Sustainability Week 2024

In October the Green Office will celebrate its 10th anniversary (!) and we will once again be organizing Sustainability Week. Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UG's sustainability program together with the University and the Green Office. Be inspired by speakers from within and outside the University, go on a guided tour and get to know nature in the city better, come to the premiere of the animated film Sauvages in the Forum or test your knowledge during the Great Green Pub Quiz.

We are also proud to announce that our keynote lecture on Monday will be given by special professor of sustainable banking Sandra Phlippen! This year, the keynote is organized in collaboration with Studium Generale.

Information about the entire programme can be found lower on this page. Missing information will be added as soon as possible!

Tickets

The Green Office team puts together a program every year with love and attention. To prevent no-shows at our events, we are working with a new system this year. You can no longer register for events via a form. From this year onwards we will work with tickets. Our events will of course remain free to attend. Your ticket will be scanned at the event.

Please note: tickets for the keynote lecture by Sandra Phlippen and the Knowledge café are available via Studium Generale!

Sustainability photo of the year competition

To celebrate the Green Office's 10th anniversary in October, we are also organizing the 'sustainable photo of the year' competition. Everyone can participate! To involve students and employees in sustainability and to raise awareness about sustainability in our environment, we invite everyone to keep a close eye. What story do you think goes with sustainability? What strikes you?

Electrolytes

Perhaps you have noticed the drawings in and around the Linnaeusborg, on the walls, the floor and in the outdoor area? This is the work of Richard Bolhuis. Bolhuis (NL/UK) creates transdisciplinary installations in which his meditative soundscapes and organic drawings play a prominent role. Mystery and intuition are the primary elements in his practice.

During Sustainability Week, an extra dimension is added to the installations. The works can then be experienced all week in combination with light and soundscapes in the courtyard of the Energy Academy!

Walk | Biodiversity at the Noorderplantsoen

The decline in biodiversity in our country is alarming. The good news is that we can all do something about it! Trees can play a significant role in this. Walking from tree to tree in the Noorderplantsoen, Peter Kruijt will talk about trees as lifesavers. Join the Green Office on a guided tour and learn all about the biodiversity and ecology of the Noorderplantsoen and the City Centre.

Due to circumstances, Peter Kruijt will be replaced this year by Jan Doevendans, he is one of the first independent urban ecologists in Groningen and the Netherlands. The location for this walk remains the same!

Monday 7 October, 12:00-13:00 (limited amount of tickets available!)
Noorderplantsoen, Cafe Zondag

Kick-off | Ambassadors & Sustainability Sounding Board + Daily lecture by Lisa Herzog

Do you want to actively contribute to making the University more sustainable? Register for this kick-off event! During the event you will receive information about how you, as a student or employee, can be involved in making the University more sustainable and you will find out what is already happening within the UG in this area. The kick-off starts with a lecture by Lisa Herzog. At the end of the event there is the opportunity to meet each other over drinks.

Daily lecture Lisa Herzog: What kind of sustainability should we want? 

When one hears „sustainability“, one first thinks of the environment and the climate. Important as these are, this talk will argue for a broader notion of sustainability that also takes its social and organizational dimensions seriously. More strongly, it will argue that the best bet for achieving environmental sustainability, is to also fight for its other dimensions. Achieving sustainability, as will argue Lisa Herzog, requires a fundamental rethinking of what kind of economic system and what kind of work organizations we want. 

The lecture is also accessible separately. On the ticket page you will find the option to choose between the kick-off or just the lecture.

Monday 7 October, 15:30-17:30 (Daily lecture: 15:30-16:30)
House of Connections

Keynote | Sandra Phlippen

Save the economy, start with the planet!

Are we going to sit on our hands, or are we going to do something about climate change? In the first case, the global economy will decline by 20% due to flooding, drought and disruption. In the second case – if we fully commit to the energy transition – it will cost 2% of the global economy. An easy choice, or not? 

During Sustainability Week, sociologist and economist Sandra Phlippen will discuss the consequences of climate change for prosperity in her Keynote Lecture. What is the status of the transition in the Netherlands, Europe and the world? What does it mean for the long term that the current government wants to focus on a feasible and affordable transition? And how can we overcome our fear of the costs and uncertainties of the energy transition. Because for Phlippen, one thing is certain: if we want to maintain our prosperity, we focus on transition.

