Status of the sustainable development of the campus environment

It was the university that together with campus property owners Akademiska hus and Kanico invited students and employees at the university and Science Park Borås to the workshop to get their views and ideas in order to drive the work for a sustainable campus forward. The focus of the workshop was on the areas of outdoor environment and biodiversity, safety and security – social sustainability, social well-being, the indoor environment, digital sustainability, waste, materials and reuse, as well as energy saving.

"After the summer, workgroups met to review the various proposals that have been received and priorities were identified based on their expected effect on goal achievement in relation to cost in time and money. Several points in the plan need to be looked into further and regarding some points, safety representatives need to be involved," said Maria Vesterlund, Administrator for Sustainable Development.

Examples of work that has been started or planned are:

• Planning for an outdoor work site below Sandgärdet's entrance at Akademiplatsen.
• Visibility of various facilities, such as where one can find bike racks, bicycle pumps, boules court, courtyard at Balder, quiet room, quiet rooms, changing tables. Documentation work regarding these is ongoing.
• Review and risk analysis for laboratory draught cupboards to see if it is possible to achieve energy savings.
• A check that compressed air does not leak into the premises of the Swedish School of Textiles has been carried out and will be carried out on an ongoing basis by the property owner. This is to ensure that the compressors do not run unnecessarily and waste electricity.
• Campus checks with a focus on safety and security have been carried out during the autumn to look for shortcomings and opportunities for improvement. This was carried out by representatives from Campus Facilities and Sustainability Office and the property owners on campus. Campus checks that focus on other areas will be done in the future.

"Some activities can be completed in the short term, such as completing an outdoor work site, while others have a longer time horizon, such as working for a car-free campus," said Maria Vesterlund.

Read more

News article about the workshop from May 2021 (in Swedish)