We need everyone on board to achieve the SDG-goals

Today, 25 September, the SDG flag flies throughout the country. Municipalities, companies, schools, organisations and citizens are showing that they are part of this global movement. From this academic year onward flying the SDG flag will be standard at Hanze. "This way, we are showing that we consider the Sustainable Development Goals to be of paramount importance," says Joanne Boonstra, quartermaster SDGs. "That's quite a job, because there is still a lot to do.

Text: Loes Vader 

Joanne Boonstra studied Real Estate Management at Hanze and Real Estate Studies at the University of Groningen. After graduating, she started working as a lecturer at Real Estate Management, where she was fully committed to sustainability from the start. "Because I didn't learn much about sustainable development during my studies, I want to make sure that students do get it," says Boonstra. "Sustainability has been the reason for me to go into education. As Hanze, we have enormous influence on the professionals of the future. The best time to invest in this was twenty years ago, the second-best time is today." 

Hanze wide SDG Hub 

For this reason, Boonstra wrote a plan for a Hanze SDG Hub. "As a quartermaster, I started researching how we can shape this within our university of applied sciences. How can we involve students and staff and how do we ensure that more attention is paid to sustainability in education, research and operations?" She no longer works alone. "I have just started with a team. That's very nice, because together you can get a lot more done in such a large organisation." 

Not a service point but a movement 

The SDG Hub is not a physical place. "Anyone can go there, but we don't want to just function as a service point. Because we can get more done by being proactive. By seeking out study programmes, by working together in innovation hubs and actively involving students. Our goal is for sustainability to come to life everywhere: for lecturers to think about how they can make their profession more sustainable, for students to include it in their projects and research and for employees to really see where they can make a difference in their own work, and in the region." 

Goals and ambitions 

SDGs are of high priority for Hanze. The SDG Charter was signed years ago, and our university of applied sciences formulated four concrete objectives: all employees sustainable role models, all students green ambassadors, the gas tap at zero and zero waste. "Unfortunately, not all goals have been achieved. We have to admit that. The goal was 2025, and we won't achieve that. Full stop. Most buildings are off gas, and we are now striving to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. We are well on our way to zero waste, 70% of our waste is recyclable. The tricky part is in behavioural change. How do you motivate people to throw their waste in the right bin? Why would you do this if you think it will be lumped together again? Which is a fable, by the way." 

The new strategic plan, which is being prepared, pays a lot of attention to sustainability and formulates new goals. New goals have also been set in the new Circularity and Sustainability Implementation Framework, with a focus on four themes. Climate change: 0% CO2 emissions by 2050. Circularity: 100% circular by 2050. Climate adaptation & biodiversity: the campus is a pleasant place to stay that contributes to strengthening local ecosystems. Sustainable behaviour: for us, sustainability is not just something we talk about. Hanze is really sustainable, in fact, we are transparent about it and inspire others to do the same. "The future of Hanze is clear: time for concrete action on the Sustainable Development Goals," says Boonstra. 

Education as the key 

A large part of the challenge lies in education. "There are already great examples, such as the Week of the New Economy or the ROAM, the circular house on campus. We are seeing an acceleration in education. You can see this, for example, in the renewed SDG Ambassadors Programme and in the way in which sustainable development is increasingly integrated into education. There are a number of programmes with a full sustainable learning pathway, such as Real Estate Management, Chemistry and the Entrepreneurship programmes. But there are still many programs where there is no attention at all for sustainability or SDGs. My goal is for all students to learn this during their studies." 

Hanze also offers room for lecturers to further develop their didactics for sustainable development. "We are the first university of applied sciences in the Netherlands to have an SDG Studio for lecturers who want to educate themselves in sustainability didactics. That's really something to be proud of." 

The biggest challenge: behaviour 

What is the biggest hurdle? "Behavioural change," says Boonstra resolutely. "Very often people say: sustainability, I don't want anything to do with that. But that is no longer acceptable. We just have to. It is often about making choices: for example, do we really need new furniture or was that new corporate identity really necessary? That's not always fun, but it's what’s required." She also notices that sustainability in education is sometimes an exciting subject. "The SDGs also touch on politically sensitive themes. Teachers wonder whether they can speak out about this. Whereas I think that education is the place to have this conversation in a safe way." 

A green campus 

If Boonstra were to take one drastic measure tomorrow, she would opt for a radically different campus. "I think we should use the campus much more as a testing ground. Fewer buildings, going outside more, a redesign. Greening the campus, in collaboration with all campus users. It is precisely through connection that new ideas arise. Fortunately, we are already taking the first steps with this from the Innovation Hub Campus Design." 

Message to students and staff 

To round off, the quartermaster appeals to us with a clear message: "I think there is always something you can do, but the most important thing is that you choose something that gives you energy. The 17 SDGs are about much more than just green sustainability. There is always a theme that makes your heart beat faster. Focus on that and make a difference there. Hanze gives you plenty of room to develop these aspirations, for students as well as employees."