How can a knowledge institution contribute to a more sustainable society? To VUB the answer lies in ‘a holistic approach and the maximal commitment of all players’.
Generally this type of phrasing leads to the suspicion of lip service, to hide the fact that in reality not nearly as much effort is put into actually changing behaviours. But behind the sustainability vision of VUB there is a very broad palette of concrete actions and realisations. The university points to projects such as We Are Paris (2015), the foundation of the Sustainability Forum and internal initiatives such as the Sustainable Tuesdays. The institution is also in the process of gradually replacing its fleet of service vehicles with electric and hybrid alternatives, not to mention the student restaurant that makes sure all of its served fish can be traced to sustainable sources.
These are just a few of the concrete commitments that VUB undertakes to help counter the further warming of our planet. The full text of with actions can be found on the website of the Flemish Climate Summit.