Energy savings

In planning and operating our infrastructure, we make every effort to use energy as efficiently as possible. We set up practical measures to help achieve energy independence and reduce the environmental burden on the building. Specific examples include the reconstruction of hot water heating systems, the replacement of incandescent and fluorescent light sources with energy-saving LED bulbs and tubes, and the use of low-energy cooling.

Waste management

Waste management is carried out in accordance with the Waste Act. In practice, this means that we manage the collection of municipal and hazardous waste, we sort waste (most often into municipal waste, paper, plastic and glass, and in some cases bio-waste. Edible fats and biodegradable waste from dining halls and kitchens are collected from halls of residence and canteens. The colleges and canteens have set up an environmental project office, GreenKaM BUT, to help address sustainability in operations and have produced a map showing the location of bins for segregated waste for all users of their services.

During tree pruning, disposal of old furniture and construction work, we order bulk containers for responsible waste disposal.
We return fluorescent lamps, discarded electronics and small electrical equipment to collection centres for collection on an ongoing basis.
We do not have any black dumps on BUT property.

Care of greenery

We strive for the natural development and sustainability of grasslands, which play an indispensable role in adapting to climate change, and appropriate management is an integral part of drought prevention. We therefore carefully distinguish the functions of green spaces and adapt their maintenance accordingly. We mow intensively used lawns (places with frequent footfall, around roads and areas used for sport or other leisure activities) more frequently and maintain monoculture plant communities. Colourful, flowery lawns are very beneficial for insects and other smaller animals, and they retain water and dust better. Their maintenance is therefore less demanding, and mowing is done in a mosaic fashion to allow animals to move from the mowed area to the unmowed area. In the case of unmaintained areas, the emphasis is on their independent development, which allows the natural development of the fauna.

Water management

We analyse the possibilities of reducing the consumption of drinking water from the water supply system by saving and covering part of the consumption with rainwater or grey sewage water, utility water or water from a well. We place great emphasis on water management when planning renovations and new construction. The aim is not only to manage this resource sustainably, but also to maximise the proportion of green space and to protect and develop biodiversity within the University and its surroundings. Attention is paid to the retention of rainwater to maximise water retention on the site and building to maintain a small water cycle, reduce the burden on the sewerage network, reduce the risk of localised flooding and reduce overheating of built up areas. We plan to build retention basins in the future.

Eco cleaning products

For university operations, we purchase organic cleaning products using a dynamic purchasing system.