Our Understanding
The role of universities in sustainability
Humans are facing great ecological and social challenges. Universities have a central role to play in addressing these challenges. Every university has its own core competencies and range of subjects and thus its own opportunities for making its own positive contribution. Universities can be said to leave a footprint, handprint, and brainprint.
A university’s footprint can be seen as the negative impacts that require minimizing—for example, greenhouse gas emissions. A university’s handprint can refer to activities in, for example, teaching and knowledge exchange that have a positive impact and should be optimally developed. A university’s brainprint is the result of research projects that have a positive effect on sustainable development.
These prints should be fostered and made visible. The University of Hamburg has firmly established this role with its guiding principle “Innovating and cooperating for a sustainable future.”
University of Hamburg’s understanding of sustainability
The University’s strategy development is based on a broad understanding of sustainability and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, we take a whole institution approach, whereby we incorporate all University activities (research, teaching, knowledge exchange, governance, and administration) and all University members (students, administrative and teaching staff, and researchers) into the development and implementation of the strategy. Sustainability is viewed in all of its manifestations (ecological, social, and governance).
Sustainable campus: Making sustainability tangible
Sustainability should be made possible and tangible at every important juncture:
- University: enrollment, welcome
- Campus: student dining hall, water fountains, bathrooms, bike stations, showers, waste disposal, recycling, sports, events, parties
- Green areas: biodiversity, unsealing, urban gardening
- Research and teaching: sustainable research and teaching, study and research spaces, library
- Daily life: housing, shopping, eating, commuting, traveling
University of Hamburg 2030 Sustainability Strategy
As a University of Excellence with an international reputation, the University of Hamburg combines academic excellence with social responsibility. Our vision for 2030 is to become a flagship university that drives sustainable and digital developments.
In accordance with our guiding principle “Innovating and Cooperating for a Sustainable Future in a Digital Age,” we are actively shaping the twin transformation of sustainability and digitalization with the goal of developing new solutions to global challenges. To do so, our Executive University Board is formulating new strategic goals and creating the conditions for a future-oriented university.
Our 2030 Sustainability Strategy (PDF, in German only) is the result of an extensive participatory process involving many parts of the University community.