29 May 2024
The Aurora network will continue taking concrete actions toward increased sustainability on campus by setting clear, comprehensive, and measurable goals for reducing the carbon footprint.
The Common Footprint Reduction Plan sets common goals for the Aurora network, as well as its individual partner universities, according to the following framework:
- Common Effort
All partner universities develop plans for increasing sustainability at their campuses while taking the circumstances at their individual institutions into account. - Common Emissions Reduction Commitment
All partner universities commit to net carbon neutrality by 2040 at the latest, with a 50% reduction of CO2-equivalent emissions by 2030 (with 2019 emissions as the baseline). - Common Actions
For example, all partner universities commit to procuring 100% certified green energy starting in 2025 and to certifying their newly constructed and newly reconstructed buildings according to a green building standard.
At the biannual Aurora meeting in Naples, Margrethe Jonkman, President of the Board, signed this plan on behalf of VU Amsterdam. Through this action, VU Amsterdam commits to the goals outlined in the framework, demonstrating the significant role sustainability plays in all that we do.