How do we check our goals?
How do we check our goals?
examination
There are various gases in the air.
There is too much of certain gases in the air.
For example:
from car exhaust fumes or chimney smoke.
This causes climate change.
One such gas is CO2.
Every two years, we test for the university:
How much gas was bad for the climate?
In 2025, the third test was conducted for the year 2024.
The results are as follows:
- In 2024, there was slightly less CO2 than in 2022.
But there was slightly more CO2 than in 2019. - The university used less gas.
But the university used more electricity.
There were more exhaust fumes because more people drove their cars.
Most of the exhaust gases came from heating
in all buildings. Travel
also produced a lot of exhaust gases.
For example,
because cars and aeroplanes use a lot of energy.
Many computers and other devices run in our data centre.
The computers and devices generate heat.
Since 2024, we have
also been using this heat for heating.
That is why the university needs less gas for heating.
It is bad for the climate that
there were more emissions again.
We want to work harder to achieve our goals so
that there are fewer emissions from the university.
reports
We write reports about our progress:
- What have we done to protect the climate?
- What goals have we achieved?
The first report on the goals was in 2007.
The current report is for the year 2024.
HochNiNa network
We work together with other universities
and colleges in
the Lower Saxony Universities Sustainability Network.
In short: HochNiNa.
Since 2018, staff from universities
who are involved in sustainability issues have been meeting.
All universities and colleges are different.
That is why they also have different priorities
and goals for sustainability.
They therefore also have expertise in different areas.
The network allows universities and colleges to exchange ideas.
This enables them to learn from each other and develop new ideas.
There are various working groups for this purpose.
Together, the universities want to:
- raise awareness of sustainability at universities.
- achieve greater sustainability at all universities in Lower Saxony.
COUNTS
HochNiNa has been managing the COUNTS project since August 2023.
The full name for COUNTS is:
Standardisation, further development and communication
of greenhouse gas balances at universities in Lower Saxony.
The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment is providing 210,000€ for COUNTS.
This gives the project enough funding for three years.
The University of Oldenburg is leading the project.
Why does the COUNTS project exist?
Universities in Lower Saxony use different methods to check
- How much emissions are there at their university?
- Where are there more emissions?
- Where are there fewer emissions?
But all universities in Lower Saxony
should conduct their assessments in the same way.
This will make it easier to compare the results.
That is why the COUNTS project exists.
Money for climate action
The money for climate action at our university comes from:
- from the university
- from institutions that fund projects,
such as ministries or companies.
We use it to pay for climate
protection measures at our university.
We also use the money to pay for collaborations
with other universities on the topic of climate action.
Since 2024, money has been available
for climate action measures at the university.
Measures include, for example:
- We record which birds hatch eggs at the university.
- We have planted a small forest.
- We are re-excavating the water ditches on the Wechloy campus.
Climate action fund
Air travel generates a lot of CO2.
Too much CO2 in the air is bad for the climate.
The university pays an extra contribution for every business trip by plane.
This contribution is called a CO2 surcharge.
Since 2025, we have
been collecting the money from the CO2 surcharge
in a climate protection fund.
We spend the money on climate action and sustainability at the university.
Everyone at the university can have a say in
how the university spends the money.
In 2025, it was decided that
the money should be used to improve bicycle traffic at the university.
For example,
there should be service bicycles that all employees can use.