Mission: Climate

How a university reduces its emissions

What quantity of greenhouse gases does FAU produce and how can it reduce its emissions? David Brenner, who works as a climate action officer at the Green Office, has been considering questions such as these since the beginning of the year

FAU is large and spread out over the whole region. The Executive Board sits in the Schloss in Erlangen and some departments are housed in other venerable buildings. However, where walls are old and research is conducted intensively, energy consumption is high – leading as a rule to high quantities of damaging greenhouse gases. “FAU’s annual electricity consumption is equivalent to 45,000 single households. Together with heating requirements at FAU that accounts for a major part of our overall emissions. For us, it is important to know how large the share accounted for by energy actually is and to what extent other activities at FAU contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases. That is what I am analyzing at the moment,” says David Brenner, who has been climate action manager at FAU since January 2023 and is responsible for drafting a climate action concept by mid 2024. “Mobility habits also have a major role to play. Here I am recording, for example, how many business journeys are carried out by plane, by train or using the University’s car pool.”

FAU as a role model and pioneer

A challenging role that the 28 year old embraces with passion and dedication. He discovered his interest in sustainability while studying business and economics at FAU. He completed his Master’s in “Sustainable economics” in Kassel.

In Neustadt an der Aisch he was responsible for implementing the initial measures from a climate action concept and is now planning to do the same at FAU. Doing so involves many hours spent researching facts, figures and data, speaking with employees, students and teaching staff and organizing workshops and events. “As one of the largest and most innovative universities in Germany, we aim to become a role model and pioneer in the area of climate action and reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions in a systematic and structured way,” stresses Brenner. “First of all, we have to know how high our emissions are and where they come from.” The climate action manager is currently working on drawing up this greenhouse gas balance sheet for FAU. After that, he will work together with as many different stakeholders as possible to draw up a comprehensive climate action plan for the University, with concrete reduction goals and a well-structured plan of measures to be taken to encourage climate action at FAU. It should be completed and passed by the Executive Board of the University next year.

By Elke Zapf

This article is part of the FAU Magazin

A university thrives because of the people who research, study, teach and work there. A university is supported by people who are connected to it as alumni, friends and sponsors and who are committed to promoting its interests all over the world.

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