Resource consumption with care

At DTU, we experience that both students and employees are aware of their own habits and want to act sustainably. DTU takes this seriously. We are therefore working to create a physical environment that allows students, employees, and all users of DTU’s campuses to minimize their own resource consumption. We call it resource consumption with care.

Research and development of world-class technology involves resource-intensive activities, as the University depends on laboratories and research infrastructure that consume energy and raw materials. Internally as well as in collaboration with others, we strive to develop circular solutions that minimize resource consumption.

DTU owns the building stock at Lyngby Campus and Ballerup Campus. This provides a unique opportunity to adopt a long-term perspective and to work with holistic solutions that promote both sustainability and profitability. Therefore, DTU has decided that all new construction projects and major renovations must have a high sustainability standard. This also means that DTU has decided that DTU’s campuses and operations will function as living laboratories for technology development. We do this by, for example, installing photovoltaic systems that provide both energy and research opportunities, and by letting Lyngby Campus function as a test track for a selfdriving minibus.

In the following, we elaborate on specific focus areas and initiatives where DTU works to reduce negative resource footprints, with special focus on operations. We do this with respect for our campus planning ambition that we, as people who study at, work at, and visit DTU, should have an experience of a campus environment that contributes to well-being.