The Green Office is a student-run department of Maastricht University responsible for sustainability. We work in four different portfolios: operations, community, research and education. The task is to intra-preneurially change the university towards becoming more sustainable. On many projects we work with volunteers. This model has been so successful that it has been replicated at 10 other universities in 3 countries. At about 20 more universities across Europe student and/or staff members are lobbying for establishing such a student-run and staff supported sustainability unit. We cooperate closely with other Green Offices with the aim of establishing a European Green Office Association.

2. The Green Office
• The official sustainability
department of Maastricht
University
• Run by student employees,
supported by volunteers and
a supervisory board
• Acts intra-preneurially to
achieve an institutional
changes towards
sustainability
Budget & resources
Student interns
Student volunteers
Staff member
Supervisory board
Mandate to
manage
sustainability
Green
Office

3. The Green Office Movement
From a small student initiative to the European best practice

4. The Green Office Principles
6 GREEN OFFICE
PRINCIPLES
STUDENTS
MANDATE
RESOURCES
INTEGRATION
COLLABORATION
TRAINING

5. The Maastricht Green Office
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
• Established in September 2010
• Official mandate to manage sustainability
for the university
• Official department of the university
• Budget:
• Initially: 75,000 EUR
• Now: 161,500 EUR

6. Recognition and second GO
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
• Recognition
• ISCN award
• SustainaBul
• New Green Office:
• Wageningen Green Office
• RootAbility
• Created by “founding fathers”
of the Green Office
• Aim to spread the model

7. Europeanization
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
• Recognitions:
• Green Fund (UK)
• Governmental expert report
(Baden-Württemberg)
• New Green Offices:
• Green Office Utrecht
• Students’ Green Unit (Exeter)
• Greenwich Sustainability Hub

8. The big year of 2014
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
• First European Green Office Summit
• New Green Offices:
• Canterbury Christ Church
• Groningen
• Amsterdam VU
• Erasmus Rotterdam
• Initiatives at > 15 universities

9. Recognition
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Educational institutions and governments should provide the institutional
support, resources and legitimacy for youth-led change towards sustainability.
This requires a combination of bottom-up initiatives and top-down steering.
Mechanisms should include dedicated funding, institutional integration, working
space, mandates, recognition, and training for youth-led sustainability
initiatives.
UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development Youth Statement. Added as a
result of a consultation process discussing the Green Office Model.

10. Current Green Offices
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
• 11 Funded Green
Offices
• > 20 more
initiatives
• Combined budget
of > 900,000 EUR
• > 50 Student
Employees
Green Office
Maastricht
Green Office
Wageningen
Green Office
Utrecht
Students’ Green
Unit Exeter
Greenwich
Sustainability
Hub
Canterbury Christ
Church Student
Green Office
Erasmus
Sustainability
Hub (Rotterdam)
Green Office VU
(Amsterdam)
Green Office
Groningen
Green Office
Konstanz
Green Office TU
Delft

11. For more information see:
www.rootAbility.com
www.greenofficemaastricht.nl