Summit in Parma – EU GREEN work is deepening

The senate, which leads the EU GREEN European University, has held its first meeting. Leaders from all the participating universities met in Parma, Italy, to discuss the status of all the work packages and how to move forward together.

In September, a group of representatives from the University of Gävle visited the University of Parma in Italy for a meeting where three groups came together; the vice-chancellors, the senate and the executive committee. The days included both joint meetings and parallel sessions.
– This was the first time the senate met and many of the discussions in the three groups were about how we can best raise issues between the different groups and which issues each group is responsible for, says Annika Strömberg, Director, EU GREEN at the University of Gävle.

The package on sustainable campuses

All leaders of the EU GREEN work packages were invited to present their work, their successes and challenges, and the next steps in their work.

From University of Gävle, Agneta Morelli, leader of work package 8, gave a presentation about the work on sustainable campuses.

– The work in WP8 is intense at the moment. A survey will be completed by all universities in October on the current status of sustainable and health-promoting campuses, followed by focus group interviews. We are also developing a support material for planning, implementing and evaluating activities based on a participatory model. In addition, the student representatives are planning a Mentor-Mentee programme and further student-driven events, says Agneta Morelli.

Lars Bengtsson, pro-vice-chancellor at the University, participated as leader of the work package focusing on research (WP3).

– It is particularly pleasing that the University of Gävle is characterized by a clear focus on sustainability and that we have many employees directly involved in the EU GREEN cooperation. There was a very constructive and positive atmosphere at the meeting in Parma, he says.

Travelled by train to Parma

EU GREEN has sustainability as a theme. This led Malin Hillman, Vice-director, and Annika Strömberg, Director, to choose to travel sustainably.

– It feels important to consider the climate footprint of the project itself. Whenever possible, we should therefore take the train. There are a lot of changes on such long journeys, but apart from some rebooking due to delays, travelling worked well, says Annika Strömberg.

The journey took three days on the way down, but the return journey took 1,5 days.

– The trains were of a good standard and there were opportunities to work and chat. There was wifi on most routes. It's also fantastic to see so much of the countries you pass through with their different landscapes and seasons, says Annika Strömberg.

Text: Anna Sällberg