Sandra Phlippen was appointed professor by special appointment of Sustainable Banking at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) as of January 1, 2023.

Monday 7 October, 20:00-21:30 (walk-in 19:45)
Aula, Academy Building
In collaboration with Studium Generale

Walk | Foraging on the Zernike Campus

When Sanne Scheltena (cultural anthropologist and forager) looks around, she sees edible plants everywhere. For most people, this is forgotten knowledge. We often have no idea what grows around us and what is edible. During this guided tour she is happy to share the forgotten knowledge about edible wild plants.

Please note: this event has sold out!

Tuesday 8 October, 12:00-14:00 (limited amount of tickets available!)
Zernike Campus, Willem-Alexander Sportcentrum

This tour will be in Dutch.

Daily lecture | Klaus Hubacek

Reflections on the IPCC cycle: the good, the bad, and the ugly

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) publishes comprehensive assessment reports, reviewing the latest findings in climate science. The findings and recommendations of these reports help guide international climate policy and shape collective commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. UG professor Klaus Hubacek was involved in the sixth assessment report (AR6) as a lead author, responsible for sections on carbon footprints and inequality. During his lecture, Klaus will tell us about the intricacies of constructing an IPCC Assessment Report, and how scientists from all over the world work together to produce reports with such great international importance.

Tuesday 8 October, 16:00-17:00
Energy Academy 5159.0029
In collaboration with the New Energy Academy

Evenement | Great Green Pub Quiz

Prepare for the Great Green Pub Quiz! Can you separate eco-facts from eco-fiction? Do you know everything about solar panels, biodiversity or climate change? Then make sure you are there and beat your colleagues, friends or fellow students!

The quiz consists of three exciting trivia rounds: general knowledge, local sustainability knowledge and music questions. Don't miss this opportunity for a fun outing and to learn more about this crucial topic.

Tuesday 8 October, 20:00-22:00
Cafe De Toeter

The quiz will be held in English.

Walk | City Safari

Join a City Safari through Groningen and discover, under the guidance of urban ecologist Jan Doevendans, how nature thrives in the city. During this walk, you will learn where and how different bird species live in Groningen, as well as about the existence of urban animals such as martens and bats. Discover the hidden nature within the built environment and experience what else can be found in Groningen's urban jungle.

Jan Doevendans is one of the first independent urban ecologists in Groningen and the Netherlands.

Wednesday 9 October, 12:00-13:30
Groningen City Centre, Visserstraat 49

This tour will be in Dutch.

Daily lecture | Environmental Team of the Northern Netherlands Police

From 'happy pill' to environmental problem

More and more traces of drugs are found during measurements in the sewer. Drug use is increasing, especially in the big cities. Nowadays it is often about the negative health effects of drugs, but have you ever thought about the environmental damage caused by their production? On Wednesday afternoon, the Environmental Team of the Northern Netherlands Police will stop by to tell you all about it!

During the first half of the lecture you will learn everything about the Environmental Team and what they deal with on a daily basis, such as plastic pollution, asbestos, fireworks and the protection of wildlife. The focus then shifts to drug waste and the effects of recreational drugs on the environment, a major and current problem. Do you have any questions during the lecture? There is room to ask these during and after the lecture.

Wednesday 9 October, 16:00-17:00
Röling building, Lokinzaal

This lecture will be in Dutch.

Film | premiere Sauvages

This year, for the first time, we will have a film premiere in the Sustainability Week, in collaboration with the Forum: Sauvages! A stop-motion film by Claude Berras about deforestation and the fate of indigenous cultures. 

In Sarawak on the island of Borneo, the city girl Kéria, who has lost her mother, takes in a baby orangutan whose mother has been killed. Kéria is so committed to maintaining this love in both directions that she neglects her young cousin Selaï. He wandered around in the forest but has now moved in with her to escape the conflict between his family and the logging companies that are destroying his habitat. Eventually he runs away, but he takes the monkey with him. In her quest, Kéria will reconnect with her mother's family and discover the truth about her origins.

The film is introduced with a foreword by Carol Garzon Lopez, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the multidisciplinary faculty Campus Fryslân.

Wednesday 9 October, 19:00-20:45
Forum Groningen

The movie is French, with English subtitles.

Walk | UniverCity walk

There are so many sustainable initiatives, shops and places in the city of Groningen that there are always a few that escape your attention. Do you know where can you do plastic-free shopping? Or maybe you want to know more about what the municipality is doing to make the city center greener.

