Greening University Programme

We are changing the University of Gdańsk into an environmentally friendly university

The aim of the Greening University Programme is to inspire, encourage and support the academic community of the University of Gdańsk to transform the university and facilities at its disposal into a green, resource-efficient and low-emission network of campuses located in Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia and the surrounding area. The implementation of the programme will lead to the systemic integration of the principles of sustainable development throughout the university and in all aspects of its activities, wherever it is possible and feasible. This initiative is supposed to lead to the improvement of the university’s sustainability performance and provide support to all entities embarking on their path to sustainable development.

In cooperation with the academic community, the CSD UG intends to prepare a set of tools necessary to transform the university into a pro-ecological and low-emission institution capable of adopting measures counteracting negative climate change, increasing resource efficiency, improving ecosystem management and minimising the amount of waste and pollution emitted to the environment. In order to ably support this journey and other transformational processes, the university needs a set of effective tools constructed in such a way as to focus on the sustainable planning, design, development and management of the university campus. It is closely related to the basic mission and activity of the university, which is education, research implementation and dissemination of its results.

The implementation of the programme will promote the university’s assistance in the broadly understood sustainable development of the region and the country. The University of Gdańsk, like many universities in the world, will contribute to catalysing a more sustainable society and economy.

The Greening University Programme encompasses a strategic programme of sustainable development management and operational action plans, which are to constitute a kind of engine room of a green university campus. The programme is also a starting point for building or improving appropriate strategies for the development of university campuses, the procurement of goods and services, the attainment of sustainable development goals in classrooms, offices, laboratories, IT services and transport related to the university and commuting to the university by its students and employees.

The Greening University Strategy will be prepared, which will:

  • contain a short introduction to sustainability and sustainable development in the context of a sustainable green university,

  • refer to strategic infrastructure, management, operational and cultural issues that need to be considered when creating a framework for planning and managing a sustainable university,

  • define key performance indicators and examples of measuring sustainability on campus,

  • establish general guidelines for measuring the key performance of university campuses and suggest key actions to improve this performance,

  • present methods of measuring the effects of undertaken activities in order to facilitate the continuous improvement of the university’s results in sustainable development.