Sustainability Report 2023

An essential component of a successful sustainability strategy is the exchange of knowledge and experience with other universities and institutions.

The German Society for Sustainability at Universities (DG HochN) is an important network in this regard. As a non-profit organisation, DG HochN makes sustainable developments at universities visible and strengthens the creative exchange between various university stakeholders. Bielefeld University has been an institutional member of DG HochN since 2022. This enables all members of the university to participate in various formats, such as the different co-creative hubs on various sustainability topics or network meetings. Prof Dr Alexandra Kaasch, Vice Rector for Science and Society at Bielefeld University, leads the recurring DG HochN HUB on the topic of "Exchange between rectorates and presidencies" in order to sponsor application-related exchange between rectorate and presidency members.

In 2021, the 16 universities in the state of NRW - including Bielefeld University - joined forces with the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy to form the sustainability initiative of the universities in NRW - HumboldtN. Here, joint research interests and sustainability efforts of the various universities are coordinated and expertise is pooled. Prof Dr Angelika Epple, Rector of Bielefeld University, is a member of the HumboldtN board. As part of a travelling poster exhibition in 2022, Bielefeld University, together with the 15 other universities, presented a poster on the topic "Under pressure. Sustainability and its areas of tension", in which it presented the participation process for the sustainability mission statement, the Sustainable Semester and the new Y lecture theatre building. The posters have been and will be exhibited at various locations in NRW, such as the state parliament, various universities and the Wuppertal Institute.