SUSTAINABILITY
An increasingly sustainable university
Students from the Leiden University Green Office (LUGO)
Leiden University is at the heart of the local community, and is keen to promote sustainability with our teaching, research and business operations.
T
he University takes its responsibility to society seriously and works hard to improve its performance on sustainability and the environment in the fields of housing, energy, water, mobility, procurement and investment, and waste. Our environmental goals can be found in our Environmental Policy Plan, and we publish our results in an annual report. We will draw up a new plan in 2020 with more-ambitious goals.
Research into plastic in Leiden’s canals: Plastic Spotter.
CONCERNS ABOUT THE CLIMATE
ACTIVE STUDENTS
In response to growing concerns about climate change, one of our goals is to drastically decrease the University’s C02 footprint. We can achieve this by reducing our use of fossil fuels, investing in energy-efficient alternatives and compensating (purchasing green certificates) for the C02 emitted by flights. We aim to reduce the University’s C02 footprint by 50% in 2020. This will enable us to meet the goals of our Environmental Policy Plan.
Our students are actively involved in our sustainability activities. Some of our students work together with the University at the Leiden University Green Office (LUGO). They devise, collect and realise green plans and initiatives, and maintain close contact with the University community. LUGO has a presence in The Hague and Leiden.
24
LEIDEN UNIVERSITY CORPORATE MAGAZINE 2020
