Green Office

Climate Action Report

Establishing a baseline for Maastricht University on sustainable development

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Sustainable development means achieving a quality of life (or standard of living) that can be maintained for many generations because it is: socially desirable (fullling peoples cultural, material, and spiritual needs in equitable ways), economically viable (paying for itself, with costs not exceeding income), and ecologically sustainable (maintaining the long-term viability of supporting ecosystems).

World Conservation Union

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Impressum
Project coordination:
Felix Spira

Project team:

Lukas Heimes, Lisa Brahms, Matthias Schmidtblaicher, Lamia Afy, Kathrin Ladisch, Valentin Tappeser, Foteini Vakitsidou, Jacob Beutler, Heiner Salomon, Niklas Grabbe, Malte von Braunmuhl, Michael Schulze, Michal Aleksandrowicz

Reviewers: Lay-out:

Arian Meyer, Andr Postema, Harm Hospers, Annemarie van Zeijl-Rosema, Shaun Matsheza

OBS 8008 Print & Design Oc Business Services, Maastricht

With special thanks for their contributions and additional review from:
Martens, Robert Coolen, Brigitte Marchal, Karel Pisters, Martin Geurts, Jolanda

Marc Fischer, Maira Kppers, Mehluli Dube, Jana Glse, Dennis Redeker, Ragnar Kemp, Gerrit Hennen, Olaf ten Have, Chris Snellen, Maud Huynen, Ina Engelen, Sabine Vanhouwe, Wendy Hardy, Loes Mallee, Marijke van Hoof, Gonny Willems, Maya de Bruijn, Cees Vink, Emile Chappin, Ian Bevan, Felix Mauerer, Rene Greschert, Benedikt Schwoll, Tom Shortland, Charlotte Feitscher, Friedrich Altekruse, Chiung Chang, Marjan Peeters

Project by:

Maastricht University Green Ofce Sint Servaasklooster 32 (0.06 0.08) Postbus 616, 6200 MD Maastricht http://www.greenofcemaastricht.nl Please contact greenofce@maastrichtuniversity.nl for questions and comments about this report.

In cooperation with:
oikos-Maastricht http://maastricht.oikos-international.org

Maastricht, November 1st, 2011

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Table of Contents
1 2 3 4 Overview ndings & Recommendations Introduction Organization Education & Research 4.1 Curriculum inventory 4.2 Research centre & professorship inventory 5 Operations 5.1 Procurement 5.2 Energy 5.3 Waste 5.4 Co2 emissions 6 7 University Community Conclusion 9 13 17 19 19 14 25 25 26 32 34 37 39

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Overview Findings & Recommendations

Organization
Findings Since 1991, an environmental advisor counseled the university on questions related to environmental law and sustainability in procurement, energy and waste. Maastricht University introduced an Environmental Management System in 2001. In 2008, the university set up a Sustainability Policy Work Group. This standing committee developed the sustainability mission statement and policy 2008-10. Since September 2010, the student-driven Maastricht University Green Ofce (GO) initiates and coordinates sustainability projects at Maastricht University (UM). Recommendations Develop a sustainability policy to provide direction and focus for institutional change towards sustainable development. Establish a monitoring and evaluation scheme to supervise the sustainability policy in a transparent way and to centrally gather information on sustainability indicators. Involve the Green Ofce and the environmental advisor to a larger extent in the project cycles of the different UM departments to guarantee that sustainability issues are addressed early in the process.

Education & Research

Findings Since 1998, the university maintains the International Centre for Integrated Assessment and Sustainable Development (ICIS) with a strong focus on teaching and research on sustainable development. ICIS also hosts the Maastricht University Graduate School of Sustainability Science (MUST). Furthermore, eight research centres conduct research activities related to sustainable development. Three professorial chairs conduct research focused on, and 20 professorial chairs conduct research related to, sustainable development. In September 2011, the university launched a new Master program in Sustainability Science and Policy. Apart from the new Master, students can follow 17 Bachelor and 19 Masters courses either focusing on, or being related to, sustainable development. Recommendations Increase learning opportunities in education for sustainable development: Expand the curriculum and quality of courses on sustainable development related or focused topics.

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Develop a program of Experience-Based Learning for sustainable development to supplement the academic curriculum. Look for opportunities to link the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014 to the ambitions of Maastricht University in this area. Strengthen knowledge exchange within the research community at UM and beyond

Procurement
Findings The university set itself the goal to pursue 100% of its procurement between 2008 and 2010 according to minimum sustainability standards outlined by the Dutch government. In 2010, the university achieved its 100% sustainable procurement goal. In 2009 and 2008, no criteria were incorporated in the procurement process. Recommendations Maintain the 100% sustainable procurement goal and secure additional resources to guarantee its full achievement. Implement social criteria in the procurement process. Purchase products and services with environmental and social standards above the legal minimum requirements developed by the Dutch government.

Energy data

In 2010, the university consumed 17 923 387 kWh of electricity. Compared to a 2008 baseline, the electricity usage increased by 1.53% in total; decreased by 5.21% per square meter; decreased by 8.15% per student and staff member. the consumption of 5150 average Dutch households; the electricity generated by 23 football pitches of solar panels.

This electricity consumption is equivalent to

In 2010, Maastricht University consumed 2 313 927 m3 of natural gas. Compared to a 2008 baseline, the gas consumption increased by 1.09% in total; decreased by 16.29% per heating days and square meters; decreased by 18.89% per heating days, students and staff.

The gas consumption is equivalent to the yearly gas consumption of 1500 average Dutch households. In 2010, Maastricht University was among the three (out of 14) Dutch universities with the lowest energy consumption per square meter, and among the universities with the second and fourth lowest energy consumption per employee and student.

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Energy policy
Findings In 2008, Maastricht University joined the Multiple Year Agreement on Energy Efciency (MJA3), committing itself to an energy efciency improvement per square meter of 30% between 2005 and 2020 - two percentage points per year. This goal was kept between 2008 and 2010. The Energy Efciency Plan 2009-12 (EEP) does not sufce to guarantee adherence to the MJA3 in the coming years. The plan forecasts improvement of energy efciency of only 1.19%, compared to eight percentage-points required by the MJA3. Recommendations Develop a more ambitious energy strategy as follow-up to the current Energy Efciency Plan 2009-12 to guarantee the adherence to the MJA3.

Waste
Findings In 2010, Maastricht University disposed of 720 000 kg of waste in total. Between 2003 and 2010 the amount of disposed waste: increased by 55.38% in total; increased by 24.78% per student and staff member.

In 2010, the amount of paper and cardboard as well as residual waste disposed of at Maastricht University was equivalent to 1600 and 580 average Dutch households respectively.

Recommendations Develop a strategy to stop the increase in residual waste in the short-run. Design long-term plans on how to reduce waste disposal per student/employee in the two major categories of residual waste as well as paper and cardboard. Develop a plastic recycling policy.

Co2 Emissions
Findings CO2 emissions constitute 5 400 000 kg for the electricity mix, 4 150 000 kg for the combustion of natural gas, 1 625 000 kg for study abroad related ight travel and 360 000 kg for the incineration of residual waste. From 2012 onwards, the university will purchase green gas through greenchoice, a Dutch energy company providing opportunities for CO2 offsetting. In terms of total kilowatt hours (kWh) of conventional / grey electricity purchased, the university bought 10% renewable energy certicates from Dutch wind and 90% from Scandinavian water power in 2010. Recommendations Conduct a comprehensive greenhouse-gas emissions inventory. Based on this inventory, assess opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Support the municipality of Maastricht in its ambitions to become climate neutral in 2030.
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University community
Findings Maastricht University maintains separate, but vibrant communities of students, staff members, researchers and teachers who care about and promote sustainable development within and beyond the university. The student community features ten student organizations and many projectbased student initiatives with a focus on sustainable development. Recommendation The university should further examine ways to empower the university community, to provide the necessary incubation of additional leverage and spin-off projects, which are not run through the university itself.

