OTH Amberg-Weiden: Green light for a sustainable future!

OTH Amberg-Weiden: Green light for a sustainable future!

The OTH Amberg-Weiden is taking a pioneering role in the area of ​​sustainability and is now presenting a comprehensive sustainability strategy. How oberpfalzecho.de reports, both theoretical and practical approaches are part of this strategy, which is intended to raise awareness of ecological issues in the university community. This includes converting lawns into native herb and wildflower meadows, which not only promote biodiversity but also create bee habitats.

As part of this initiative, the university plans to build raised beds, insect hotels and comfortable outdoor seating areas. “Sustainability should be something everyone can experience,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Christiane Hellbach, Vice President of the OTH. Renaturation is only part of the extensive catalog of measures that will shape higher education in the future.

Six fields of action for a green future

The strategy covers six central areas of action: teaching, research, transfer, university operations, university governance and student engagement. In all of these areas, the goal is to integrate sustainability more closely into the course content. The university is also planning additional qualification options, such as the “International Summer School on Sustainability” and the Certificate in Ethics & Sustainability Management (ETHNA), in order to train future specialists accordingly.

A look back shows that the OTH Amberg-Weiden was the first university in Bavaria and one of the first in Germany to receive certification according to international standards for its environmental management system in 2022. These successes, like mittelbayerische.de were recently confirmed by renewed accreditation.

Under the leadership of Professor Clemens Bulitta, President of the OTH, the structured processes to promote environmental and climate protection are regularly reviewed. An environmental committee, consisting of various representatives from the university, meets continuously to monitor the achievement of goals and discuss new opportunities for improvement. The goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2027 and to further consolidate the previous environmental goals.

Sustainability as part of higher education

Another aspect of the sustainability strategy is the linking of research to important topics such as energy and resource efficiency. The topic of sustainability is addressed in around half of all research proposals at the university. This makes the OTH a significant player in the newly founded Center for University and Sustainability Bavaria (BayZeN), which aims to improve the framework conditions for sustainable development. This is also supported by the research initiatives of the BMBF framework program “Research for Sustainable Development”, which offers a systems-oriented approach to the development of innovative solutions, as shown on bildungsserver.de is to be read.

In summary: OTH Amberg-Weiden not only focuses on sustainability, but lives it every day. The newly introduced strategy is not the end, but is intended to be an incentive for further steps towards a greener future.