University of Hamburg is new member of the COPERNICUS Alliance
1 March 2016, by Caroline Schwill
Several years ago, the steering committee of the University of Hamburg signed the COPERNICUS Charta and thereby committed to the principles of a sustainable development. In September 2015, the University took a further tangible step towards a sustainable organization in higher education and became an active member of the COPERNICUS Alliance. The aim of this membership is an active involvement in the higher education network for sustainable development as well as an exchange with other players in sustainability of different international universities. This exchange is meant to implement common projects in order to promote sustainability.
In November 2015, the COPERNICUS Alliance’s annual meeting took place, where Dr. Claudia Schmitt, Managing Director and Scientific Coordinator of the Center for a Sustainable University, participated. She introduced the current progress of the University of Hamburg on its way to a “University for a Sustainable Future”.
Currently, the University of Hamburg and the Leuphana University Luneburg are the only German Universities to be member of the COPERNICUS Alliance.
Networking in favour of “good practice”-procedures
The European wide network of the COPERNICUS Alliance links universities with the goal to promote a sustainable development. Therefore, research, teaching, and administration at respective higher education institutions should be designed using sustainability criteria. This can be supported by an active exchange and the distribution of “good practice”-procedures.
The Alliance was founded in the 1990’s and thereby send a clear sign during the implementation of the Agenda 21, considering the responsibility of European institutions in higher education. The agenda, dealing with development as well as with environmental issues, was adopted in 1992 in the course of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro. Ever since, the COPERNICUS Alliance constantly endeavours to adapt its own tasks and visions to current challenges.
Aims of the COPERNICUS Alliance
The network’s aims include amongst other things the transfer of knowledge regarding relevant sustainability issues in the higher education sector, the participation at global discourses and dialogues, and the design of professional development potentialities in the education sector as well as the work with local partners in European higher education institutions.
The COPERNICUS Alliance invests solely in order to achieve its self-imposed aims. In doing so, the network counts on the cooperation of its members because only through their innovative involvement and an active exchange, a sustainable development in the European education sector can be advanced.
More information on the COPERNICUS Alliance can be found on its website: http://www.copernicus-alliance.org/