Sustainable search engine Ecosia in the administration of the University
One of the Green Office's first projects was the establishment of a sustainable search engine on all computers in the university administration. In collaboration with the administrative IT department and the Digitization Office, the Green Office compared sustainable search engines and tested their suitability for everyday administrative use. A test phase of three month certified that the Ecosia search engine is well suited for administrative operations. Ecosia has now been installed as the standard search engine since October 1, 2021.
At Ecosia, the profits generated by advertising are used to plant trees. With over half a million search queries by the University of Jena, more than 10,000 trees have already been planted (November 2022).
Pallet furniture event
One bench built out of palettsImage: Robin Muggenthaler
The Corona pandemic impaired life on the campus of the University of Jena. Falling case numbers in summer 2021, however, let the need for places of personal exchange rise again. To reconquer the campus together with the students, the Green Office therefore organized an event to build pallet furniture. In order to consider environmental sustainability in addition to social sustainability, only used, FSC-certified pallets were utilized. This resulted in more seating options at the Ernst Abbe Campus and at the university sports grounds. Special thanks go to the colleagues from Division 4 and the University Sports Center for their active support.
Sustainable research and teaching at the University of Jena
The University of Jena offers teaching and research programs on the topic of sustainability in a wide variety of areas. To give prospective students as well as current students a better overview, the Green Office has summarized sustainable teaching and research offers on its website. To ensure that it is up to date, the directory is updated every semester.