On Thursday, October 10, the Green Office will organize two guided tours through the city center to show various green places. Go out with Daan Lijdsman to discover the city from a green point of view. The tour includes a small dish!

Thursday 10 October, 12:00 - 13.30
Start: AMD, Visserstraat 49

This tour will be in English.

Daily lecture | Consequences of climate change in the Arctic

Maarten Loonen

"In the Arctic, climate change has been an important and visible issue for decades. Not only is it getting warmer, but there are predictions and unexpected events that animals and humans must adapt to. The beautiful, majestic, cold landscape is rapidly changing due to our addiction to fossil fuels. After years in which climate change deniers frustrated awareness, it is now clear to everyone that our way of life is unsustainable. What once seemed like a distant future is already in play. We must become more sustainable and change. Both prove to be difficult. By sharing with you the changes I have seen with my own eyes on Spitsbergen, I hope to convince everyone that we need to take action faster."

Thursday 10 October, 16:00-17:00
Academy buidling, Heymanszaal

This lecture will be in Dutch

Knowledge cafe | It’s electrifying!

Solar panels, heat pumps and electric cars: the energy transition is in full swing. The 'electrification' of society is increasing exponentially, but at the same time it is reaching all kinds of limits: the electricity grid is overcrowded, energy storage is not yet efficient and the growing mountain of data consumes an awful lot of power. 

In this knowledge café, moderator Jelte Posthumus will discuss the paradox of the energy transition with professor of Materials Chemistry Moniek Tromp and PhD student Marije Miedema. Do we have to make room on the grid for all those new electrical appliances? Where are the (European) super batteries? And how big is your digital print actually?

Thursday 10 October, 20:00-22:00
Forum, Rabo zaal
In collaboration with Studium Generale

This event will be in Dutch.

Walk | Zernike Safari

During this excursion full of nature experience and poetry, Guido Lek from IVN Nature Education searches for the beauty of nature in the wilderness around Zernike. Following the lecture Save the economy, start with the planet! by Sandra Philippen, this walk considers the consequences of prosperity for the experience of nature. We have an eye for green beauty and see people and nature through the eyes of Thijsse, Kopland and Bloem (Dutch poets). With space for meeting and a view over the sludge depot, this excursion is not entirely without humor.

This excursion offers a unique opportunity to view nature through a new lens and understand how our prosperity influences the experience of nature. Whether you are a nature lover or just looking for an inspiring experience or a walk for lunch, this walk has something for everyone.

Friday 11 October, 12:00-13:00
Zernike Campus, parking lot Energy Barn

This tour will be in English.

Event | Community meeting + award ceremony Green Labs

Preaching water while drinking wine. Universities have been leading climate science for decades, yet often without taking drastic climate action in their own operations. In the last two years, at the Faculty of Science and Engineering a group of scientists and support staff have started the working group Green Labs FSE to reduce waste in laboratories. By introducing the LEAF-programme, serious steps are being taken in raising awareness and reducing our waste.

In this community meeting, there are multiple talks on further greening our wet and dry labs. There will also be an award ceremony for labs that have achieved a LEAF accreditation in the past year. The aim of this event is to deepen the insight into our waste and to exchange ideas and best practices on how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.

This event is open to everyone interested, and not only limited to people who work in labs! There will be drinks afterwards.

Friday 11 October, 15:00-17:00 (including drinks)
Linnaeausborg, 5171.0415 (Het Oog)

This event will be held in English.

Lustrum | 10 years Green Office

In October the Green Office - and thus the UG's integral sustainability program - will celebrate its 10th anniversary! The programme for the evening includes a welcome word from Dick Jager (sustainability program manager from the very beginning), a stimulating lecture, music by Willie Darktrousers and a drink for networking. The Sustainability photo of year 2024 will also be announced during the evening. Will you celebrate sustainability with us?

Keynote of the evening: nature-inclusive writing, speaking, thinking and doing by Femke Kramer (senior lecturer in ecocriticism and ecolinguistics).

Friday 10 October, 19:30-22:30
USVA

This event will be in Dutch, translation is available.

Field trip | Light pollution in the Wadden sea

There are no more tickets for this event.

Go on an excursion with the Green Office to the Lauwersmeer area. More information will follow!

Due to weather conditions:
Sunday 13 October, 20:00-23:00 (transportation is included!)
TBA