The far-reaching consequences of climate change, environmental degradation, and the loss of biodiversity and natural resources demand immediate action. The urgency is greater than ever. We believe that as a university, we must take responsibility and actively contribute to a socially just ecological transition. This is why sustainability is a core value in our programme. We are convinced that we must integrate this value into all aspects of UGent’s operations: in research, education, business operations, and organisation. However, we cannot and do not want to do this alone. A rapid and just transition towards greater sustainability can only be achieved together with society. As a university, we have the expertise to show leadership in this area, but we must be consistent. If UGent does not take sustainability ambitions seriously, who will?
The transition to a more sustainable future can only succeed if the conviction that change is necessary is shared. It is essential that everyone within the university feels involved and responsible for achieving these goals. We must actively encourage the engagement of students and colleagues and create clear frameworks in which they feel supported. We want to see sustainability not as something ‘extra’ but as a prerequisite for everything we do. We want to proudly promote UGent’s sustainability policy, acknowledge challenges, support bottom-up initiatives, and make difficult choices together.
Sustainability is a common thread throughout our programme. We want to make future-proof choices and take a leading role in this theme. We believe that a holistic approach is necessary. The following text forms the basis for us to jointly develop UGent’s sustainability policy in all its aspects.
- Sustainability and research
Sustainability is a complex challenge that requires an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. We want to remove barriers that hinder such research. To make this research truly possible, we provide additional research funds for multidisciplinary research.
Universities are not only knowledge producers but also facilitators of collaboration between different sectors. UGent must optimally utilise its role as a bridge between academia (including both researchers and students), the public and private sectors, and local communities. This enables us to develop innovative solutions and gain the trust of society. Moreover, we can provide governments with scientifically substantiated, impactful recommendations.
- Sustainability and education
It is crucial that we not only make students aware of sustainability issues but also provide them with the knowledge and skills they need to actively contribute to them. We must acknowledge that we are lagging behind in integrating sustainability into our education. The sustainable education survey of 2021, for example, showed that students feel insufficiently prepared for the challenges of the future. Despite positive initiatives, significant improvements are needed. Sustainability must become an integral part of our educational offerings, with clear learning pathways that prepare students for the world in which they will operate.
We believe there is more room for interdisciplinary learning in our education. Sustainability issues cannot be solved from a single discipline. Curricula do not often enough integrate such approaches, failing to meet current and future societal needs. This must change. In collaboration with students and lecturers, we want to further develop and make more visible the (existing) learning pathways around sustainability. We will actively support programmes in this and focus on collaboration. An interdisciplinary course can be relevant to students from multiple programmes, and it is not necessary to offer it separately in each programme. We must remove barriers that hinder such inter- and transdisciplinary education.
- Sustainability in UGent’s business operations and organisation
Sustainability must be anchored not only in our research and education but also in the way we govern UGent as an organisation and organise our business operations. The principle of ‘practice what you preach‘ is crucial for our credibility as an educational institution. We must therefore continue to ask ourselves how we can reduce our ecological footprint. This is not an easy task, especially in a context of budget cuts. Postponing necessary efforts means higher costs in the future. Therefore, we focus primarily on the sustainability goals that UGent has already set for itself and optimise what we are already doing to achieve them.
Sustainability must become an integral part of our decision-making, the management of our infrastructure and surrounding green spaces, our mobility, meals in our restaurants and at events, the procurement of goods and services, etc. We want to safeguard the agreements in the roadmap 2025-2028 and resolutely implement sustainability measures. If the targets are not met, it means to us that we do not resign but adjust and strengthen actions. We also want to make social and environmental criteria more important in our purchases and investments.
- Strengthening and enriching the transition together
UGent’s sustainability policy can only succeed if we work on it together. We therefore further encourage the active involvement of staff and students. This can be done, for example, through the think tank Transitie UGent, the Green Office, sustainability committees, and thematic working groups. The current functioning of these shows that many people are willing to take initiative, provided there is a clear framework and they feel supported. This does not happen automatically; coordinators and facilitators are needed, as well as financial resources to make this happen.
Additionally, it is important that we, as an institution, collaborate with external partners, such as research institutions, NGOs, think tanks, and local governments. We share the same goals with many of these organisations and face similar challenges. By working together, we can share the responsibility for achieving sustainability goals. We can particularly learn together with other Flemish universities and universities that are leaders in the sustainable transition, such as the University of Groningen and Wageningen University and Research. Both their successes and struggles can be inspiring, and together we can seek solutions. This is not only the work of the sustainability coordinator but also of the rectoral team and broader management.