How do I get started?

With these steps you can start right away:

• Save Energy

  • Keep windows and doors closed in heated rooms – whether at university or at home.
  • Calculate your carbon footprintExternal link and think about ways to save energy in your everyday life. Address the topic with your flatmates, e.g. when purchasing new appliances.
  • Unsubscribe from an unwanted e-mail newsletter.
  • Disable autoplay on YouTube, etc.
  • Plug frequently used devices into a power strip with a switch.
• Eat healthy for the planet

  • Avoid food waste and become a food saver yourself: Use the Fairteiler in the "Green House" (Schillergässchen 5) to share edible food.
  • Download a seasonal calendar and consult it during your next visit at the supermarket. You can also find regional vegetables at the weekly Green marketExternal link in Jena.
  • Try the vegetarian and vegan options in the dining hall.
  • Next time you go shopping, replace an animal derived product with a plant-based alternative.
  • Buy food unpackaged, if possible.
• Take care of yourself

  • Explore the nature in and around Jena by foot, by bike or with your semester ticket (thoska).
  • Integrate mindfulness exercises and movement into your everyday life. Spend your next break consciously and actively, e.g. with yoga exercises or a short meditation.
  • Take a walk through the Botanical Garden during your next lunch break. Students of the University of Jena are granted free admission with the thoska.
  • Plan an outdoor activity with your friends such as a hike on the Saale-Horizontale or in the Thuringian Forest.
• Reduce waste

  • Do the quiz on waste separationExternal link!
  • Install a poster on waste separationExternal link (available in German only) in your apartment.
  • Don't leave the house without reusable containers: make lunch boxes, reusable cups and baggies your daily companions.
  • Spend your next lunch break waste-free!
  • Continue to use paper that is printed on one side only as a notepad.
  • Bring discarded but still useful items to a giveaway shelf or the free storeExternal link (available in German only). This mapExternal link helps you to find the right places (available in German only).
• Get involved

  • Tell friends and fellow students about the Sustainable Campus Guide.
  • Save the date of the next Public Climate SchoolExternal link(available in German only) in your calendar.
  • Enroll in a sustainability-related course in the next semester. Many of these coursesExternal link can be credited to your interdisciplinary elective area.
  • Support petitions that advocate for sustainable policy changes.
  • Follow initiatives and NGOs on social media that are committed to climate protection e.g. @healtthforfuturejenaExternal link, @jena.veganExternal link, @radentscheid.jena, @klimaentscheidjenaExternal link
• Educate Yourself

  • Friends of the Earth UK have published an extensive set of environmental tipsExternal link for all areas of daily life.
  • On siegelklarheit.de you can find an overview of the purpose of various labelsExternal link that you come across when shopping. The entire website is also available as an app.
  • The NGO NABU has summarized recommendations regarding sustainable fashionExternal link (available in German only)
  • The NGO STOP! MICRO WASTE provides information on plastic preventionExternal link and microwasteExternal link.