Green Office Ghent

Mission

Green Office Ghent works closely with the rest of the sustainability department towards making the Ghent University a locally and globally sustainable institution in its operations, research, education and management. It is inspired by the Green Office Model.

Green Office Ghent

Achievements

» Planted a forest of two hectares with 200 people
» Carried out a campaign to upcycle left-over university magazines
» Worked closely with the rest of the sustainability department to create an ambitious sustainability policy
» Co-created a mobility policy, which made it mandatory to compensate any flight greenhouse gas emissions
» Lobbied for a roadmap to replace all bottled water coolers with tap water coolers within two years

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Team

12 student employees work for Green Office Ghent. The students are supported by 6 staff members who work with the students, as well as on their own projects. The team also engages student volunteers to work on different projects at the university.

Green Office Ghent - Team Photo

Founding story of Green Office Ghent

The sustainability coordinator heard about the Green Office Model. The university already had a sustainability vision, policy, report and advisory board. The sustainability governance system was well-established, but implementation was still a challenge. Based on the Green Office Model, they proposed an overarching Sustainability Office including a student Green Office within a staff team. This was to stimulate the daily implementation of the sustainability policy and act as a platform for existing sustainability initiatives. Green Office Ghent was then established in 2015.

Green Office Ghent - Panel Discussion

Background

Green Office Ghent is part of Ghent University, in Belgium. 41,000 students study and 10,000 staff work at the university. Upon its founding, the Executive Board approved the Green Office. The Green Office is part of the larger sustainability department. In 2017, the Green Office had a budget of €100,000. For more information, you can visit their website.

Green Office Ghent - Sustainability Market