Leiden University Green Office

LUGO is excited to launch the Sustainable Master Thesis Award to encourage impactful research on sustainability topics. 💡

This award is an opportunity for master’s students from all disciplines to showcase their innovative solutions to global, national, and regional sustainability challenges. 🌎

Ready to inspire change with your research? Apply now via the link in our bio and be a part of the solution! 📝

For more details, visit our website.

LUGO is excited to launch the Sustainable Master Thesis Award to encourage impactful research on sustainability topics. 💡
This award is an opportunity for master’s students from all disciplines to showcase their innovative solutions to global, national, and regional sustainability challenges. 🌎

Ready to inspire change with your research? Apply now via the link in our bio and be a part of the solution! 📝

For more details, visit our website.

🌱 Don’t miss the chance to hear Ed Winters () live in Leiden this September!

After a life-changing realization in 2014, Ed became a powerful voice for animals, co-founding Surge and creating the documentary Land of Hope and Glory. He’s spoken at every Ivy League college, and around the globe, reaching millions with his compelling talks on veganism and animal rights. The and are excited to welcome him for his talk “The Case for Veganism”—get ready to be inspired!

🗓 Tuesday, September 10th
🕖 19:00
📍 Lipsius Leiden, Cleveringaplaats 1, Room 1.47

Register via the link in our bio! 🌍

Are you a student or staff at Leiden University, particularly based at The Hague campus? Want to make a difference? Join the third Green Team of LUGO!

Swipe to discover more and apply through the link in our bio! 💚

Did you participate in the BioBlitz challenge? A very rare insect was spotted during the BioBlitz, namely the Sierlijke Schildwants, which is usually mainly spotted in Zeeland. It has been fascinating to see that insects such as these have also spread to Leiden, showing the biodiversity of the area. Let’s make an effort to make the University locations even more biodiverse!

On Wednesday the 12th of June, we held the LUGO sustainability symposium. Before the official event, we hosted a meeting with a few green offices around the country to exchange ideas and do some brainstorming on how to make our Universities more sustainable. Thank you to all the green offices in attendance for this inspiring and insightful meetup!

During the symposium, we enjoyed some inspiring talks from our speakers, starting with Dario Fazzi from Una Europa speaking about environmental democracy and the use of VR in education. Secondly, Esther Kentin and Aranka Virágh told us more about sustainability at Leiden University and its prospects. Lastly, James van Veen spoke about the perceptions and challenges of sustainability in Leiden University’s catering. We of course finished the day with some networking drinks. Thank you for all that attended both online and in person, we look forward to the implementation of the insights that we gained in this symposium.

Did you check out the new cigarette disposals at the law faculty yet? Since this month, the law faculty has voting bins for cigarette butts. Cigarette butts are plastic polluters and contain 90% plastic, which could cause natural damage when not disposed of correctly. Only half an hour after dropping your cigarette butt on the floor, it will have already released its toxins into the ground!

*disclaimer: we do not endorse smoking, but we can ofcourse not stop you from doing that. In case that you do smoke, please be mindful of the environmental damage that can be caused by dumping your cigarette butt in nature. This campaign is aimed at motivating people to consciously throw out their cigarette butts and thereby positively influence their habits of throwing away the cigarette butt.*

Are you looking for a new job for the next University year? SAZ (Strategische en Academische Zaken) is looking for a Student Assistant Sustainability (Dutch-speaking)!

As Student Assistant Sustainability you will assist the coordinator Sustainability in the organizing of workshops and symposia, and in the development of sustainability education for students and staff.

The vacancy is for a function of 0,2-0,4 fte and is only for dutch-speaking students studying at Leiden University. Interested? Click the link in our bio to see more details or to apply!

Announcement of the spring poetry competition winner!🌱

Thank you for all the great submissions, we have read them with great joy! After discussing the entries together, we have decided upon a winner: Deluge!

We will send the gift basket to the winner soon and recommend you to read both Deluge (swipe on this post) and the other submissions posted on LUGO press (link in our bio).

Do you have a passion for Sustainability? Are you interested in helping Leiden University become more sustainable?

Then apply to become a board member of Leiden University Green Office! To apply, you must be a student at Leiden University from September 2024 until at least August 2025. You want to work closely together with a team, like to network, and have good communication skills. Lastly, you should be available to work 8 hours per week (flexible).

For more information or to apply, use the link in the bio!

Today is the day of Biodiversity🌱

From the 22nd of May on, the University, in collaboration with other Universities and Hogescholen across tue Netherlands, has launched a BioBlitz. A BioBlitz is a challenge to registrate as many plants and animals within a certain time period and within the boundaries of a certain location as possible. The chosen time period here is a month, and the location is the University grounds!

Participate and download the Obsidentify app by clicking the link in our bio!

