By Trine Saaby, Campus Service and Susanne Clement Justesen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs.
Graphics: AAU.

The university must reduce its total emissions of greenhouse gases. The Executive Management and the University Board have therefore adopted a climate plan that runs until 2030.

AAU's new climate council advises the Executive Management and the University Board on climate-related issues and makes decisions on prioritizing the climate plan's initiatives. 

According to Søren Lind Christiansen, chair of the climate council, the council is off to a good start, having discussed and prioritized the initiatives in the climate plan. 

New procurement policy 

The implementation of the climate plan has been initiated in the area of operations and waste, and attention now turns to the purchase of goods and services.

"The new procurement policy, which consists of a strategy and a set of rules, was created with broad involvement across departments and disciplines," says Per Mollerup, Head of Purchasing who also encourages the individual departments and other Shared Services units to reach out for dialogue and assistance on how to best navigate the laws and regulations in the procurement area.

The new procurement policy and roll-out plan will be published at the end of September. 

New travel policy

The next major step towards AAU's climate goals in 2030 is a new travel policy. Business travel comprises a major footprint in the university's climate accounts, so the climate council has begun the process of formulating a travel policy. The goal is for the travel policy to contribute to climate reduction without compromising on core activities or creating unequal conditions for staff.

"We still have to go out into the world, so the new travel policy will help us to prioritize and make the best choices when it comes to climate," explains Steen Harrit Jacobsen, Deputy Director, Finance and Accounts Department.

Climate plan focus areas

AAU's Climate Plan 2030 contains nine focus areas with 13 handprint initiatives in and 24 footprint activities. Handprints are where we contribute knowledge to society and ourselves through our education and research, while footprints are where we directly leave a climate footprint through our consumption of, for example, the purchase of furniture, business travel, and the operation and maintenance of our campuses. 

Every year, AAU prepares a climate account of how much it has succeeded in reducing the footprint. In 2023, the figures showed, among other things, a large reduction in the climate footprint from the university's buildings and maintenance; the climate footprint from procurement was also reduced.  

Appeal to staff 

"I would like to appeal to all of us to think about our behaviour and consumption on a daily basis, so that together we can make a real difference to the university's overall climate footprint," says Søren Lind Christiansen. 

Further information

Trine Saaby, Sustainability Consultant, Campus Service, Tel.: 9356 2223 and Email: trsa@adm.aau.dk 

Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs.