Campus Bizia Lab (CBL) is a living lab for sustainability in the University of the Basque Country (EHU). It brings together students, faculty, and administrative and service staff to co-create solutions to real sustainability challenges on campus, turning the university itself into a space for experimentation and impact.
CBL runs action-research, challenge-based projects embedded in the curriculum, mainly through Final Degree Projects and Master’s Theses. Students develop transdisciplinary skills while faculty act as reflective practitioners of their own teaching, working closely with staff who help pilot and implement solutions in day-to-day operations. Now in its ninth edition, CBL has grown into an active and committed community and a proven model for learning with impact and transforming the university from within. More information (only Spanish and Basque).

This initiative promotes the development of final degree and master‘s projects aligned with the needs of cities, fostering the connection between the university and cities. Students, teachers, and municipal technical staff collaborate to co-create solutions and contribute to sustainable urban transformation by addressing the specific challenges cities face in achieving climate neutrality and resilience.
This collaborative work is based on public policies and municipal strategies that pursue the creation of resilient and climate-neutral cities, enabling the testing of ideas, prototypes, and actions that generate evidence and effectively turn the city into a laboratory. The initiative is currently being developed in collaboration with the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

EHU Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development is the university’s overarching sustainability framework. It defines EHU’s contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and, through SDG 17+1, adds a formal commitment to linguistic and cultural diversity. The EHU Agenda incorporates the actions set out in the sectoral plans for equality, inclusion, and environmental management, as well as the university’s educational model. The Agenda is accompanied by a panel of indicators that provides the basis for tracking progress and reporting results.

The University of Bern is continuously working to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. This is an ambitious goal that requires everybody’s cooperation. In the process of developing a holistic climate strategy, the University of Bern is developing a participatory roadmap with concrete measures and targets and is refraining from making claims. Instead, it is focusing on a mix of measures that, in addition to reducing the university's greenhouse gas emissions, includes alternative ways of engaging in climate protection and making positive contributions to environmental protection. As part of the climate strategy, the first climate contribution ideas competition “Ready to Reduce” was launched for the first time in spring 2025. To raise awareness, environmental tips are also published on a regular basis since spring 2025.

The University of Bern is pursuing the goal of reducing the environmental impact of its laboratories. To record the energy and resource requirements of the laboratories and identify opportunities for reduction, a GreenLabs Network was set up in June 2025 with the various laboratories at the University of Bern to exchange ideas and experiences.

Engaged UniBE is an initiative by the University of Bern that aims to strengthen the university’s role in society and actively promote the exchange between science and the public.

The University of Bern collaborates with stakeholders from the city, the region, the canton of Bern, and beyond to help shape societal developments. Sustainability is not seen as an isolated topic, but as a cross-cutting issue that affects all areas of the university. This systemic understanding forms the foundation of Engaged UniBE’s actions: sustainability should be conceived, shaped, and lived on multiple levels – moving toward a lived sustainability that is tangible in everyday life and enjoyable.

At the forefront of documenting and raising awareness about global change, research staff have begun a process of reflection on their practices and missions in light of transition issues: how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to the energy consumption of buildings and equipment, the purchase of large equipment or consumables, missions and field trips, how to reduce laboratory waste production and the consumption of natural resources?

The university wants to contribute to reducing the environmental impact of research activities, but also to guarantee its research communities an open, inclusive working environment that respects gender equality.

By proposing, in conjunction with higher education and research institutions and research organisations on the site, the signing of a Labos en transitions charter, the university aims to support and equip the transition actions proposed by its research units. 50% of research structures have already signed the charter and begun their transition.

1. Deployment of a transition education module

• Mandatory for undergraduate students
• Designed in two parts: the first transdisciplinary, the second directly related to the disciplinary field (30 hours of training/3ECTS each)

Schedule: January 2025 for the Health and ST Colleges and certain UF of the SH College; start of the 2025 academic year for the entire SH College, DSPEG and IUT.

Deployment of core modules by 2025-2026 at the latest, 100% of undergraduate students will have completed these modules by 2027.

2. Integration of transitions into all specialisations

• 9 teacher-researchers assigned to each college and training institute

100% of majors will integrate transitions in 2027 in preparation for the new accreditation.

3. Support and training for teaching teams

• Provision of online tools and deployment of workshops

20% of tenured teacher-researchers trained in teaching transitions in 2027.

4. Development of personalised pathways

In 2027, at least one pathway dedicated to a transition issue in half of the master's degree programmes and BUT specialisations.

Support for professional integration into transition-related professions.

The Environmental and Societal Transitions Council (CTES) (University of Bordeaux) is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the institution's policy in the field of environmental and societal transitions.

Each year, the President of the university, or his representative, presents the progress and direction of his policy in the field of environmental and societal transitions to the CTES.

The CTES, on the proposal of the President or the board of directors or on its own initiative, determines the theme of the transition master plan to be examined during the year.

Based on its assessment of the theme, the CTES recommends actions to the President of the University for the successful implementation of the theme. The President of the University may then suggest additional actions to the Board of Directors to complement the transition strategy.

The CTES aims to have equal representation of women and men among the 36 representatives of the university community (staff and students enrolled in the university's departments and structures).

The Council is thus composed of 12 teacher-researchers, teachers and similar staff, 12 administrative and technical staff and 12 students.

The members of the Council are drawn by lot for a two-year term.

It is chaired by an external figure appointed by the President of the University. The President of the CTES invites any person whose presence he or she deems necessary to attend its meetings.

A panel exhibition showcasing sustainable best practices has already been organised at various faculties, reflecting the significant interest in sustainability among academic staff. The current focus is on analysing the state of sustainability initiatives across faculties. The takeaway is clear: while individual efforts can lead to remarkable achievements, creating lasting change requires embedding sustainability at all institutional levels. More information

University of Galway has made significant strides in integrating sustainability across its educational mission. Two new lecturers in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) have been appointed within the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), driving curricular reform across all colleges. Their work supports course directors in embedding sustainability principles into programme design through innovative pedagogies, staff training, and resource development. A newly launched micro-credential in sustainability has also been developed under their leadership. This initiative exemplifies the university’s strategic commitments to positioning sustainability at the heart of learning and teaching.

The campus continues to evolve as a living laboratory for sustainability. Recent initiatives include the expansion of biodiversity programmes through native planting, pollinator zones, a new herb garden and orchard, and the creation of a 100 m² pocket forest. All university catering outlets have eliminated single-use cups, and sustainable transport has been promoted via the electrification of the Park-and-Ride system. All laboratories in the Alice Perry Engineering Building are certified under the My Green Labs programme. We are a European demonstrator site for geothermal energy systems (GEOFIT)and a national demonstrator site for energy efficient buildings and solar energy projects.

We have strengthened partnerships with Galway City and County Councils and local Non-Government Organisations to co-develop solutions aimed at progressing the SDGs. A new Sustainability Engagement Fund was launched to support student- and staff-led initiatives, particularly around SDG 6 and SDG 14. One flagship project, Clean Coasts, Clear Futures, engaged the local community through workshops, citizen science, and coastal clean-ups. In addition, the University hosts an annual SDG Week, bringing together students, staff, and the wider Galway community to explore and take action on the Sustainable Development Goals. Through talks, workshops, exhibitions, and hands-on activities, SDG Week fosters awareness, dialogue, and collaboration, ensuring the SDGs remain a shared focus across our campus and city.

University of Galway is empowering students to become changemakers through its innovative Sustainability Champion Digital Badge, a co-curricular initiative that recognises student leadership in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on campus and beyond. Launched in the 2024–2025 academic year, the badge forms part of the University’s Skills Passport and is awarded to students who actively engage in sustainability through advocacy, peer education, and practical action. Students complete a combination of sustainability training, hands-on initiatives, and reflective learning. Pathways include participating in the University’s flagship Community and University Sustainability Partnership (CUSP), joining the Students’ Union Climate Crew, leading awareness campaigns in student residences, or receiving a Sustainability Leadership Award. In May 2025, nine students received the badge for contributions ranging from waste reduction and energy conservation to biodiversity restoration and sustainable food advocacy. Their projects demonstrated how grassroots student action can advance institutional sustainability strategies while fostering personal and collective transformation.