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2 | Introduction
Becoming sustainable is turning into a mainstream slogan. Yet, what does it entail? The challenge of sustainable development rests in an attempt to square the circle1, by solving the trade-off between socio-economic development and environmental sustainability. Sustainable development tries to cultivate economies for the benet of human beings by simultaneously maintaining the natural environment and human societies within a long-term timeframe. Despite the fact that the lip-service to becoming sustainable gains weight, so does humankinds negative impact on the planet: Already today, humanitys ecological footprint would require 1.5 planets of the size of the earth to maintain our resource consumption. Still, the UN projects that if the current consumption and population trends continue, humanity would need two earths by 2030.2 This suggests that within the next decades, becoming sustainable will more and more lose the semblance of choice, and will turn into a necessity to secure an intact biosphere, healthy societies and thriving economies. Maastricht University (UM) can contribute to the global transition towards sustainable development in a number of ways. (1) Through its educational programs and extra-curricular activities, the university can guarantee that maturing citizens, prospective leaders and their parents acquire the knowledge and practical skills to contribute to sustainable development in the 21st century. (2) On account of the interdependency, novelty and complexity of the challenges ahead, an increasing amount of research is needed to inform innovative and effective practices to change economies and societies. UM can foster and stimulate this. (3) While fullling its two main objectives of teaching and research, the university must watch its own ecological and social footprint on a local, as well as a global scale. (4) Finally, Maastricht University can implement innovative pilot projects to empower its students and staff community to strengthen the sustainability movement at the university and beyond. Maastricht University already undertakes multiple efforts to incorporate sustainable development into its practices. However, the university currently lacks an overview regarding these efforts, which has two major drawbacks: (1) This information gap contributes to a strategy gap, as an assessment of the current situation is deemed imperative to launch a comprehensive strategy. (2) A coherent and systematic communication towards stakeholders about the universitys efforts in sustainable development does not take place. On the other hand, stakeholders themselves have to invest increasing amounts of resources to obtain relevant information. In light of these shortcomings, the Climate Action Report (CAR) fulls three main goals to address the information and strategy gaps. (1) The report provides a baseline overview of projects and policies undertaken by Maastricht University on sustainable development. (2) Based on the data and information collected during the research process, general recommendations have been developed to point out areas for improvement. (3) The baseline overview as well as the recommendations provide the basis for the subsequent development of a new sustainability policy.
1 2 Robinson, J. (2004) Squaring the circle? Some thoughts on the idea of sustainable development. Ecological Economics. 48(4) Living Planet Report. (2010). Biodiversity, biocapacity and development. World Wide Fund for Nature. Gland, Switzerland

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In addition to generating individual ndings for the different areas, the report puts forward three overall conclusions. (1) During the past, Maastricht University struggled to establish a university-wide structure and strategy to effectively promote sustainable development. Most efforts remained fragmented and constrained to the departmental level. This situation has improved with the establishment of the studentdriven Maastricht University Green Ofce, which provides a university-wide hub and steering platform. (2) Moreover, within the last two years, the three main positive outcomes in the eld of sustainable development comprise the new Master degree in Sustainability Science and Policy, adherence to the energy efciency agreement and the achievement of the 100% sustainable procurement goal in 2010. (3) Nonetheless, the research for this report identied ve problem areas, which should be addressed. In education, the university offers no coherent plans to advance education for sustainable development in the academic curriculum and practical extra-curricular activities. In research, coherent efforts to promote knowledge exchange among academic staff in the eld of sustainable development are lacking. In operations, ambitious plans to guarantee adherence to the universitys energy efciency commitment in the years to come are missing. Furthermore, the sustainable procurement strategy needs to be maintained and extended, while strategies and adequate resources to limit the increase of waste generation are lacking. In community, ambitious programs are unavailable which empower the student and staff community to contribute to sustainable development in a meaningful and signicant way. Finally, in organization, a system to continually monitor and evaluate projects and policies on sustainable development is absent. Based on this problem analysis, the main recommendation of this report is for Maastricht University to address the present shortcomings in a comprehensive sustainability policy. The main mission of this policy should be to advance sustainable development at Maastricht University through a student- and staff-driven approach. This policy should guarantee the implementation of different projects in the ve areas of operations, education and research, as well as community and organization. Based on further research, problem-analysis and engagement with the different stakeholders, the policy should prescribe the main goals with regard to these areas for the upcoming years. This report recommends the following: In education, Maastricht University should increase learning opportunities in education for sustainable development; this should be done by expanding the curriculum and quality of courses on the topic. Additionally, the university should develop a program of ExperienceBased Learning for sustainable development to supplement the academic curriculum. In research, strategies should be developed and projects implemented to promote knowledge-exchange within and beyond Maastricht University in the eld of sustainable development. In operations, the responsible departments should design strategies to further limit the negative environmental and social impact of operating Maastricht University, especially in the areas of energy, procurement and waste. In community, students and staff members should be empowered in a way that strengthens the bottom-up process of institutional change towards sustainable development. Finally, in organization, the university should implement a monitoring and evaluation scheme to supervise the sustainability policy in a transparent way and to centrally gather information on sustainability indicators.
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The rationales for these conclusions and recommendations are developed in this report in the following way. The organization section outlines the historical milestones in integrating environmental management and sustainable development on a central, university-wide level. The second section of the CAR provides information on education and research, mainly in the form of a curriculum and research inventory. The third section focuses on the operational side of Maastricht University; namely procurement, energy and waste. The last section of the report presents the outcomes of a student group inventory to get a rst insight into the actors in, and activities of, the university community in the eld of sustainable development.

Mission We, the Maastricht University community, afrm our commitment to protect and enhance the environment through our learning, research, service and administrative operations. We seek to foster a community that sustains ecological systems and educates for environmental awareness, local action, and global thinking. We seek to incorporate environmental principles and environmentally responsible practices as fundamental and integrated components of all Maastricht University operations and programs. Our fundamental principles are to: incorporate environmental concerns as a signicant priority in university decision making; seek alternative practices and procedures to minimize negative impacts on the environment; conserve natural resources and restore environmental quality in our region; consider the social, economic and environmental impacts of Maastricht Universitys operational policies and foster a participatory process in developing these policies. Our decisions and actions will be guided by the Universitys Mission Statement, reective of our resources, and informed by our Strategic Program. As a learning institution, we recognize that planning for sustainability will be an evolving practice.

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3 | Organization
Before developing concrete steps towards institutional change, one needs not only to look into the future, but also to understand past attempts at transformation. Maastricht University features different phases and actors in its effort to promote environmental management and sustainable development. General and Technical Services (GTS) sustains the operational side of the university as a service centre. Among the important stakeholders, the GTS hosts the procurement and real estate departments, the coordinators of energy, catering and waste, as well as the environmental advisor.3 Since 1991, the UM environmental advisor running the Environmental Department of the university has been employed to supervise the implementation of Dutch environmental laws and to advise the university on questions related to sustainable procurement, waste disposal and energy. 4 Since the establishment of the Green Ofce, the environmental advisor features as a member of the Green Ofce team. With the introduction of an Environmental Management System (EMS) in 2001, the university tried to further integrate responsibilities and duties for environmental management on a university-wide scale. An EMS functions as a comprehensive tool to investigate activities and legal requirements affecting the environment and then to develop and monitor policies to address these issues.5 The EMS at Maastricht University is an in-house developed system and has not been certied. In light of the decentralized organization on the faculty and department level, the university further decided to support the EMS through decentralized Environmental Care Systems (ECS). These ECS were supposed to consist of eleven environmental working groups, staffed by employees from the different faculties and departments. The current operational status of the EMS is inactive, as the system requires updating and renewed communication to stakeholders.6 Also, only the groups in University Library and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS) are still active from the once planned eleven environmental working groups. Still in search of a university-wide steering group and support structure, a UM Sustainability Policy Work Group was inaugurated in 2008. The group met on a regular basis and contained up to eleven employees and students.7 The tasks of the committee constituted among others the development of the Sustainability Mission Statement and Sustainability Policy 2008-10. Some of the achievements from this policy plan materialized in the introduction of double-sided printing on student printers, a Master of Sustainability Science and Policy and the Graduate School of Sustainability Science (MUST). Furthermore, as part of this policy, the university signed two agreements with Dutch authorities to integrate minimum sustainability standards into the procurement process and to improve its energy efciency.8 Hence,
3 4 5 6 7 8 Information retrieved 18.05.2011 from http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/web/servicecentra/fd2/facilitairedienst.htm Interview with former UM environmental advisor Maja de Bruijn. 10.05.2011 Savely, S, Carson, A, Delclos, G (2006). A survey of the implementation status of environmental management systems in US Colleges and universities. Journal of Cleaner Production. The system is also accessible for stakeholders of Maastricht University via www.myum.nl. Directory: Log-in -> start page -> Facilitaire Dienst -> Milieu -> MMS en MZS Maastricht University. General & Technical Services. (2009). FD u09.0263 Sustainability progress report Universiteit Maastricht. Werkgroep duurzaamheidbeleid. (2008). Duurzaamheidsbeleid Universitieit Maastricht. The policy is also accessible online (accessed 18.09.2011): http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/web/Main/AboutUM/Sustainablility/Activities/ PlannedActivities20082010.htm

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the university made two important commitments in the eld of procurement and energy when signing these agreements in 2008. With the introduction of the Green Ofce, the UM Sustainability Policy Work Group was dissolved. Since September 2010, the university features the Maastricht University Green Ofce to initiate and coordinate sustainability projects at UM. The Green Ofce is run by a team of eight students and the environmental consultant. A supervisory board provides regular feedback and mentoring on the direction of the Green Ofce. Apart from establishing its administrative infrastructure, the Green Ofce conducted three main projects within its rst year of existence: (1) The Ctrl-Alt-Delete Emissions project developed a business case for a more energy efcient IT infrastructure. (2) The Climate Action Report generated a baseline report on the state of sustainable development at UM. (3) The Sustainable Student Living portfolio cultivated networking events, a lm series, a think tank and a sustainability conference. Overall, the inception of the Green Ofce presents an important step towards strengthening the central support platform for sustainable development. Furthermore, it offers practical learning experiences in sustainability for students and staff members and facilitates a bottom-up approach to promote sustainable development at UM. 9 In conclusion, this section suggests that Maastricht University struggled to set up a university-wide support structure and strategy to integrate the different projects and departmental policies on sustainable development. However, this situation improved with the introduction of the Green Ofce in September 2010, thus strengthening the institutional pillars of sustainable development. Nonetheless, the university still lacks a coherent and university-wide approach to support the transition towards sustainable development. Three main recommendations are put forward. (1) Develop a sustainability policy to provide direction and focus for the institutional change towards sustainable development. (2) Establish a monitoring and evaluation scheme to supervise this sustainability policy in a transparent way and to centrally gather information on sustainability indicators. (3) Involve the Green Ofce and the environmental advisor to a larger extent in the project cycles of the different UM departments to guarantee that sustainability issues are addressed early in the process.

For more information, please visit www.greenofcemaastricht.nl

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4 | Education & research

To obtain an insight into the current state of sustainable development in education and research, the Green Ofce - with feedback and suggestions from staff at the International Centre for Integrated Assessment and Sustainable Development (ICIS) developed different inventories. They provide an overview of the different Bachelor and Master courses, research centres as well as professorships in the eld of sustainable development.10 All information provided in the inventories was derived from the website of Maastricht University at the time of writing11 and is subject to change. Readers who identify additional information, which could be relevant for these inventories but has not been included, are encouraged to contact the Green Ofce. The rst inventory presents the results of an investigation of all sustainable development related or focused courses at UM.

4.1

Sustainable development focused Bachelor courses Denition: Explicit mentioning of SD in name and/or balance amongst the three elements, namely social, ecological and economic elements
Course name Sustainable Development: An Introduction Globalization, Environmental Change and Society Hands on Sustainability Science Globalization & Inequality Development Economics Development & Poverty in the 21st Century Social & Ecological Entrepreneurship Development & Poverty in the 21st Century Globalization and Inequality One World European Environments Social & Sustainable Entrepreneurship Faculty/program UCM UCM UCM UCM UCM UCM UCM FASoS European Studies & Arts and Culture FASoS European Studies FASoS European Studies FASoS European Studies & Arts and Culture FASoS European Studies & Arts and Culture Course coordinator M. Huynen A. Moreno M.M. Dijk C. Leonards C. Chang W.W. Nauta W.E.J. Bodewes B. Pasveer W.W. Nauta A. Labrie J. Lachmund V. Collewaert

Curriculum inventory

10 In creating the inventories, the Green Ofce rst agreed upon a working denition of sustainable development and key aspects associated with the concept. Due to time and resource constraints the inventory unfortunately does not include the name of assistant professors or PhD students, in addition to the listing of specic research projects, publications, speeches or conferences related to sustainable development. Also the insight into research conducted by students, either in the form of papers or bachelor and master thesis could at this point not be considered. 11 Status 18.09.2011

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Sustainable development related Bachelor courses Denition: At least one task on SD and/or focus on minimum of two of the three social, ecological and economic aspects
Course name Philosophical Ethics Public Finance International Relations: Globalization Debate Health Strategies in Europe Faculty UCM UCM FASoS European Studies SBE International Business FHML European Public Health Course coordinator A.M.D. de Koning R.R.S. Saran P. Petrov A. van Veen M. Commers

Sustainable development focused Masters courses Denition: Explicit mentioning of SD in name and/or balance between three social, ecological and economic elements
Course name Fundamentals of Sustainable Development Global Dynamics of Sustainable Development Knowledge Production for Sustainable Development Governance for Sustainable Development Sustainability, Law and Economic regulation Methods and Tools of Sustainability Assessment Sustainability Assessment Project Sustainability in a Globalizing World Environment, Natural Resources, and Development Business Innovation and Sustainable Development Faculty/program MSc Sustainability Science and Policy (SSP) MSc Sustainability Science and Policy (SSP) MSc Sustainability Science and Policy (SSP) MSc Sustainability Science and Policy (SSP) MSc Sustainability Science and Policy (SSP) MSc Sustainability Science and Policy (SSP) MSc Sustainability Science and Policy (SSP) MGSoG MPP Sustainable Development Specialization FASoS MA Globalization and Development Studies SBE MA International Business, elective for all specializations Corporate Social Responsibility FL LLM European Law School FL LLM Globalization and Law, FL LLM International and European Tax Law FL LLM International Laws European Environmental Law FL MSc, Master Globalization and Law Specialisation Human Rights, elective M.G.W.M. Peeters J. Eijsbouts Course coordinator M. Huynen C. Beumer H. van Lente R. Corvers M. Peeters P. Valkering M. Dijk C. Beumer V. Davidov M. van Wegberg

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Sustainable development related Masters courses Denition: At least one task on SD and/or focus on minimum of two of the three social, ecological and economic aspects
Course name Poverty and Inequality Critical Approaches to Globalization and Development Faculty MGSoG MPP Social Policy Design Specialization FASoS MA European Studies - Europe in a Global Perspective Track Theories and Histories of Globalization and Development Globalization and Poverty: a Connected World Risk and Uncertainty in Technological Controversies: Comparative Perspectives across North and South Risk Governance in the EU International Trade, Technology and Distribution International Development Law FASoS MSc Research Master European Studies SBE MSc International Economic Studies FoL Globalization ans Law / MGSoG F. Bouder T. Ziesemer L. Choukroune FASoS MA Globalization and Development Studies FASoS MA Globalization and Development Studies FASoS MA Globalization and Development Studies C. Leonards W. Nauta E. Shah Course coordinator P. Vranken E. Shah

The results of the course inventory suggest that Maastricht University integrates 17 Bachelor and 20 Masters courses with an explicit focus on or relation to aspects of sustainable development. Bachelor programs allowing students to obtain a stronger focus on sustainable development are the liberal arts degree at the University College Maastricht (UCM) part of the Faculty of Humanities and Sciences (FHS) and the European Studies and Arts and Culture programmes at FASoS. The School of Business and Economics (SBE), Faculty of Law (FL) and Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) only offer a very limited amount of courses in the eld. No courses on sustainable development have been identied at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN). The new Master degree in Sustainability Science and Policy presents the program with the most vigorous emphasis on sustainable development at the Masters level. This program is offered by the Maastricht University Graduate School of Sustainability Science (MUST). MUST which is hosted by ICIS also offers PhD programs with an explicit focus on sustainable development.12 Additionally, the sustainable development specialization offered in the Master of Public Policy and Human Development at the School of Governance presents another program with a strong focus on sustainable development. FASoS also offers several courses in its different Master programs, the Faculty of Law maintains the same Corporate Social Responsibility course in several programs. Again courses at SBE, FHML and FPN with a specic focus on sustainable development remain limited or are non-existent. The opportunities to engage in learning for sustainable development offered through Maastricht University remain limited apart from following the academic curriculum. The different research centres in the eld of sustainable development offer internships to students for example ICIS.13 Nonetheless, Maastricht University so far does not maintain a program during which students could learn more about sustainable development related issues in a practically oriented fashion, e.g. through eld trips or internships in sustainability related organizations.
12 For more information on MUST, please visit http://www.icis.unimaas.info/education/must/ 13 For more information on the internships at ICIS visit: http://www.icis.unimaas.info/education/must/

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This section presents the results of an investigation of all research centres related to or focused on sustainable development at UM. All information provided in the inventories was derived from the website of Maastricht University at the time of writing14 and is subject to change. Readers who identify additional information, which could be relevant for these inventories but has not been included, are encouraged to contact the Green Ofce. Sustainable development focused (Denition: Research centres which explicitly mention sustainable development in the title)
Research centres with focus on sustainable development International Centre on Sustainable Development and Integrated Assessment (ICIS)

4.2

Research centre & professorship inventory

Sustainable development related (Denition: Research centres which focus on the economic, social or environmental aspects of sustainable development)
Research centres related to sustainable development European Centre for Corporate Engagement (ECCE) Accounting, Auditing & Information Management Research Centre (MARC) United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) Institute for Globalization and International Regulation (IGIR) Maastricht Centre for Human Rights Institute for Transnational Legal Research (METRO) Maastricht Graduate School of Governance (MGSoG) European Property Research Institute (EPRI) Institute for Corporate Law, Governance and Innovation Policies (ICGI)

In the eld of research Maastricht University features the International Centre for Integrated Assessment and Sustainable Development (ICIS) with an explicit research focus on sustainable development and 9 other centres, which conduct research related to sustainable development. In addition, the inventory produced a rst overview about the different professorships at UM which either focus or relate to sustainable development. Sustainable development focused (Denition: Professorships which explicitly mention sustainable development in the title)
Professorship Innovation and Sustainable Development Sustainable Development Philosophy of Sustainable Development from a Humanistic Perspective Name Prof. Dr. Ren Kemp Prof. Dr. Pim Martens Prof. Dr. H. van Lente Faculty FHS FHS FHS

14 Status 18.09.2011

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Sustainable development related (Denition: Professorships which focus on the economic, social or environmental aspects of sustainable development)
Professorship International Economic Law Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility Environmental Policy and Law (in particular climate change issues) Comparative and International Environmental Law UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Peace International law Ocean Space and Human Activity Development Economics Professorial fellow of Climate Change Policy Environmental Health Science Risk Governance Technology and Society Cultural and Urban Development Globalisation and Development Institutional Investors Real Estate Finance (+ Fortis Leerstoel) Ethics, Organizations & Society International Economic Relations Accounting & Assurance Services Name Prof. Dr. P. Van den Bossche, Prof. Dr. Ing. Sybren de Hoo Prof. Jan Eijsbouts Prof. Dr. Marjan Peeters Prof. Dr. M. Faure LL.M. Prof. Dr. A.P.M. Coomans Prof. Dr. Menno T. Kamminga Prof. Dr. Jan Stel Prof. Dr. Szirmai Yvo de Boer Prof. Jos Kleinjans Prof. Dr. Marjolein van Asselt Prof. Dr. Wiebe E. Bijker Prof. Dr. Graeme Evans Prof. Dr. Valentina Mazzucato Prof. Dr. Rob Bauer Prof. Dr. Piet Eichholtz Prof. Harry Hummels Prof. Dr. Luc Soete Prof. Ann Vanstraelen Faculty FL FL FL FL FL FL FL FHS FHS FHS FHML FASoS FASoS FASoS FASoS SBE SBE SBE SBE SBE

This list illustrates three professorships with a specic focus on sustainable development and 20 which relate to its social, economic or environmental aspects. The university maintains three professorships at ICIS with an explicit focus on sustainable development, innovation and sustainable development and the philosophy of sustainable development from a humanistic perspective. Multiple other professors hold chairs, for example in human rights, governance and development, environmental health as well as law and corporate social responsibility. The overall observation of the research section suggests that different research centres and professorships in the eld of sustainable development exist at Maastricht University; however, there is currently no program to facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge within this community. For example, some of the research centres guarantee this exchange through common lunches, but no university-wide efforts are currently present to sustain the exchange between different disciplines and centres. The education and research section allows three main conclusions. (1) At Maastricht University, education for sustainable development is mainly advanced through the curriculum. Innovative and interesting opportunities to teach lessons in practical sustainability education remain unexploited. (2) In education, FHS and FASoS allow students to take relatively many courses in the eld of sustainable development. However, the SBE, FL and FPN and FHML should supplement their curriculum with

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courses related to, or focused on, sustainable development topics. (3) Currently no concerted and comprehensive efforts exist to enhance the knowledge exchange within the research and education community within Maastricht and beyond. This knowledge exchange is crucial, especially since sustainable development is a relatively novel eld of research with fast paced development. With reference to these conclusions, two main recommendations can be put forward. (1) Increase learning opportunities in education for sustainable development. This can be achieved rstly by expanding the academic curriculum and quality of courses on sustainable development related or focused topics; and secondly by developing a program of Experience-Based Learning for sustainable development to supplement the academic curriculum. When enhancing the education for sustainable development at Maastricht University, actors should capitalize on opportunities to link the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014 to the ambitions of Maastricht University in this area. (2) In the eld of research, strengthen the knowledge exchange within the research community at UM and beyond. Such a knowledge exchange could occur through networking events or conferences, and produce new insights on research opportunities, lead to research collaborations and information exchange of best practices.

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5 | Operations
5.1
Procurement describes all activities of the university to acquire products and services from the supplier to the students and staff members. On a university-wide level, all purchases over 50 000 Euro per year are organized through the Procurement Department, which is part of the General and Technical Services. Purchases below a contract volume of 50 000 Euro are organized at faculty level. In 2010, Maastricht University signed contracts with suppliers to purchase products and services worth 60 million Euro.15 Environmental, social and economic impacts on planet and people occur throughout the different steps involved in extracting, producing and delivering these products and services. European governments have developed different sustainable public procurement schemes to incentivize suppliers to adopt higher social and environmental standards. In 2005, the Dutch parliament set specic targets for public authorities to commit themselves to sustainable public procurement. Until 2010, the central government was to conduct 100%, municipal authorities 75%, and provincial authorities and water boards 50% of their purchases according to certain sustainability minimum criteria.16 The ministerial agency Agentschap NL has been commissioned to develop and update these criteria. Currently, standards have been developed for 45 product groups, such as catering, ofce supplies, water engineering or road works. In addition to these minimum criteria, Agentschap NL also outlines optional criteria purchasers can request suppliers to adhere to. From a legal standpoint, customers can only discriminate between suppliers on the basis of the minimum criteria, whereas the optional criteria primarily communicate wishes to the supplier. As public sector institutions, Dutch universities and colleges joined this scheme in 2008 and set themselves the aim to conduct 50% of their procurement according to these criteria until 2012.17 Maastricht University set itself a more ambitious goal: In its Sustainability Policy 2008-10, the university set itself the aim to conduct 100% of its procurement according to the minimum criteria. However, to what extent has Maastricht University achieved this goal? The Dutch sustainable procurement policy is monitored and evaluated every two years. The results are then published in a nal report. The Monitor Sustainable Procurement 2008 suggests that 13 out of the 14 Dutch universities incorporated all of the minimum criteria in 39% of their procurement volume.18 Maastricht University was the one Dutch university which neither reported to this monitor nor participated in the sustainable procurement scheme in 2008, as UM joined the agreement only in December of the same year.19 In 2009 also no products and services were procured
15 Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu.(2011). Monitor Duurzaam Inkopen 2010. Resultaten Maastricht University. p. 3 16 Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu.(2009). Monitor Duurzaam Inkopen 2008, p. 5. Retrieved 10.02.2011 http://www.pianoo.nl/ sites/default/les/documents/documents/monitorduurzaaminkopen2008.pdf 17 Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu. (2008). Convenant Ministerie van VROM / Hoger Onderwijs inzake Duurzaam inkopen 18 Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu (2009). Monitor Duurzaam Inkopen 2008. p. 5. Retrieved 10.02.2011 http://www.pianoo.nl/ sites/default/les/documents/documents/monitorduurzaaminkopen2008.pdf 19 Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu. (2009). Verklaring Duurzaam Inkopen Universiteit Maastricht

Procurement

Case study: Catering With reference to the Agentschap NL criteria, the catering company committed itself to offer 40% sustainable products at Maastricht University. In April 2010, 5.2% of the products sold through the catering service were organic. They adhere to the standards for organic agriculture as outlined by the European Council. 15% of the products fulls sustainability criteria outlined by Agentschap NL. Numerous products also are certied through different eco- or fair-trade labels, such as bananas which are certied both as organic and fair-trade. The catering company obliged itself to increase the amount of sustainable products to 40% over the coming months.

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according to the sustainability criteria. This was mainly the case because no criteria existed for products which were procured in 2009. Nonetheless, Maastricht University achieved its 100% goal in 2010.20 With this percentage, Maastricht University achieved results above the average of Dutch universities. The Monitor 2010 states that the percentage of sustainable procurement among the 14 Dutch universities constituted on average 80.2%.21 Products and services that were procured with reference to the sustainability criteria include tenders on catering services, ofce supplies and furniture, cleaning, hardware, networks, telephone services and devices, as well as audio-visual equipment.22 Renewable Energy Certicates were purchased to green the electricity consumption of Maastricht University. In conclusion, Maastricht University achieved its ambitious sustainable procurement goal in 2010, whereas in the previous years the policy target had not been reached. Three main areas of improvement could be identied for the sustainable procurement policy of Maastricht University. (1) Maintain the 100% sustainable procurement goal and secure additional resources to guarantee its full achievement. This can be done, by for example further regulating the purchase of public tenders so that the input from the UM environmental advisor or Green Ofce is guaranteed early in the process. (2) The current sustainability criteria set minimum standards for the environmental impacts of products. However, European law would also allow Maastricht University to include social considerations into its procurement process. These social norms would guarantee that products adhere to labour standards set by the International Labour Organization and Declaration of Human Rights.23 (3) Apart from only obliging suppliers to adhere to the minimum criteria, the university could discuss with contracted suppliers ways to purchase certain products with better environmental and/or social standards. For example, the minimum criteria oblige the catering company to offer 40% sustainable products. The university could investigate to what extent students and staff would be willing to pay higher prices, to then further increase the percentage of sustainable products beyond the legal minimum.

5.2

In 2010, the Maastricht University consumed around 17 900 000 kWh of electricity. Compared to a 2008 baseline, the electricity usage increased by 1.53% in total. However, the electricity usage per square meter decreased by 5.2%. The consumption per student and staff member also decreased by 8.2%.24

Energy

20 The volume is measured in Euro. Also the target only holds for products and services for which criteria are available. In addition, the tenders need to be above 50.000 Euro. 21 Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu. (2011) Monitor Duurzaam Inkopen 2010. Resultaten monitoringonderzoek duurzaam inkopen 2010. p.6. Retrieved 14.07.2011 http://www.pianoo.nl/sites/default/les/documents/gerelateerd/eindrapport_monitor_duurzaam_ inkopen.pdf 22 Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu.(2011). Monitor Duurzaam Inkopen 2010. Resultaten Maastricht University. p. 3 23 Pianoo Expertisecentrum aanbesteden. (2011). Handleiding sociale voorwarden. Accessed 05.08.2011 http://www.pianoo.nl/dossiers/ duurzaaminkopen/sociaal/sociale-voorwaarden/handleiding-sociale-voorwaarden 24 Universiteit Maastricht. (2011). Energie Jaarrapportages.

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The 2010 consumption is equivalent to the electricity used by around 5150 average Dutch households. Around four on-shore wind turbines or 23 football pitches of solar panels would be required to generate this amount of electricity. In the same year, the gas consumption for heating constituted around 2 300 000 m3, which is equivalent to the amount of gas required to heat 1500 average Dutch households for one year. Compared to a 2008 baseline, the gas consumption increased by 1.1% in total. The gas usage per heating days25 and sqm decreased by 16.3%, and per heating days, students and employees by 18.9%.26

25 Heating days refers to the days in the year with a temperature below a certain degree of Celsius which requires the heating of buildings. Calculating the energy usage relative to the heating days allows a comparison over the years, independent of uctuations caused by different outside temperatures. 26 Universiteit Maastricht. (2011). Energie Jaarrapportages.

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The electricity and gas consumption of the six faculties varies greatly. The faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) consumes the largest amount of electricity and gas per student. The high electricity ratio can be accounted for by the electronic equipment utilized for medical research. In the faculties and buildings located in the city centre, the main electricity consumers are computers, lighting, and air conditioning in the summer. The faculty of law consumes the least amount of electricity per student and the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience the least amount of gas per student.

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The electricity usage and gas consumption at Maastricht University has multiple negative implications for people and planet. The most well-known effect of the combustion of coal, gas or oil is the release of green-house gases contributing to global warming. Nonetheless, other negative implications should not be underestimated, such as the pollution and alteration of natural landscapes during the material extraction or risk of accidents during the transportation of gas, oil or coal via pipeline, truck or ship. In light of the harmful consequences of the conventional energy system, the expansion of renewable energies and the pursuit of energy efciency are two important aspirations of a more sustainable society. In 2008, Maastricht University signed an energy efciency agreement with the Dutch state, to launch a strategic effort to improve its relative energy consumption. As part of its Sustainability Policy 2008-10 Maastricht University joined the Multiple Year Agreement on Energy Efciency27 (MJA3). The MJA3 is the third agreement by the Dutch state with companies, universities, townships and industry organizations to improve energy efciency in the Netherlands. Having joined this agreement, UM commits itself to improve its energy efciency per square meter by 30% from 2005 to 2020 leading to an annual improvement rate of two percentagepoints. The efciency described in the MJA3 agreement encompasses three elements: (1) Process efciency relates to the efciencies of technological appliances used in a facility. (2) Chain efciency is concerned with the total energy input needed to transform a resource and deliver it as an end-product. (3) Renewable energy describes energy produced by renewable resources, such as water, sun or wind. To what extent has Maastricht University adhered to its commitments under the MJA3? Unfortunately, no reliable information can be offered on the energy consumption of the university until 2008 because of inconsistencies in the data collection.28 Therefore, it is difcult to evaluate to what extent Maastricht University achieved its targets under the MJA3 between 2005 and 2008. Reliable data is available only since 2008. This data suggests that Maastricht University achieved the targets for 2008 until 2010. Furthermore, under the auspices of the MJA3 agreement, the progress of the 14 Dutch universities is compared with each other. In 2010, Maastricht University was among the 3 (out of 14) Dutch universities
27 Ministerie van Economische Zaken, Landbouw en Innovatie. (2008). Meerjarenafspraak Energie-Efcientie 2001 2020. 28 Until 2008, the metering status for gas and electricity had to be reported manually. However, when the metering stand had not been send to the energy company in time, the company sent the university a bill based on an estimate of the energy usage. This estimate was usually higher than the actual energy usage. However, once the actual energy usage was reported to the energy company in retrospect, the margin was included in the bill for the next year. As a result, the available data on energy usage shows high variations, so that it does not provide enough consistency for analysis. Only since the implementation of a central Building Management System (BMS) in 2008, data on electricity, gas and water usage has been collected in a consistent way. The BMS allows a close monitoring of energy usage through a near real-time measurement of the energy consumption per building.

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with the lowest energy consumption per square meter, and among the two and four universities with the lowest energy consumption per employee and student.

29

Water In 2010, the university utilized 55 000 m3 of water. This total consumption was equivalent to the yearly water consumption of 430 average Dutch households. Compared to a 2008 baseline, the water usage: increased by 14.91% in total. increased by 7.29% per sqm.

30

Hence, Maastricht University managed to full its MJA3 commitments during the last two years, and also maintains a relatively high energy efciency compared to other Dutch universities. However, what are the ambitions to maintain improvements during the coming years? The Energy Efciency Plan presents the basis of the current UM energy strategy. The plan outlines several projects Maastricht University plans to implement to improve its energy efciency between 2009 and 2012. Most of these projects prescribe the installation of more energy-efcient lights, heating and ventilation systems. Overall, the projects outlined in the plan are unsatisfactory to meet the MJA3 commitment. The plan anticipates efciency improvements per square meter of only 1.19% from 2009 till 2012. However, the MJA3 agreement would have demanded improvements of eight percentage points.

29 Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu. (2011). Voortgangsrapport MJA-monitoring over 2010. Total primary energy usage (GJ/m2). 30 Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu. (2011). Voortgangsrapport MJA-monitoring over 2010. Total primary energy usage (GJ/student).

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Furthermore, to increase its energy efciency through the promotion of renewable energies the university purchases Renewable Energy Certicates (RECs). In 2010, the university bought 90% certicates from Scandinavian hydro-electric and 10% certicates from Dutch wind power relative to the total number of kWh of electricity purchased. The university still purchases grey electricity from its energy supplier, but purchases these certicates to guarantee that at another place electricity from renewable sources is fed into the grid. Additionally, from 2012 onwards, the university purchases its gas through greenchoice, a Dutch energy company that compensates the CO2 emissions from gas combustion through greenhouse gas reduction projects and promotes the production of biogas.31 To support the university in its commitment for more energy efciency, the Green Ofce developed a business case for a more energy efcient IT structure. The Ctrl-Alt-Delete Emissions project is an initiative by the Green Ofce in collaboration with the ICT-Service Centre and the General and Technical Services. Based on a project realized at the University of Amsterdam, which is now promoted nation-wide via Studenten voor Morgen the national network of Dutch sustainability student groups , it aims to reduce energy consumption and thus CO2-emissions of the universitys ICT-Infrastructure. This should be achieved through the implementation of PC power management, data centre optimization and more sustainable procurement policies for hardware. Current projections suggest potential savings of more than 5 Million kWh over the next three years. These electricity savings are expected to lead to emission reductions of 3,4 tons of CO2 and overall net savings of 1.4mio Euro out of which 670,000 are direct energy saving benets. While some of these numbers still have to be validated by hard empirical data rather than being supported by general models, the scope of possible emission reductions as well as monetary savings makes the adoption and implementation of the proposed changes a desirable policy target for UM.32 This energy section closes with the main conclusion that Maastricht University fullled its commitments under the MJA3 between 2008-10, but that the current plan is insufcient to further guarantee adherence to the commitment. Therefore, the report recommends Maastricht University to do the following: (1) As follow-up to the current Energy Efciency Plan 2009-12, Maastricht University is encouraged to implement a more ambitious energy strategy. Such a strategy should rst, identify the largest consumers of electricity and gas at UM, then develop a plan preferably over the timespan of the MJA3, setting milestones until when and how the projects with the highest return on investment should be realized. As part of this energy strategy, the university should guarantee that the Ctrl-Alt-Delete Emissions project of the Green Ofce is implemented to the greatest extent possible. This has already been achieved to some degree, by implementing PC Power Management in the university libraries at the start of the academic year in September 2011.

31 Communication Jolanda Kemp 12.05.2011 32 Maastricht University Green Ofce. (2011). Ctrl-Alt-Delete Emissions Business Case

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5.3

In 2010, Maastricht University produced 720 000 kg of waste. The two main waste streams present residual waste33, as well as paper and cardboard. In 2010, Maastricht University disposed paper and cardboard equivalent to 1600 Dutch households, and as much residual waste as 580 households. Currently, Maastricht University does not separate plastic on a faculty level. The plastic which is collected together with other trash in the residual waste bins is incinerated. In addition, waste has not been addressed as a separate topic in the sustainability policy 2008-10. The waste disposed from the faculties and administrative buildings in the Inner City mainly presents residual waste, as well as paper and cardboard. Smaller amounts are glass and electronic devices, such as computers. The Randwijck facilities generate bedding waste34 and different sorts of chemical waste. How did these different waste streams develop over the years?

