Wageningen University
in collaboration with the Startlife consortium, including companies and knowledge Institutions such as the Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW)

Campus
Wageningen

Campus description
Wageningen Campus is the area around the Droevendaalsesteeg and the Bornsesteeg. It lies along the northerly road approaching Wageningen. It houses Wageningen University and its facilities for research and education, academic research organisations such as NIOO-KNAW, a university for professional education in the field of nature and agriculture (STOAS), companies with R&D facilities such as Campina, incubator facilities for start-up companies and meeting facilities for interactions between public and private organisations. Organisations focused on knowledge valorisation with emphasis on the field of life sciences, food and agriculture and sustainability have joined forces in the Startlife consortium. The total campus area covers about 60 hectares. The site is becoming a diverse park landscape with a number of  lakes, which will offer the 8500 users of the complex opportunities to relax. Public transportation to and from Wageningen Campus is available via a frequent bus between the intercity trainstation Ede-Wageningen and downtown Wageningen.

Sustainability strategy outline
The ambition of partners in Wageningen Campus is to develop a highly attractive sustainable campus in which public and private partners collaborate in the field of research and education, valorisation, sustainable park management, sustainable regional development of the campus site and public outreach. Wageningen UR is aiming to completely integrate sustainability in the operational management. To achieve this short-term and long-term ambitions have been formulated. The ambitions are supported by an on-Campus Green Office Wageningen which aims to further sustainability at the Wageningen campus. It is a student-run organization, supported by Facility Department of the Wageningen UR.

The Green Office Wageningen aims to be a central actor in the sustainability network of the Wageningen UR, supporting and connecting WUR students, employees and projects related to sustainability. Take a look at what has been achieved.

NIOO-KNAW has effectively implemented sustainability in its new building on the Campus (2011) as well as in the operational management. NIOO-KNAW has won several awards during 2011 and 2012 for this, including that of the ‘gouden piramide’ from the national government for inspiring commissionship and national prizes for sustainable architecture and sustainable operational management. NIOO-KNAW has the function of demonstration facility for sustainable technology and land management and has a diversity of projects in place together with Wageningen-UR and private partners to study such innovations, to spread knowledge and to promote sustainability and biodiversity.

Innovations to be addressed
Three types of innovations will be focused on:
1.  innovations in stakeholder involvement ( students and staff) executed by the Green office, also formulating joint actions between facility management, including related research institutes on Wageningen campus (ss) (NIOO, PRI and Alterra) and using this platform for support to execute student based and staff supervised research on topics of Campus sustainability.
2. Research into technical innovations on the basis of the integration of living matter into the built environment using cradle to cradle principles.
3. Dissemination of knowledge on sustainability and biodiversity with a focus on lessons learned from working together with public and private organisations in newly developed geographical clusters on the border between cities and nature (such as Wageningen Campus).

Contact person
Klaas Metselaar
E. klaas.metselaarwur.nl