A climate protection concept for OVGU
How much greenhouse gas does our university produce? How can OVGU become climate-neutral by 2030? Which paths lead to this goal and how can the transformation be shaped? These are just some of the questions that Climate Protection Manager André Göldenboth is asking himself. He has been at the university since October 2023 and will be developing an integrated climate protection concept for our university over the next two years with funding from the National Climate Initiative. The process and systems engineer is primarily concerned with calculating OVGU's greenhouse gas emissions and deriving measures to reduce them. To this end, he will take a close look at the framework conditions and the structure of the complex Otto von Guericke University system - from the technical, often very energy-intensive equipment in the laboratories, to energy consumption, the use of various energy sources for heat, electricity and fuel supply, to the mobility behavior of employees on their way to work or on business trips. A greenhouse gas balance sheet will be available in the summer, which will be used as a template for a standardized procedure to map changes in greenhouse gas emissions in the future.
That is already the theoretical foundation, says André Göldenboth. Building on this, the climate protection manager will then identify potentials and scenarios to achieve the goal of net greenhouse gas neutrality confirmed by the Senate. The end result will be a catalog of measures - André Göldenboth calls it the heart of the climate protection concept. Measures are to be identified and prioritized in all relevant fields of action.
"Our university already has many processes in place in the area of climate protection. For example, the Senate Climate Commission and its working groups with a wide range of specialist expertise. The KlimaPlanReal research project to strengthen and accelerate the transformation towards climate neutrality. Progress in campus operations, various initiatives and active members of the university community and beyond," explains the engineer.
"We have had energy monitoring for the individual buildings at the university for years and the Energy Concept 2020, which includes comprehensive energy optimization across the entire campus. And we have a sustainability strategy at OVGU and a sustainability office to which I am assigned." All of this provides him with solid data and a basis for the climate protection concept. For him, it is a privilege to develop the concept for the university where he completed his Master's degree in Sustainable Energy Systems, and there is also specialist expertise in all relevant areas at OVGU that he would like to make use of.
Systemic changes have a greater impact on climate protection
It remains to be carefully weighed up which adjusting screw is effective, which measures can be implemented promptly and how these affect the university's greenhouse gas balance, our environment or life on campus. Some things are very easy to measure, such as electricity or heat consumption, but educational or awareness-raising measures are less so. Everyone can make a personal contribution to climate protection, but the greatest impact is achieved with systemic changes. And for anyone interested in climate change or the OVGU's climate protection concept, the climate protection manager is always available in his office in Building 18, Room 313.
In the years following the creation of the concept, the climate protection concept must be made permanent. André Göldenboth knows that this is no less important a task: "It's not enough to draw up a concept that then collects dust in some drawer. It should be alive, constantly developed and adapted and ensure a systematic approach.