The new sustainability strategy emphasises faculty commitment and highlights the importance of shaping policies through community involvement. Engagement at all levels is seen as essential to creating impactful and inclusive sustainability practices. More information

With its sharing platform, Ghent University ensures that textbooks and/or study materials, equipment and lab materials, discarded office furniture, etc. can be exchanged. More information

Transitie UGent is an open think tank and network in which new actions and suggestions are put forward by experts, policy officers and committed staff members and students. It gives them the opportunity to become closely involved in Ghent University's sustainability policy and also provides a platform for ongoing dialogue about sustainability and climate change and Ghent University's role in this, where issues that are not (yet) sufficiently addressed in current policy can also be raised. More information

In addition to the annual student-led summer school on sustainability transitions, PhD students organised their first doctoral winter school: Interdisciplinary pathways for ecological and social resilience, to help young scientists deal with the sustainability challenges they face in their research work. More information

Since many teachers who cover the topics such as climate, biodiversity, planetary boundaries, and tipping points often lack the tools to share with their students, workshops are being organised on climate emotions and active hope. The aim is to equip teachers with methods they can pass on to their students.

To ensure an effective and timely response to climate change, the University of Göttingen has developed a Climate Action Plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. For this purpose, the university encourages making environmentally conscious mobility decisions and provides recommendations about sustainable procurement as part of its decarbonization plan. Another step towards climate neutrality is the purchase of additional electricity with the high-quality eco-electricity certificate ‚Grüner Strom Label‘, which ensures that the energy supply consists only of green electricity. More information

The University of Göttingen is dedicated to transitioning its energy supply to renewable energies. To support its goal, it is planning on construction of a large open-space photovoltaic plant in Deppoldshausen, a district of Göttingen. The plant will cover an area of approximately 56 hectares and it is expected to produce around 34 megawatts peak, which could save around 13,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year compared to the current electricity mix. It is intended to cover up to 25% of the electricity needs of the University of Göttingen and the University Medical Center Göttingen. In addition to its energetic advantages, the plant will also serve academic goals. Research on crop cultivation, animal farming, machine utilisation, sensor technology, soil compression, and erosion will be conducted in this area. More information

With the new interdisciplinary lecture series “Sustainable Development”, the university offers students to take an in-depth look at sustainability and sustainable development. Each lecture is held by two lecturers from different faculties. The approach focuses on motivating already interested academics. Marketing leverages all available university channels to maximise outreach. Future goals include increasing student contributions to the content of the lectures. Currently, the lectures are open to all levels and disciplines, but expanding access to ENLIGHT partners is a potential idea for the future. More information

In accordance with the Netherlands’ Climate Agreement that was published in May 2019 and the Dutch universities’ roadmap that was commissioned by the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), the University of Groningen (UG) will adhere to the goals from the climate agreement for 2030 and 2050, with the ultimate goal of reducing the CO₂ emissions to zero. In 2016, the UG signed the Groningen Energy Neutral 2035 roadmap, in which it was agreed that the UG will comply with the Municipality of Groningen’s goals of being CO₂ neutral by 2035. This means that the UG must be CO₂ neutral by 2035, irrespective of the VSNU agreements. To support this goal, and in line with the ambitions defined for the key themes Planet, Performance, and People, the University has introduced the Sustainability Roadmap. 

The programme provides subsidies of up to 1,000 € for student organisations to adopt more sustainable practices. Out of approximately 65 student organisations, 42 have applied to receive a green label. On a broader level, this trend highlights a shift in student priorities — many now actively choose to join organisations that prioritise sustainability. Green office Label: More information and CO₂ cap: More information

To reduce CO₂ emissions resulting from air travel, the University of Groningen has introduced a CO₂ cap per faculty. This cap is based on the average CO₂ emissions from air travel in the years 2019, 2022, and 2023.

In order to keep the city and the University accessible and reduce CO₂ emissions of commuting traffic, the University of Groningen (UG) introduced a new parking policy for staff. Only staff living away further then 15 km from their working place are allowed to use the parking facilities of the University. Students are not allowed to use the parking facilities of the UG.

This initiative includes recycling excess equipment and combating digital pollution. The university actively tracks and reports the amount of digital clutter cleaned up. Remarkably, the Digital Clean-Up initiative has garnered organic interest, making it accessible to all without the need to directly approach faculties or labs. More information

The Climate Pot at UU serves as seed funding for sustainability initiatives. Some key takeaways include the challenges students face with the application process, particularly the administrative burden of managing the budget—an aspect that academic staff find easier to handle. Despite this, there was significant interest from both students and staff in applying for the funding. Sustaining student engagement over the long term remains a challenge, but there are excellent examples of successful student-led initiatives, such as a student-run kitchen, where students are paid for their work. More information