Waste

Similar to the case of energy, no precise data on the total amount of waste disposed are available until 2010.35 Nonetheless, despite the fact that the data on waste disposal until 2010 is mainly based on estimations and thus should be interpreted carefully, an analysis over the years suggests that between 2003 and 2010 the amount of disposed waste increased by 55.38% in total. In 2005, the high variation of residual waste occurred due to measurement inconsistencies in the Randwijck facilities.36 With the hiring of a new waste collector in February 2011, the collection of data has improved. Now, the new contractor measures the weight of each container load individually at the truck. This data collection will provide a more accurate insight into the total amount, as well as the waste generation per location.

33 Residual waste contains material which has not been separated from the main waste stream for recycling or reprocessing. The residual waste of Maastricht University is incinerated. 34 Bedding is a material such as hay or straw - used to cover the oor of cages for animals. 35 Until 2010, the contracted waste company disposed waste twice a week - amounting to around 100 collections per year. Out of these collections, only four waste collections in four weeks have been measured precisely. This sample data was then used to extrapolate the total kilograms of waste disposed per year. The collection of the total amounts of waste was not deemed important, because the university paid the waste disposal per container emptied and not per kilogram. The company now measures the weight of each container load individually at the truck. This data gathering procedure will from now on provide a more accurate insight into the total waste amount, as well as the waste generation per building. 36 The waste of the Randwijck facilities is disposed through the Academic Hospital Maastricht (AZM). The jump in the data occurred, because not only the waste itself was weighted, but also the containers themselves.

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Given the fact that the student and employee populations have grown over the last years for example, from 2006 till 2010 alone by 24% total amounts do not provide much basis for comparison. Therefore, the ratio of the development of waste categories relative to the development of students from 2003-2010 was calculated.
Waste/Student ratio in kg Residual Paper Bedding Chemical Organic Other Total 2003 18.55 14.28 4.44 0.86 0.82 1.17 40.12 2004 20.09 19.02 3.31 0.51 0.82 0.64 44.40 2005 21.45 20.41 3.55 0.91 0.92 0.95 48.19 2006 22.81 21.01 4.28 1.72 0.90 0.69 51.41 2007 22.76 19.89 4.05 1.26 0.87 0.65 49.49 2008 24.97 15.47 3.72 1.54 0.85 0.75 47.30 2009 25.09 15.82 4.23 1.83 0.84 0.74 48.55 2010 26.54 15.32 4.30 2.25 0.84 0.80 50.06 2003-10 +43% +7% -3% +162% +2% -32% +24.78%

Graphing this ratio offers two important observations. (1) The data depicts that the ratio of residual waste shows a constant increase every year. Also in this case, no satisfactory explanation could be provided until the point of writing. Especially since the increase is constant over the years, attributing the growth to variability in the underlying data is not very likely. The amount of chemical waste also increased rapidly over the years, which can be mainly attributed to increasing amount of medical research. (2) The amount of paper and cardboard waste displays a sudden drop of around 22% from 2007 till 2008. Before and after that year, the ratio amounts for paper and cardboard waste were relatively constant. So far, no explanation could be provided for this sudden decrease. The main conclusion of this section is that Maastricht University has not addressed waste as a separate topic in its previous sustainability policy, but in light of the past trends of increasing waste generation should do so in the future. With reference to the information gathered and analysed, this report asserts Maastricht University to implement a waste reduction strategy. This strategy should rst outline projects to stop the increase in residual waste in the short-run, and to secondly lay out long-term plans on how to reduce the amounts disposed per student/employee in the two major categories of residual waste as well as paper and cardboard.

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5.4

CO2 emissions have not received special attention in the last sustainability policy or other documents related to sustainability at UM. However, this might change during the next years, as more national and regional governments commit themselves to higher CO2 reduction targets: For example, the European Parliament is currently discussing an increase of its CO2 reduction targets to 30% by 2020 (from 1990 levels).37 Also, the city of Maastricht declared that it wants to become a climate neutral organization by 2015, and a climate neutral municipality by 2030.38 To obtain a rst insight into the magnitude of CO2 emissions at Maastricht University, the Green Ofce calculated the CO2 emissions associated with the electricity mix, combustion of natural gas, study abroad related ight travel and waste incineration at Maastricht University. The result of these calculations provides the following outcomes:
Category Electricity mix Combustion of natural gas Study abroad related ight travel Residual waste incineration Kilograms of CO2 5 400 000 kg39 4 150 000 kg40 1 625 000 kg41 360 000 kg42

CO2 emissions

Arguably, this calculation just provides a rst insight. The global warming potential of other green-house gases and other areas still need to be investigated, such as greenhouse gas emissions related to staff travel abroad, as well as commuting habits, cleaning of waste water or the waste disposal of the other waste categories. Until now, Maastricht University does not maintain greenhouse gas reduction targets or a general strategy to lower its CO2 emissions. The two main steps include the promotion of renewable energies through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certicates, as well as the purchase of a green gas tariff. However, these certicates or offsetting efforts should not withdraw attention from serious attempts to reduce the energy consumption in the rst place. The co-generation of renewable energies such as solar, wind or biogas should follow as a second step of a coherent CO2 emissions reductions strategy. CO2 offsetting should only present auxiliary steps towards CO2 neutrality. The main conclusion for this section suggests that Maastricht University does not maintain a green-house gas reduction strategy. However, these will become important during the coming years, as ambitions for greenhouse gas reductions build up on a European level. Already at this point, Maastricht University should investigate

37 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/en/pressroom/content/20110523IPR19955/html/Climate-EU-should-cut-CO2-by-30 38 www.maastricht.nl/web/le?uuid=addee0a4-ed86-42c9-8b8d-ad45acf946da&owner=24e53ed6-3dd9-4cb8-8680-7998cbdc3bc7 39 The electricity consumption in 2010 17 923387 kWh - was multiplied by the CO2 emissions factor - 302g/kWh - for the total electricity mix of the energy supplier in 2010. http://zakelijk.eneco.nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/Brandstofmix_EnecoBusiness_2010.pdf 40 Natural gas consumption was 2 313 927m3 in 2010. CO2 emissions factor CO2 kg/GJ -derived from list of The Netherlands: list of fuels and standard CO2 emission factors, p. 6 http://www.greenhousegases.nl/docs/SN%202009%20NL%20list%20of%20 fuels%20edition%20April%202009.pdf 41 In the academic year 2010/11, over 1250 UM students (around eight percent of all regular students) absolved a semester abroad in 39 different countries. The average CO2 emissions per student - related to the ight and travel to the airport constituted 1300kg. The information on the study abroad destinations of UM students were provided through the international ofces. Having tested several of these calculators, the calculations were conducted with www.jpmorgancliamtecare.com, because it consistently produced values similar to the averages outcomes from all calculators investigated. The emissions calculation was further based on the assumption that students who would conduct their study abroad in Belgium, Germany and Southern parts of France would travel to these countries by train. For this calculation, we made use of the train emissions calculator from www.bahn.de. Flights were calculated from Amsterdam train ride Maastricht-Amsterdam included to the capital of the respective semester abroad country. Semester abroad data from FHML faculty not included, because it has not been made available despite several requests. 42 Total amount of residual waste constituted 383 787kg in 2010. Calculation based on assumption that The incineration of 1 Mg of municipal waste in MSW incinerators is associated with the production/release of about 0.7 to 1.2 Mg of carbon dioxide CO2. (Emissions from Waste Incineration, p. 459) http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/gp/bgp/5_3_Waste_Incineration.pdf The nal sum of 360 000 kg CO2 presents the average between two estimations

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ways to support Maastricht municipality in its ambitions to become a climate neutral city in 2030, either through the provision of expertise, or the development of a customized strategy to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. As a rst step into this direction, Maastricht University is recommended to devise a comprehensive greenhouse-gas emissions inventory. Based on this inventory, opportunities for emission reductions should be assessed.

