WSES 1st Assignment: Sustainability Project Prior to the summit in September, you are asked to work on some assignments to be well prepared as a delegate for your university. We ask you to pick a project on sustainability which has successfully been implemented at your university and you think could be beneficial for other universities, too. Please write an essay about it on 1-2 pages and if possible supply it with 2-3 photos which illustrate the project. Increased Energy Efficiency at the Munich University of Technology’s Weihenstephan Campus - Center of Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan The Center of Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan is considered as the „green“ campus of the Munich University of Technology (TUM). Situated outside the city, it offers courses in the field of resource management, forestry, agriculture, biotechnology, nutritional science and related fields. Besides focussing the research in these areas, there is also an emphasis to create a greener studying environment e.g. by including a lot of wood when planning new buildings on campus as well as organic food options at the cafeteria. To continue this development the Research Center for Nutrition and Food Sciences (Zentralinstitut für Ernährungs- und Lebensmittelforschung – ZIEL) developed a working group on increased energy efficiency. Its goal is to develop a working eco-management system at the institute as well as the centre of life and food science at a whole. First off the working group is looking at energy and water efficiency, waste and toxic material management as well as transport. In the long run it is planned to implement the management system at all three campuses of TUM. The overall aim of the group is to receive an international eco-management certification such as EMAS for the university. So far the working group has developed environmental guidelines for the Center of Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan (WZW), on the basis that its orientation to provide research and teaching in the field of responsible use and management of nature and its resources. These guidelines include
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Consideration of the environment and resources in all decisions regarding organisation and operation of WZW
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Reduction of resource and energy use as well as emissions, waste and waste water production.
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Strive towards own energy production
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To exceed state regulations in terms of environmental and resource protection
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To educate WZW personnel and students in the fields of environmental and resource protection
Currently the working group is assessing the energy efficiency of all campus buildings in order to develop a more effective heating and cooling strategy. While doing so, they are encountering assessment problems such as the evaluation of multi-purpose buildings (offices, lecture halls and laboratories) as well as regulatory difficulties when it come to implementing photovoltaic panels on rooftops, as this decided by the local government rather than the owner of the building. Currently the working group is doing very important research work, but there is still a long way to go in order to turn this “green” campus ecologically friendly. The assessment of possibilities and obstacles is a very important step in change management and should be given considerable amount of time and energy as it creates the basis for improvement. For more information (in German) please visit: Working Group Energy Efficiency: http://www.wzw.tum.de/ziel/index.php?id=65 Umweltleitfaden: http://www.wzw.tum.de/urm/index.php?id=20
NB: As there are no pictures of the working group, please find some pictures of the campus attached instead.