The Sustainability Office at OTH Regensburg was founded at the end of November 2023 under the leadership of Vice President Prof. Dr. Christoph Skornia. The team consists of the Sustainability Officer, Dr. Maja Stojanović-Blab, the Climate Protection Manager, Ms. Ujvesa Pronaj, and the Green Office with 4 student assistants under the direction of Mr. Lenz Franzke.
This staff unit at OTH Regensburg is an organizational unit whose main task is to develop and implement sustainability goals and to report on their implementation. This results in the following areas of responsibility for the Sustainability Office at OTH Regensburg:
- Defining sustainability in educational contexts: In collaboration with the university's committees, the staff unit defines what sustainability means in the context of the educational institution. This can include environmental, social and economic aspects.
- Development of a sustainability strategy for OTH Regensburg: The staff unit is responsible for developing short, medium or long-term sustainability strategies and goals that are specifically tailored to the needs and objectives of OTH. This may include the integration of sustainability aspects into the curriculum, research, organization, university operations and student initiatives.
- Project management for sustainable initiatives: The unit coordinates and implements sustainable initiatives and projects to achieve positive environmental, social and economic impact. This may include the promotion of renewable energy, the reduction of waste and the use of sustainable procurement practices.
- Integrating sustainability into teaching and research: The unit works to integrate sustainability aspects into curricula and research projects. This may include the development of sustainability-oriented events, courses and research programs.
- Awareness-raising and training: The staff unit is involved in raising awareness and training students, staff and other university members in sustainable practices and values. This can be done through workshops, seminars, events and information campaigns.
- Reporting and transparency: The staff unit prepares reports on the OTH's progress in the area of sustainability. These reports will be used to inform the university community and external stakeholders about the efforts and results of sustainability initiatives.
- Collaboration with other institutions: The Office of Sustainability may collaborate with other universities, local communities, businesses and NGOs to achieve common sustainable goals and share best practices.
Overall, the Sustainability Office at OTH helps to ensure that the university takes a leading role in promoting sustainability and embeds the principles of social, environmental and economic responsibility in its activities.
Responsibilities of individuals in the Sustainability Office team:
The Sustainability Officer is primarily responsible for developing a sustainability strategy that takes into account the results of the stakeholder dialog and encompasses the sustainability goals of the individual fields of action. According to the university development plan for the period 2023 to 2027, the following fields of action are defined Teaching, research and transfer, organization, operations and student initiatives. Furthermore, she is responsible for controlling and evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of sustainable measures at the university in the form of a sustainability report, as well as identifying areas for improvement and further development or continuation of the sustainability strategy. She is also responsible for managing the project "KSI: Climate Protection Management and Integrated Climate Protection Concept at OTH Regensburg".
The climate protection manager has the task of achieving the goal of climate neutrality in organization and operation by 2027, as set out in the university development plan. To this end, an integrated climate protection concept (ICPC) is being drawn up for OTH Regensburg for the first time. The IKSK serves to identify climate-damaging activities of university operations and describes possible ways to achieve the climate protection target set by the university in a catalog of measures. The climate protection manager then prepares annual energy and greenhouse gas balances and initiates and drives forward the implementation of measures from the ICPC. She is responsible for ensuring the involvement of all affected organizational units and all other relevant stakeholders throughout the entire process. The initial creation of a concept and the deployment of a climate protection management system is funded by the National Climate Protection Initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection on the basis of a resolution passed by the German Bundestag. Funding reference: 67K21945; project duration: 01.04.2023 - 31.03.2025
The Green Office is the contact point on the OTH Regensburg campus for employee engagement and for student projects and initiatives relating to sustainability. The institution acts as a multiplier and stimulus for sustainable initiatives and projects in all areas of the university. The aim of the Green Office is to bring sustainability-related concerns from the student body and employees to the university management and to support university initiatives in their important work. The Green Office team consists of a part-time manager and four student assistants in the areas of fair trade, public relations, project management and networking. More information: Green Office
Contact person of the Sustainability Office