*Sign up now for our Sustainability Symposium and VR workshop on June 12th* (link in bio)

Are you curious about how sustainability is being tackled at Leiden University?Would you like to have your voice heard among university stakeholders?

LUGO invites you to the *Sustainability Symposium*, a platform that brings together university stakeholders, students and staff interested in exploring the progress and next steps of sustainability at Leiden University. Interested students and staff members are cordially invited to the exciting talks and workshops we have planned:

*Date: 12th June*
*Location: Great Auditorium, Leiden*

*Programme Outline:*

*13:15 - 14:15* Dario from Una Europa will give us a workshop on how VR is used in environmental education, and the role it plays in the broader context of environmental democracy. Grab your chance at a free VR experience!

*14:30 - 15:15* Esther Kentin, sustainability coordinator at the Law Faculty, and Aranka Viragh from Vastgoed will present the steps taken by their respective departments in Leiden University. What challenges are they facing? And how to move forward?

*15:15 - 15:30* Students from the Leiden Leadership Programme (LLP) will present the results of their catering survey, and discuss their findings. How do perceptions differ? And what would they recommend?

*15:30 onwards* Grab free drinks and snacks while networking at our borrel!

Sign up now for our Sustainability Symposium and VR workshop on June 12th! (link in bio)

Are you curious about how sustainability is being tackled at Leiden University? Would you like to have your voice heard among university stakeholders?

LUGO invites you to the Sustainability Symposium, a platform that brings together university stakeholders, students and staff interested in exploring the progress and next steps of sustainability at Leiden University. Interested students and staff members are cordially invited to the exciting talks and workshops we have planned:

Date: 12th June
Location: Great Auditorium, Leiden

Programme Outline:

13:15 - 14:15 Dario from Una Europa will give us a workshop on how VR is used in environmental education, and the role it plays in the broader context of environmental democracy. Grab your chance at a free VR experience!

14:30 - 15:15 Esther Kentin, sustainability coordinator at the Law Faculty, and Aranka Viragh from Vastgoed will present the steps taken by their respective departments in Leiden University. What challenges are they facing? And how to move forward?

15:15 - 15:30 Students from the Leiden Leadership Programme (LLP) will present the results of their catering survey, and discuss their findings. How do perceptions differ? And what would they recommend?

15:30 onwards Grab free drinks and snacks while networking at our borrel!

Come enjoy the opening of the Schouwburgstraat Community Garden with us!🌱

On Wednesday the 8th of May, we will host the festive opening of the garden with among other things a biodiversity walk through the Hague (~1 hour) on the planning. During the event we encourage students and staff to collaborate in our plant swap (so bring your own cuttings as well!)!

For months we’ve been working together with volunteers to make the community garden at the Schouwburgstraat more comfortable and accessible for students to enjoy some time outside during breaks. Besides this, we’ve greatly increased the biodiversity by planting various plants and hope to thereby also increase the number of different animal species to be found in the garden! In ofder to track this, we will also launch a Bioblitz program to track the different animal species found in the garden!

After the walk, there will be free vegan food and drinks for everyone to enjoy. The event will be until approximately 15:00 and all Leiden University students and staff are welcome to join! We hope to see you there on May 8th!

Today is the day against food waste!

Want to help us in our efforts of reducing food waste at the University? Join our groupchat (linked in the bio) and see when leftover University catering food is available! By joining this WhatsApp group, each member acknowledges that they do so at their own risk. Leiden University assumes no liability for any food safety-related consequences resulting from participation in this group.

Want to know more tips for going against food waste? Check out the stopfoodwasteday website or share your favorite tips with us!

Leiden University has joined the new Hague Climate Agreement!

The agreement mainly involves accelerating the climate transition in the Hague region and entails 38 climate deals covering 5 topics (as shown on the second slide).

Want to read more about it? Check out the link in our bio!

LUGO welcomes you to a sustainable shopping experience at our two clothing swaps in the Hague on 13th and 14th February! Nothing to contribute? No worries, you are still welcome to shop, take a drink and snack, and come chat with our student members if you like!

Would you like to know more about LUGO and our activities? Come talk to our student board members at Wijnhaven!

Hey all! 🍃 In (early) preparation of spring, we are once again looking for volunteers to work on the Schouwburgstraat Garden in The Hague! (link in bio) 

We have some items that need assembling before the opening of the garden in the spring and we would love some help from enthusiastic volunteers!💚

We will meet at the garden on February 5th, from 12:00 onwards. Feel free to stop by for a bit, whenever you have time to help!

Join the Sustainability Series Thursday 1st of Feb 16:00 - 17:30 in PLNT Leiden! 💚 This month's theme: fast fashion. Sign up via the link in bio.

