The Green Office (GO) is the central point of contact for all matters relating to sustainable development at h_da. We network students, lecturers, h_da staff and external stakeholders and offer them opportunities to join forces in sustainability projects. We initiate, coordinate and support sustainability projects in the areas of teaching and university operations.
The aim of the GO is to promote sustainable development at a university-wide level and to further anchor it structurally at h_da.
To this end, the Green Office is always open to suggestions, ideas and proposals, as change can only succeed together.
Support for projects and theses related to the topic of sustainability
Financial support for student projects
Networking with relevant stakeholders within and outside the h_da
Support in the planning and implementation of courses related to the topic of sustainability
Networking with other lecturers and other relevant stakeholders within and outside h_da
Support in the initiation and implementation of projects related to sustainability
Networking with relevant stakeholders
Networking with lecturers for student projects and theses
Networking and support for projects with students
Why are our oceans acidifying? What is the additional greenhouse effect? And what was the albedo effect again? These and other exciting questions about the connections between climate change are answered in the interactive climate puzzle workshop. As part of the HONEDA network (Universities for Sustainable Development in Darmstadt), the Green Office offers these workshops. The content is based on the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). With the help of puzzle cards, the cause-effect relationships of climate change are explored by the participants. The format is aimed at all university members and can also be integrated into courses.
As part of the project module in the Bachelor's degree programme in Business Administration, the students developed an event concept for the Green Office under the supervision of lecturer Jakob Bürkner. The aim of the "Green Kick" concept - a football tournament in the spirit of sustainability - was to playfully and actively sensitise university members to the topic of sustainable development on the one hand and to raise awareness of the Green Office among the student body on the other. During the project module, the Green Office was on hand to advise the students.
In the “SDGs@H_DA” project led by Professors Lars Bleher and Bastian Wibranek, Master's students from the Architecture course developed designs that were intended to contribute to spatial communication and the sensory experience of one or more of the United Nations' 17 SDGs. The communicative element posed a particular challenge within the brief: It was to create awareness of the SDGs as a topic with global reach and inspire action. Two of the numerous designs are to be built by a Master's student course in the winter semester 24/25 and installed on the h_da campus. The project took place in cooperation with the Green Office, which primarily had an advisory role. It also provided support during the final presentation and the award ceremony for the work, which was attended by the Chancellor and the Vice President.
Under the guidance of Prof Mensing and Céline Grieb, students from the Department of Architecture have developed concepts for the design of the Green Office space (C10, main entrance) in order to be able to use the space in future both as a workplace for the Green Office team and as a place for meetings. The design work focussed on the use of sustainable resources in the form of existing furniture and materials. The aim was to use these resources to create optimal spaces for forward-looking project innovations. The Green Office was the initiator of the project, and the room will be converted by an architecture firm in the winter semester 2024/2025 based on the student concepts for the design of the Green Office space.
Students of civil engineering, environmental engineering and architecture generated ideas for campus greening as part of the "PflanzBAR" project. The project task was to design a functional and visually appealing overall system consisting of planters, shade-providing climbing support and seating furniture and to build a prototype for a "quasi-autonomous" irrigation system. The planters purchased by the Construction and Real Estate department are intended to improve the quality of life on campus in front of the A-buildings on Haardtring. The project was carried out in cooperation with the Green Office and the Construction and Real Estate department.
Students on the Master's degree course in Environmental Engineering worked on a concept for optimizing the university's operational processes to improve the circular economy and conserve resources. To analyze the current situation, the students sorted residual waste, among other things. The Green Office was involved in the design of the student project, provided support with data collection and advised the students. The results presented in September 2023 are the occasion for the current circular economy campaign "Isn't it all garbage?".
The aim of the Green Office's "Turn it down" campaign was to raise awareness among university members about saving energy. It took place in cooperation with seven sustainability offices at Hessian universities in order to provide each other with the best possible support in saving energy.
Students on the Master's degree programme in Environmental Engineering calculated h_da's carbon footprint as part of a module. The Green Office provided support in obtaining the relevant data and assisted them in creating the carbon footprint. The GO also designed and implemented the student project together with the teaching staff.
The Green Office is planning further sustainability projects with students, teaching staff and employees. We are always open to comments, suggestions and ideas for ongoing or planned projects and look forward to further collaboration.
Communication
Schöfferstraße 3
64295 Darmstadt
Office: C10, ZG32