Environmental Guidelines

Social responsibility and environmentally compatible actions are guiding goals of the University of Bremen and thus a central component of all university concerns from teaching, research and administration. In order to implement these goals in practice, to stimulate a continuous improvement process, and to live up to its role model function towards students, employees, and staff, the University of Bremen commits itself to the following sustainability and environmental guidelines:


Ensure efficiency
  • As a demanding educational institution, the University defines its social task as creating and imparting knowledge and skills. The long-term performance of the University of Bremen requires responsible and environmentally compatible interaction among its members. The university management is committed to this.
Energy efficiency and handling of natural resources
  •  At the heart of the University of Bremen's sustainability and environmental activities are efforts to reduce the use of natural resources and to avoid operationally harmful effects on the environment and health. The university is facing the challenge of climate neutrality and increasing energy efficiency.
Health protection and continuing education of university employees
  • The University of Bremen regularly implements measures to ensure health-friendly work and study arrangements and supports the health-conscious behavior of all university employees. It actively promotes health-related, social and cultural initiatives. Furthermore, the university enables its members to receive further education and training on aspects of sustainable development.
Sustainability and environmental protection in research and teaching
  • The University of Bremen considers sustainability and environmental protection to be important issues in research and teaching. In a variety of research projects and courses, these topics are taken up and dealt with, thus providing important impulses for scientific, social and political dialogue. All students have the opportunity to attend courses on education for sustainable development as part of their bachelor's and master's degree programs.
Participation and transfer in the context of sustainability
  • The University of Bremen is aware of its exemplary function. It also offers the public forums for the exchange of information and experience. With its scientific competence in research and teaching, it thus makes an active contribution to the protection of the natural environment and the promotion of sustainable action.
Institutionalization of sustainability and environmental protection
  • For the practical implementation of the sustainability and environmental guidelines, the committees and institutions of the University of Bremen support the work in research, teaching and administration as well as in the student affairs. The University of Bremen creates a sustainability and environmental program in which the objectives and measures are listed and communicated. This program serves as a basis for continuous improvement of the sustainability and environmental performance of the University of Bremen.

The Rectorate endorses the sustainability and environmental guidelines of the University of Bremen, which have been revised and rewritten by the Environmental Committee.

April 19, 2010

The guidelines as  PDF