Mission Green Office Ghent
Green Office Ghent was one of the first Green Offices in Belgium. Meanwhile, every Flemish university and several colleges have a Green Office and there are already 71 worldwide. Green Office Ghent consists of 15 student employees who each work 8 hours a week on sustainability & diversity and inclusion at Ghent University. The team works together with policy officers and shapes and strengthens the sustainability policy by initiating and coordinating sustainability projects, by experimenting and connecting. The Green Office is the central point of contact around sustainability.
Mission Green Office Ghent
Green Office Ghent wants to shape and strengthen the sustainability policy of Ghent University by
- influencing the sustainability policy with policy preparatory work, by initiating and coordinating sustainability actions, and by exerting pressure in a constructive manner and in dialogue.
- setting up experiments and be a step ahead, to be a catalyst for a sustainable transition and incorporate the lessons learned in the policy.
- building a platform, so that everyone committed to the sustainability challenges can find each other and sustainable efforts can be bundled and strengthened.
- creating a framework and offer support that makes it feel good to get started yourself.
Green Office Gent, an international concept
A Green Office (GO) is a platform for sustainability that is started and run by students and is supported by university or college staff. The primary goal of a Green Office is to make sure that the institution becomes more sustainable in all its aspects. In this way, the GO's make sustainable initiatives within the educational institution more visible. This stimulates the involvement of students with sustainability.
The Green Office Model of the Green Office Movement consists of 6 principles:
- consists of students and staff;
- aims to promote sustainability in the higher education institution;
- also receives the resources to achieve this;
- is integrated in the organisational structure of the institution
- works together with internal and external parties;
- learns how to achieve this change through training.
A Green Office has a unique position, because it contains characteristics of both a "traditional" sustainability program of a higher education institution, and of a student organisation. Their goal is to infuse sustainability into all facets of a university or college, both in education and research and in the organisation and operations.