Sustainability at FSS

More information

• FSS Energy Challenge 2024

  In 2024 the sustainability workgroup organized the FSS Energy Challenge! Between February 15^th and April 15^th, five teams took on five projects linked to this topic:

   Team Energy Use Tips & Tricks: 

  Many people want to work more energy efficient but are unsure where to start. We want to inform everyone by sharing practical tips: what can you do and how much energy does that save? Our team provides suggestions for effective and accessible ways to reduce energy consumption.

  • More information? Contact team captain Dieneke van der Meulen.

   Team Energy Helpdesk:

  The Energy Helpdesk aims to solve practical requests from all FSS staff members and students to help them in reducing the energy consumption at FSS. The Helpdesk intends to do this by logging and monitoring issues and initiatives, and by sharing good practices, outcomes & learnings. We collaborate with FCO and the team above. If you have a request, you can send a message to sustainability.fsw@vu.nl.

  • More information? Contact team captain Rob Kloppenburg.

   Team Warm & Cold:

  This group brings together the Student Council, FCO and the Faculty Board and aims at finding and implementing an optimal temperature in the workplace. To reach this goal we need to compile information about the processes of setting the temperature in different rooms. Therefore, we will list these processes and the needs of the occupants, to lay the foundation for efficient energy consumption.

  • More information? Contact team captain Medha Guru.

   Team Sustainability Research:

  The FSS Sustainability workgroup, in collaboration with the R&I 'Co-creation for Inclusive Knowledges Lab,' will organize a networking event dedicated to sustainability-related research. This gathering aims to bring together FSS researchers with expertise and/or interest in conducting research on Energy and other sustainability-related themes. We are looking forward to an insightful and collaborative event designed to strengthen sustainable connections and foster discussions related to sustainability within the FSS research community.

  • More information? Contact team captain Lise Woensdregt.

   Team Sustainability Education:  

  At the VU, we prepare our students to engage with the core challenges they will encounter during their working lives. Climate change and the energy transition are quickly changing how we conduct research, write policy, and do business worldwide. A head start in this changing world, begins with a future proof curriculum. Our aim is to build, expand and support a network of FSS teachers who want to include climate change and sustainability in their teaching. As a first step, our goal is to organize a practical workshop for teachers (with all FSS departments represented) on how to implement this topic in your course.

  • More information? Contact team captain Jolien Arendsen.

• Energy saving tips and tricks

  Read more about energy saving tips and tricks

• Sustainability workgroup

  The FSS sustainability workgroup consists of a representative of each FSS department. The group has written a policy document together, which was approved by all faculty committees.

  The workgroup aims to expand the policy, to organize campaigns and to monitor impact, while building a network with experts and others engaged in sustainability at VU. If you want to contribute or share ideas, you can always reach out. Also feel free to join the VU Sustainability Community in Teams.
  
  Workgroup members 2023-2024  

  Christine Teelken (Organization Sciences), Lise Woensdregt (Sociology), Jolien Arendsen (Communication Science), vacancy (Political Science and Public Administration), Eva Koemar (Social and Cultural Anthropology), Rob Kloppenburg (Research Office), Dieneke van der Meulen (Education Office), Katja Nuernberger (Student Council), Sonia Duarte Oliveira (chair, Managing Director), Margriet Schager (workgroup organizer, Communication Science). Gregor Halff (Dean) has taken over as our chair as of May 2024.

• Sustainability policy

  The Faculty of Social Sciences aims for environmental sustainability in line with the VU strategy. Learn more about our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and optimize resource usage through sustainable work routines and best practices in our FSS policy document.

• Earlier challenges

  From March until October 2023 we hosted the Sustainability Challenge at our faculty:

  The challenge booklet was made to help in coming up with a suitable challenge and learning from the process of (attempting to) change. Besides this booklet, there was a physical location that embodied the change of the collective, the 'change tree', which visited all departments.

  The idea was to try to change a habit in 21 days. The challenge could be about finding a more sustainable way to commute, using less paper, eating less dairy, turning off lights, etc. The challenges were linked to the six impact topics from our faculty's sustainability policy.

  If you want to get an idea of the impact of your consumption patterns, you can use a footprint calculator, for instance on this website (in Dutch) or on this website (in English).

• Sustainability survey

  In the autumn of 2023, an FSS Sustainability Survey was created in collaboration with VU’s Sustainability Office. There were 124 responses in total, from teachers, researchers and support staff of our faculty. In 2024, a longer follow-up survey will be sent to those colleagues who were interested to participate.

• Useful links

  Roadmap to a Sustainable VU Amsterdam 2020-2025 (the VU-wide sustainability strategy)

  Sustainability Office VU (implementing the VU sustainability strategy)

  Amsterdam Sustainability Institute (sustainability-related research at VU)

  VU Climate Expertise Center (newly founded research center)

  VU Sustainability Leadership Hub (sustainability education and advocacy) 

  Green Office (sustainability platform for students)