Sustainable Campuses: Sustainability at WUR

Created by Sustainability in Business | Published on December 1, 2022

A DEEPER DIVE INTO SUSTAINABLE CAMPUSES SPOTLIGHT: 

Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands

Overview of WUR

Wageningen is a historic city in the central Netherlands, located in a region known as the Food Valley. The Food Valley is an area in which international food companies and research institutes are concentrated. The city is known internationally for its public university: Wageningen University and Research (WUR), which specializes in life sciences. Through working closely with governments and the business community, WUR focuses on teaching its students about healthy food and the living environment. As a research university, WUR grants degrees at the BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. levels.

Sustainability at WUR Sustainability and CSR efforts (corporate social responsibility) are important principles of WUR, given its mission ‘To explore the potential of nature and improve the quality of life.’

Wageningen Climate Plan:

• WUR is a partner of the Wageningen Climate Plan: 54 climate partners currently work together to make Wageningen climate neutral.

• Many WUR projects and activities contribute to reducing climate impact in the fields of energy, waste, biodiversity, and mobility:

  • Each year, the university measures its climate impact through a CO2 footprint assessment. Since 2010, WUR has decreased CO2 emissions by over 50%

  • WUR generates renewable energy with windmill turbines, thermal storage on campus, and solar panels. In 2021, WUR generated more sustainable energy than its total energy consumption that year

• The Green Office at WUR is also a crucial part of the university’s sustainability strategy. This office allows the school to keep a sharp focus by posing critical questions about sustainability and encourages students to come up with sustainability programs