In this session Kim van der Weerd will introduce the audience to how factories and suppliers working in fashion supply chains experience the sustainable fashion agenda - which is primarily set by brands, retailers, and activist/advocacy organizations operating in places like the EU and the US – and relatively removed from the daily realities of production. The talk will be led by Kim van der Weerd, who in a past life worked as general manager of a garment factory in Cambodia and now works to amplify supplier perspectives on sustainable fashion.

Kim van der Weerd is co-founder and host of Manufactured, a podcast featuring supplier perspectives on sustainable fashion. She also publishes and collaborates with GIZ FABRIC as a consultant, with Transformers Foundation as their Intelligence Director, and with anyone else striving to build more empathy and mutual understanding across fashion supply chains. She previously worked as General Manager of Pactics Phnom Penh, a garment factory producing for the luxury eyewear industry and as COO of Tonlé, a zero-waste brand that owned and managed its own production, both based in Cambodia. She holds a M.Sc. in human rights from the London School of Economics.

Last weekend, 50 boomspiegels were planted by local volunteers in cooperation with the LUGO. A boomspiegel (literal translation: tree mirror) is the area of ground around the tree trunk, which is crucial for the tree to get enough oxygen and water.

These boomspiegels don't only make the area around the tree look prettier, they also help the tree to get a better resistance to dry periods or heavy rainfall. Thus a lot of positive points! These boomspiegels will be maintained mainly by local residents and we, as the LUGO, will also have 5 of our own boomspiegels to take care of.

Come and check out these new boomspiegels the next time you walk/cycle through the Rapenburg street!

Do you want to make the Law Faculty more sustainable? Sign up and join the Law School Green Teams so that you can help in doing this. As a Green Team Ambassador, you will play a crucial role in enhancing sustainability within your faculty, by recognizing the distinct challenges, exploring solutions, and kickstarting exciting green projects at Leiden Law School.

What You Will Gain:
- Become part of an inspiring and dedicated Green Team
- Contribute to meaningful sustainability initiatives within your faculty
- Participate in exciting projects
- Receive a certificate to enhance your CV

Your profile:
- You are excited to volunteer for an average of two hours per week
- You cannot wait to share your creative ideas
- You want to bring your enthusiasm and passion for sustainability to a community that shares similar values!

The expected starting date will be in Mid-November.
Did we spark your interest? Please sign up through this link: https://fd24.formdesk.com/universiteitleiden/formllsgreenteam

Come join us for a very interesting workshop next week! Are you still in the spirit of the fossil ties debate last week and do you want to learn/talk more about how universities and scientists can contribute more to fighting the climate crisis? The second lecture in the sustainability series will be held at the Pieter de la Court building and will have dr. Anne Urai as a speaker.

Participants will learn to analyse current academic norms through a doughnut lens, to identify and rethink unhelpful practices and institute new ones. Moderated activities will equip participants with new knowledge, motivation, and allegiances that will support them to take action as scientists and academics - in their local context and as part of the global scientific community.

Sign up through the following link and we hope to see you there next week! https://fd24.formdesk.com/universiteitleiden/form692543528

Are you a gardening enthusiast, sustainability advocate, or someone eager to transform a common university area into a green space? Join us on October 18th from 12:00 on as we plant the first seeds of our thriving permaculture community garden. Dress comfortably and be ready to get a little earthy!

Curious about the project's journey? Follow us and stay updated on our progress. Sign up through this link: https://www.formdesk.com/universiteitleiden/sgardenproject

According to The Buyerarchy of Needs by Sarah Lazanovic, the second most sustainable way of acquiring new clothes is swapping them. A few of the benefits of swapping clothes is reducing waste, saving money, and promoting a sense of community.

For this reason, LUGO is organising a pop-up clothing swap, where you can exchange your old clothes for new ones, expand your knowledge on sustainable fashion practices and enjoy some drinks and snacks! You can also learn more about how to become an active contributor to LUGO’s mission in making the university more sustainable.

Did we spark your interest? To dive deeper and sign up for the event, visit the link. Who else would be interested in joining? Tag your friend below!

https://fd24.formdesk.com/universiteitleiden/formclothingswap

Join us for the first lecture of the Sustainability Series next week! Dr. Rosa van den Berg will tell us more about how to save the planet whilst doing what you love. You can sign up for the lecture through this link: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/green-office/agenda-overzicht/aankomende-evenementen/sustainability-series-2023-2024/sustainability-series

"What can I do to contribute to a more sustainable future?" Dr. Rosa van den Berg asked herself this question, when the gravity of the climate crisis hit her. In the past four years, she has set up various sustainability programs in healthcare. Moreover, in 2022 she became climate mayor of Leiden, raising awareness in her own community.

In this session, Dr. Rosa van den Berg will share how the medical domain and the practice of doing research are intertwined with sustainability. And along the way, what she learned on taking action for sustainability in a way that is empowering and positive.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash.