In first place is Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein and in third place University of Amsterdam. This is the fourth year in a row that the VU is in the top three universities. In 2020, VU was ranked number two, in 2021 third and in 2022 number two on the full ranking.
SustainaBul
The SustainaBul is the annual ranking between Dutch higher education institutions organised by Studenten voor Morgen. Participating educational institutions are assessed using a questionnaire divided into the themes of sustainability in research, education, operations and best practices. This year, a new scoring matrix was used for the first time. VU scored the full number of points on research and best practices.
#1st Place Best practice VU Amsterdam
In addition to the questionnaire, educational institutions also submitted best practices. The CO₂-assistant, the submitted initiative from VU Amsterdam, was chosen as best best practice of 2023. The CO₂-assistant is a student initiative that advocates for more education on sustainability and the climate crisis in the curriculum within medical education. Earlier this year, this initiative was already praised at the presentation of the VU Student Talent Award. Achieving first place at the SustainaBul is a great appreciation for this important movement!
Sustainability at VU
With the high ranking, VU again shows that sustainability really is one of its priority areas. This is only possible because we pick up and build on sustainability as a VU community. With the establishment of the Sustainability Office VU, VU aims to give even more attention and focus to making our university more sustainable. In addition, there are many other sustainability initiatives at VU. For example, the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute connects scientists from across VU, the Sustainability Leadership Hub helps lecturers integrate sustainability into education and the Green Office VU is the sustainability platform for and by students.
Sustainability is a joint effort
Collaboration and impact-driven efforts make us realise the ambitions of the sustainability priority area. To implement the sustainability strategy and embed sustainability in the organisation, the Sustainability Office VU was set up at the beginning of this year. The Sustainability Team ensures the acceleration of sustainability projects and initiatives across the university. The Sustainability Office VU works to make education, research, valorisation, operations and community activation more sustainable. We create a sustainable future of the university together. So do you have a good idea? Or would you like to contribute to a more sustainable university yourself? Then contact sustainability@vu.nl or engage with the sustainability community.