Berlin University of the Arts
Climate justice and sustainability
Thanks not least to the strong support and huge dedication of its students, Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) is now on the road to becoming a university that upholds climate justice and sustainability. In addition to specific energy saving and climate protection measures in facility management and current research in areas like the Department of Building Physics and Building Services Engineering, the university aims to anchor these issues in every area and at every level. Specific activities that are in train already need to be integrated into a plan of action and a university-wide climate change mitigation plan.Several initiatives within the university, including some organized autonomously by students, are concerned with relevant focus topics. The cross-faculty “Klasse Klima” seminars held in the 2019/20 winter semester featured lectures given by external experts on issues such as greenwashing or post-growth economics and a practical component of artistic engagement with the issues at stake. “UdK for Future” has also formulated 13 climate policy demands and is actively liaising with university governance on these issues. Together with the Senate Chancellery of the State of Berlin, Berlin University of the Arts is developing measures it aims to contribute to the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Program 2030 (BEK 2030).