The participants of the Sustainability University Assembly have finalised their proposals to make VU Amsterdam more sustainable. The staff and students presented the Sustainability Agreement – with more than 50 recommendations – to the Executive Board, which has committed to taking the agreement seriously.
6 sessions, 130 participating students and staff, 13 working groups, 57 proposals.
Over the past two months, the Sustainability University Assembly has worked hard to turn ideas for a more sustainable VU Amsterdam into concrete proposals. The result is the Sustainability Agreement. During the final session, no fewer than 53 of the 57 proposals were adopted by vote.
A community garden, workshops, and a curriculum scan for education
Raising awareness about sustainability and encouraging dialogue are recurring themes in the report. Becoming more sustainable is something we do together, the participants emphasise. In their view, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam should more actively fulfil its role as a knowledge institution and promote sustainability and dialogue, for example through green networks.
Initiatives such as an interactive Green Path, a community garden, and monthly lectures and workshops aim to increase knowledge and engagement within the VU community. There is also strong support for improving internal communication on sustainability: participants believe it should be more powerful and transparent.
Curriculum scan for VU education
The Assembly sees opportunities for VU Amsterdam to take further steps in its education. It advocates for every programme to include a sustainability learning track. In addition, there should be guidelines that define the minimum level of sustainability education each programme must provide. A curriculum scan per programme can help identify where sustainability can be further integrated into the curriculum.
Sustainable campus development
At the campus level, the Assembly calls for a more critical look at VU Amsterdam’s gas and electricity consumption. Participants also advocate for greater insight into the CO₂ emissions caused by food and business travel, and propose switching to a more sustainable bank.
Next steps: advisory group appointed to take proposals forward
To follow up on the proposals, a monitoring and advisory group has been formed, consisting of participants from the Assembly. This group will act as an advocate for the Sustainability Agreement in dialogue with decision-makers within the VU organisation, and – where possible – will start working with others in the VU community to put the proposals into practice.
At the same time, Ivar Maas and colleagues are evaluating how effective the VU Assembly has been. Do the proposals of the Sustainability University Assembly reflect the broader needs of the VU community? The results of this study are expected at the end of 2025.
Curious about the proposals? You can take a look here.
Questions about the Assembly? Visit vuassembly.nl or contact the independent facilitators at Stichting G1000.nu.
