Sustainability

Universities play a key role in the process of social transformation. They are places where future decision-makers are trained and (discursive) spaces that can serve as a laboratory for sustainability. Four Thuringian universities are therefore pooling their expertise in this project and continuously developing it further as part of the research project ‘KLIMA-Netzwerk für mehr Nachhaltigkeit in Thüringen’ (KLIMA Network for more Sustainability in Thuringia).

link to the website (in German only)

As part of the KLIMA-N project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the University of Erfurt has committed itself to strengthening education for sustainable development (ESD). There are already many courses in the compulsory, elective and optional areas, as well as in the Studium Fundamentale, that contribute to this. In order to give students the opportunity to document their in-depth knowledge in this area, the study profile “Sustainability/Education for Sustainable Development” is to be introduced in the 2025/26 winter semester.

“Our students appreciate the courses on sustainability and ESD that already exist here and have expressed a desire to have their participation in such courses recognised so that they can better explore career fields in the area of sustainability and education for sustainable development,” explains Professor Julia Knop, Vice President for Academic Affairs. “With the introduction of the study profile, the University of Erfurt now intends to meet this demand from the 2025/26 winter semester onwards." This interdisciplinary and cross-faculty study profile is based exclusively on study options that already exist within the existing regulations. The Presidium Commissioner for Sustainability, Bettina Hollstein, had previously asked the course instructors to what extent corresponding modules or courses exist in their course offerings. Julia Knop: ”The response was good and showed that it is realistic and attractive to set up such a study profile."

The study profile will be certified when students have earned 24 LP/ECTS credits in relevant courses during their bachelor's degree. The relevance of a course is determined by the instructor. Proof is provided via the transcript of records, and the certificate is issued by the Presidium Commissioner for Sustainability.

Further information can be found on our website on teaching at the University of Erfurt (in German only).

Launched in 2007, the Studium Fundamentale "Sustainability – Improving the world with practical projects” offers students enrolled in Bachelor's programmes at the University of Erfurt and the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt the opportunity to make an active contribution to the sustainable development of society.

further information on the Studium Fundamentale “Sustainability”

Many children today no longer know that cherries do not grow in plastic punnets and rhubarb does not grow on trees. Or what a compost heap is. Many of them simply lack direct experience of nature. Their perception comes second-hand – from the internet, television or other media. Fortunately, there is school garden education. And the less contact children have with nature, the more important the school garden becomes. It offers children the opportunity to discover biological and ecological phenomena. Here, they can help shape and form nature, plant something themselves and, of course, harvest it. To ensure that they have competent guidance, the University of Erfurt offers a course in educational gardening for prospective teachers. This is unique in Germany. Students of the Master's programme in Primary School Teaching have the opportunity to acquire specialist and didactic skills in a very special elective subject. In spring 2002, a teaching garden was created on the university campus for the practical training of students. Further information can also be found on the educational garden website.

The university first received the Eco-Profit seal in 2001, and since then a great deal has been done to qualify for the award again. ‘We are aware of our special responsibility as an institution, but also of our role as a multiplier,’ says Stefan Doogs, who plays a key role in coordinating the Eco-Profit measures at the University of Erfurt. ’That's why it's part of our daily work to consider how we can use raw materials and energy in line with our needs, optimise consumption and, where possible, return them to the cycle.’ Economic efficiency and environmental protection should no longer be seen as contradictory, but should instead be meaningfully interlinked. This also means that when awarding contracts to external service providers, the university ensures that only environmentally friendly resources, processes and methods are used.

Measures for the sustainable use of resources on campus include:

• the systematic replacement of old heating pumps and the use of high-efficiency pumps on campus;
• the energy optimisation of the library in terms of lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology to save energy and reduce operating costs;
• optimising the cooling supply to the library server room, including through the use of water-cooled data cabinets (completed);
• using water-saving fittings on washbasins and showers (completed);
• using waterless urinals in the library (completed);
• renovation of the façade of building C23 (including to save heating energy)
• renovation of the sports hall, also with a view to optimising the building's energy efficiency (construction work scheduled for completion in the winter semester of 2025/26)
• review of the waste management concept;
• conversion of the lighting on campus to LED technology.

building C23
As part of the economic stimulus package, the exterior façade of the listed high-rise building on the campus of the University of Erfurt was renovated in 2010. To ensure a second structural escape route, a second escape staircase had to be built on the south side of the building. In consultation between the building authority, the monument preservation authority, the fire brigade, the TLBV and the university, this extension was planned and constructed with a photovoltaic system on the façade. The system has been in operation since 23 December 2010. Its 352 solar modules have a nominal output of around 28 KWp and are expected to produce around 17,300 kWh of solar power per year.

building C21 (KIZ)
A 117 KWp system was officially commissioned on the roof of the Centre for Communication and Information (C21) in August 2024. The electrical energy generated there will be used entirely on campus in future.

building C03
In summer 2025, a 137 KWp photovoltaic system will be installed on the west side of building C03. This is expected to supply solar power to our campus from the fourth quarter of 2025.

building C13 (sports hall)
Another 148 KWp system is located on the roof of the sports hall, which is currently undergoing renovation. Completion is currently scheduled for early 2026.

Further photovoltaic systems are in progress or in planning:
As part of the upcoming renovation of building C12, a PV system with 96 modules and a total output of approx. 43 KWp is also planned.