During a tour of the Furtwangen campus, members of the State Network for Climate Protection at Universities were briefed on plans for the “Green Campus”.
State Network and Ministry meet on the Furtwangen campus
In early June, the State Network for Climate Protection at Universities in Baden-Württemberg visited Furtwangen University for a staff meeting. The network meets regularly at different university locations. In Baden-Württemberg, nine cluster climate protection managers have been appointed (based on the nine building authority districts of the Offices for Property and Construction) to coordinate and strengthen climate protection efforts at universities of applied sciences, colleges of education, colleges of art and music, and cooperative universities. At HFU, Dr. Sandy-Cheril Manton is responsible for this initiative; in this capacity, she also oversees the Trossingen University of Music, the University of Konstanz, and the DHBW at the Schwenningen campus. Together, the climate protection managers discuss the universities’ energy and climate protection strategies, which, in accordance with the state government’s guidelines, outline the path to climate neutrality by 2030.
At the conference on the Furtwangen campus, the Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts (MWK) was represented by Ministerial Councilors Eva Bühler and Heinz Hoyer, Deputy Head of the Construction Affairs Division. HFU Professor Dr. Ulrich Gloistein, the President's Representative for Climate Protection, warmly welcomed the guests to HFU. Hendrik Mielke, Deputy Head of Administration and Head of Technical Services, provided insights into the university’s structure, HFU’s areas of expertise, and key campus development figures. He demonstrated how the university’s transformation process is reflected in new structures – including in the areas of climate protection, sustainability, research and technology transfer and internationalisation.
HFU Climate Protection Manager Nico Eisenkrämer presented the university’s new energy and climate protection concept to the network and reported on the ongoing audits for EMAS certification. It has become clear that, despite planned measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the university will find it difficult to achieve its goal of climate neutrality by 2030 and is therefore working intensively on additional strategies.
A highlight was a tour of the campus with Prof. Dr. Achim Karduck, HFU’s sustainability officer. He presented the “Green campus redesign − moving away from the parking lot campus” plan, demonstrating how the campus area could be made greener and more livable in the future. The innovative ideas were very well received by the participants. Many of the guests announced that they would visit Furtwangen and the Black Forest again soon.
Jana Hoffmann, head of the Climate Protection Unit at the Constance Office of Property and Construction, reported to the network team on energy-efficiency renovation measures already implemented at the HFU and presented the plans for the new cafeteria building as well as the heat transformation project at the Furtwangen campus. In addition, her colleague Ralf Bernhard, an architect at the Constance Office of Assets and Construction, explained the current planning phases of the ongoing construction projects.
Deputy State Secretary Heinz Hoyer expressed his gratitude for the detailed information provided by the university, the strong presence of the university leadership, the high level of commitment in a rural region facing the unique challenges of an educational hub, and the comprehensive energy and climate protection strategy. He emphasised that while there were still some hurdles to overcome, the HFU would be able to master them. At the same time, the MWK provided information on current restructuring efforts within the ministry and new guidelines regarding climate protection at universities. The ministry expressly requested that on-site climate protection managers continue to receive support. The “Campus transformation in practice − designing sustainable higher education facilities” brochure was also presented; it is available to universities as a practical resource. In addition, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MWK) is working this year and next to secure additional special funds for the universities and is supporting projects to expand the metering infrastructure (EnMA), implement computer-aided facility management, and establish space and room reservation systems, as well as immediate measures related to climate protection.
The staff meeting concluded with an internal discussion in which network members reported on developments in their clusters, raised current location-specific issues, and advocated for the needs of the universities.
Further impressions