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6 | University community
Maastricht University maintains a vibrant student community. However, communication and collaboration between student groups has been a major challenge. As a rst step, the Green Ofce tried to improve the communication and collaboration between student groups through activities in its Sustainable Student Living portfolio. During the rst year, activities in this area include maintaining regular contact with student organizations, bimonthly networking events and giving student groups the chance to connect and recruit volunteers for ongoing projects. In addition to these networking services, the Green Ofce developed an inventory of all student groups and initiatives which are active in the eld of sustainable development. 43 Student organizations in the eld of sustainable Denition: Explicit mentioning of SD in name and/or focus on social, ecological or economic elements
Student organizations oikos Maastricht Student Workforce for Sustainability and Development SIFE Maastricht University Amnesty International Maastricht (AIMS) NovUM Books4Life International Federation of Medical Students Associations-Maastricht (IFSMA-Maastricht) GECCO AIESEC Maastricht United Nations Study Association (UNSA)

Those student groups and initiatives contribute to the vibrant student community at Maastricht University in numerous ways. Students maintain a second hand book store whose revenues are donated to Oxfam and Amnesty International, run an organic and fair-trade food cooperative, meet on a regular basis to discuss possibilities for sustainable investments, gather information on organic and fair-trade shops in the city, develop a guide to facilitate sustainable lifestyles among students, offer organic catering services, organize swap and exchange evenings for second hand clothes, launched a student sustainability conference in Maastricht, organized festivals to discuss economic exploitation and social and cultural norms about gender, sex and sexuality, movie screenings about nuclear power and environmental degradation, a lecture on corporate sustainability and a EuroMUN conference on how to achieve sustainability in a world of changing power relations.

43 The inventory was based on a call for student groups and initiatives to participate in this inventory send out through UM News, the Green Ofce website and newsletter, and individual communication to student groups. Those groups and projects which have not been contained in the present version of the inventory are kindly asked to contact the Green Ofce for further inclusion on the Green Ofce website. Status 20.09.2011

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This section concludes that Maastricht University maintains separate, but vibrant communities of students, staff members, researchers and teachers who care about and promote sustainable development within and beyond the university. As a next step, the report recommends the university to further examine ways to empower this community. As a rst step into this direction, the Green Ofce is developing an online and ofine platform to encourage the collaboration and best practice sharing among student organizations.

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7 | Conclusion
The destruction of the worlds ecosystems is not an invention of modern times. On the contrary, the problems of global warming, biodiversity loss or resource scarcity present the aggravation of consumption and population trends whose causal chain peters out in the depths of human history. 44 One of the central challenges of the 21st century thus remains, to what extent we will be able to change the track and guide us out of the suction of these historical trends. Fewer and fewer times is the question asked if we need to do something, but rather what needs to be done to restore the equilibrium between our demands and the planets carrying capacity. Within corporate boardrooms, government buildings and the minds of citizens, awareness is rising. Policies, projects and behavioural patterns are modied to gather pace for this grand transformation. However, a glimpse at the challenges ahead to create zero-waste and zero-emissions economies and societies reveals that we have to be more creative and more daring in our approach, and that we have to work harder and involve more people. Or paraphrasing the words of Thomas Friedman: We need less of a green celebration, but more of a green revolution45 a profound change of the way we see the world and interact with it. As this report illustrates, also Maastricht University is only at the beginning of this grand transformation. For example, only since 2008 is reliable data available to monitor the energy consumption of the university. Plans to adhere to the energy efciency agreement are insufcient for the years to come. Data on waste disposal will be available from February 2011 onwards. A major commitment to promote sustainable procurement has been made in 2008, and only been achieved for the rst time in 2010. On the other hand, the establishment of the Maastricht University Green Ofce or a new Master in Sustainability Science and Policy present two important achievements in the last year. Most importantly, Maastricht University features a vibrant research community and student body active in sustainable development. The potential is idling, waiting to be unleashed. The report puts forward four main recommendations, to unleash this potential. (1) In education: To increase learning opportunities in education for sustainable development. This can be achieved rstly by expanding the academic curriculum and quality of courses on sustainable development related or focused topics; and secondly by developing a program of Experience-Based Learning for sustainable development to supplement the academic curriculum. When enhancing the education for sustainable development at Maastricht University, actors should capitalize on opportunities to link the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014 to the ambitions of Maastricht University in this area. (2) In research: Knowledge-exchange within and beyond Maastricht University. Sustainable development is a new and fast paced discipline. Networking events and conferences for researchers can guarantee that new ideas ow more easily and that research collaborations prosper.
44 Ponting, C. (2007). A New Green History of the World. Penguin: New York 45 Friedman, T. (2008). Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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(3) In operations: The negative environmental and social impact of UM should be limited in a number of areas, such as energy, transportation, real estate development, waste, water, green-house gas emissions, landscapes, etc. However, in light of scarce resources and time, attention should focus on substantial change in core areas. With reference to Maastricht Universitys commitments in energy efciency and sustainable procurement, those two areas should remain of top-priority. As part of this, the university management should ensure that the green ICT project of the Green Ofce is implemented to its fullest extent possible. Furthermore, the surge in residual waste generation during the last years presents a worrisome development, which should be addressed as a third priority in the area of operations in the next two years. (4) In community: Empowerment of students and staff is expected to provide the necessary incubation of additional leverage and spin-off projects which are not run by the university itself, but nonetheless support its institutional transformation. For example, the Green Ofce is currently developing a platform which aims to facilitate the collaboration and networking among student organizations through an online and ofine program. (5) In organization: A monitoring and evaluation scheme which is inspired by transparency and ambition to guarantee that Maastricht University does the best that it can to advance sustainable development within the university and beyond. This system should also guarantee that all information about sustainable development at Maastricht University is collected and updated into an easily accessible database, to better inform decision makers and other stakeholders. Identifying a problem requires a critical appreciation of the world around us. Proposing solutions to this problem necessitates creativity. However, implementing the solution to alleviate the problem demands leadership. This report paves the way along the rst and second steps of the change process. Students, management, faculty and staff members will have to unite their efforts to provide the collective leadership which is crucial to nally implement policies and projects to boost sustainable development at Maastricht University. This leadership should be inspired by a mind-set considering sustainable development not as an obstacle to the successful running of Maastricht University, but realizes its opportunities to advance innovation and excellence. Additionally, this leadership should be steered by a feeling which regards sustainable development not as a burden, but comprehends it as the moral responsibility of Maastricht University to be part of the solution for the sustainability challenges humanity faces in the 21st century.

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www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/greenoffice

The Maastricht University Green Office coordinates and initiates sustainability projects at Maastricht University, by empowering students and staff members. Thereby, the Green Office addresses the urgent need for integrated and winnovative efforts for a sustainable future at the university. With the Climate Action Report the Green Office presents the first baseline analysis of sustainable development at the university. By making the findings of the report accessible to the university community and external stakeholders the Green Office improves the transparency and accountability of the universitys sustainability efforts. The recommendations of the report aim to inform and inspire projects and policies to prepare Maastricht University for the sustainability challenges of the 21st century.