"As a site of academic teaching and research, Universität Hamburg is not only responsible for its members but for the future of coming generations."

This view of sustainability has been formulated in Universität Hamburg's environmental guidelines. It was only logical that the university management resolved to take part in  an environmental certification system. As part of the 15th ÖKOPROFIT campaign by "UmweltPartnerschaft Hamburg" (Environmental Partnership Hamburg), Universität Hamburg will take part at three university locations: the main building in Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1, the administration building in Moorweidenstraße 18 and the building housing the chemistry department in Bundesstrasse 45, which is equipped with laboratories. The reason for selecting these sites is that they constitute the broadest possible spectrum of university building use: teaching, administration and research.

ÖKOPROFIT stands for ÖKOlogisches PROjekt Für Integrierte UmweltTechnik (ecological project for integrated environmental technology) and aims in particular to create a university network concerned with environmental protection. It promotes the integration and implementation of sustainable and cost-reducing environmental measures at the various enterprises and administration.

The Ökoprofit project at Universität Hamburg is organized and run by the ÖKOPROFIT Environmental Team. The team is comprised of staff members from departments 8 and 9 as well as the department of chemistry. The members are:

• Dr. Kracht (Dept. 9)
• Ms. Litke (Dept. 8)
• Ms. Westphal (Dept. 9)
• Dr. Hinz (Dept. 8)
• Mr. Mierwaldt (Dept. 8)
• Mr. Niggemann (Dept. of Chemistry)
• Mr. Setzer (Dept. 9)

ÖKOPROFIT Environmental Team's Goals

Within the context of Ökoprofit, we'd like to more firmly anchor environmental protection in the minds and activities of our employees and users and develop both an appropriate communications structure and PR. We'd also like to promote the implementation of environmentally significant measures and strengthen support at management level. Another goal is to develop ecological construction standards with regard to both renovation and new university buildings and to be able to enforce this as best as possible (with the aid of University Construction and the Office for Science and Research). We want to integrate existing efforts to save energy at the university, e.g. the new incentive system for the conservation of energy.

In September, a staff survey at the three above-named sites was conducted. At the project's start, we wanted to find out from staff members how they perceive their places of work from an ecological perspective. You are welcome to take a look at the results.

What we can say already is that the results of this survey have been extremely useful to us. Surveyed staff members have given us a wealth of ideas which will fnd their way into this project.

If you are interested, you can access Universität Hamburg's environmental guidelines at www.verwaltung.uni-hamburg.de/k/9/au.html.