From May 29 to June 5, 2021, the first Days for Ecological Sustainability took place at TU Dresden. The event was intended to draw attention to the new Green Office, which will be established this summer. The Green Office will then act as a central contact point to connect various actors, initiatives and projects in the field of ecological sustainablility.

The networking idea was symbolically implemented with the help of an installation that was set up on the lawn behind the Hörsaalzentrum (HSZ). Initiatives and projects pinned short introductory texts to the installation. Moreover, visitors could attach their own ideas, wishes and suggestions for ecologically sustainable projects.

During a well-attended campus tour, participants were introduced to biodiversity and species protection on the TU campus. The garden project of the SLUB Educational Sciences was presented, as well as the project campus species inventory of TU Dresden. In this project, interested students from different disciplines jointly identify and document species findings under the supersivion of a master student.

On Wednesday, the student environmental initiative (tuuwi) invited to an environmental film evening at Zentralkino Mitte. The film "The Green Lie" critically examined the attempts of companies trying to use green-washing strategies in order to foster a greener image. About 35 participants watched the movie and discussed green marketing strategies and targeted misinformation by companies till well into the night.

The digital networking meeting "GreenXchange - Ideenwerk für eine nachhaltige Zukunft an der TU Dresden" was attended by about 40 interested people (students, scientific staff and staff from administration and technology and externals). The networking meeting was opened by the Prorector for University Culture, Professor Böhm. There was also the opportunity to discuss different questions, ideas and projects in small groups. Suggestions and wishes were compiled and clustered on a whiteboard and will be further used for the work of the Green Office.

Via the social media channels of TU Dresden, information on various topics of environmental and climate protection at the TU Dresden was posted daily during the Days for Ecological Sustainability.  The development process of the Green Office from the beginning up to the final approval by the extended rectorate has been staged in a Youtube film and is available online since May 30.

With the opening of the Green Office in summer 2021, TU Dresden sets a clear signal for an ecologically sustainable development of the university. The Green Office Initiative (GOI) has compiled a catalog of starter projects and good practice examples which will be implemented in the months and years to come. These are supplemented by the suggestions and ideas which have been collected during this year’s Days for Ecological Sustainability.