entries, namely 52%, are research-related (as of mid-2023). Topics such as the circular economy, social innovations, and the use of natural resources are addressed. You will also find courses, collaborations, resource-saving projects, and student initiatives. The topics of these activities range from campus greening and selecting an efficient, high-performance computer to courses on the transformation of cities. Across all impact areas, SDGs 3, 7, and 9 are addressed most frequently. These goals are concerned with the topics of health, energy, and innovation.

Entries in the Interactive Sustainability Map for the entire impact area of research, according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The map includes activities that are planned, currently being implemented, or have already been completed, and ongoing projects (as of mid-2023).

Addressing SDGs in Research

The sustainability activities entered for the impact area of research cover all the SDGs with one exception. Only SDG 1 is not mentioned. A large proportion of the entries for research address SDGs 7, 9, and 12. SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy – is addressed by scholars investigating grid expansion, electromobility, and electrification. Researchers contribute to SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – and SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production – through topics such as recycling, manufacturing products from renewable raw materials, and sustainable business practices.

Did you know?

Anyone can enter new projects via the website and make them visible to others. Learn more here.