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Energy
The university-wide energy audit, completed in February 2023, will be the basis for implementing appropriate energy reduction measures in the form of sensors, SMART tools, and others. The energy audit will also be respected in the design and construction of new buildings and in the purchase of new equipment.
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Waste and the Circular Economy
The main objective in this area is to minimise waste. On 29 November 2022, a physical analysis of waste from mixed waste containers from all UP facilities was conducted, which revealed deficiencies in the current waste sorting at UP and suggested solutions for improvement. Based on the results, these measures will be implemented and waste infrastructure will be improved to reduce the amount of mixed municipal waste and to increase the proportion of sorted waste. In an effort to educate UP staff and students, an educational video will be produced and distributed among them and also included in staff training.
From 2023, UP will take all canteen food waste, including oils and grease traps, to the biogas plant in Rapotín for further processing. UP has established cooperation with the biogas plant via the Olomouc Region.
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Water and Greenery
The UP estates are currently undergoing a greenery inventory. Based on this, biodiversity in the form of meadows, newly planted trees, and orchards will be developed at suitable places. These sites will be complemented with insect hotels, and educational boards that will serve not only UP students and staff but also the public. Behind the dormitory complex on November 17 Street, the first nesting tower for martins is being built as a sensitive way of their relocation from the dormitory buildings.
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Facilities and Infrastructure
In line with the UP Sustainable Development Strategy, appropriate environmentally and socially friendly measures are now being considered for all projects to be implemented in the near future. The aim is to reduce the energy consumption of buildings, to reduce as much as possible their negative impact on the surrounding area, and to build appropriate solutions for their users.
A set of recommended rules for the purchase of technology, new equipment, and appliances has been developed in regard to responsible procurement. All purchases and contracts are discussed with the Sustainable Development Unit.
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Information Technology and Digitisation
As part of time saving, procedural efficacy, and especially sustainability, the digital work travel order system has been improved and updated. As of November 2022, it is possible to enter and approve work hours and to enter time-off requests exclusively electronically.
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Dining
Since December 2022, an anti-waste campaign has been underway in the UP dining halls. Information leaflets have been placed in areas where diners form queues to motivate them not to waste food and provide solutions on how to achieve this. Refillable cups are actively offered instead of disposable ones in all FreshUP bistros and are further promoted on information leaflets in the bistros and through promo videos on all faculty websites and social media.
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Mobility and Transport
Bicycle parking space has already been extended or added to several UP buildings. The situation is being addressed in buildings where such a parking space is still lacking or insufficient. At the same time, UP has established cooperation with the companies Nextbike and Eagle; a discounted subscription has been arranged for UP students and staff. The university participated in the 2022 Bike to Work Challenge for the first time. A total of 130 staff members formed teams across the university and travelled to work by bike or on foot throughout the month of May, competing in regularity and mileage. In total, they cycled or walked 31,536 km and saved 4,068 kg of CO2. The best faculty was the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, which won the challenge cup. Car-Free Day was also a success, with many employees arriving at work by public transport, bike, and on foot, for which they were rewarded with refreshments, free bike service, and other benefits.
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Responsible Purchasing
An analysis of the current state of responsible purchasing at UP was carried out and a list of recommended rules for responsible public procurement (RPP) was developed. This entails compliance with social and environmental rules of the RPP such as decent working conditions, respect for social and labour rights, equal opportunities, consideration of sustainable development criteria including environmental impact issues, ecological footprint of the supplier/product, business ethics, and so forth. The Sustainability Development Unit is consulted on all public procurement where relevant.
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Education for Sustainability
A total of three professional lectures were held in 2022 for interested UP students, academics, and staff, as well as the general public. An educational programme Sustainability in Practice was prepared for staff and students, featuring six personalities from the Olomouc region whose professions are linked to sustainability. The lecture series Societas cognitorum presented and recorded a lecture by Pavel Nováček from the Department of Development and Environmental Studies, entitled “Life in the Age of Climate Change”. The last lecture by Ondřej Přibyl of the Climate Facts project, who spoke about climate change and its solutions, has also been recorded and is available here.
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Creative Activities for Sustainable Development
Students have the opportunity to write their final theses on sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Topics such as eco-friendly cleaning products, water consumption at UP and others have already been explored and/or are being assigned. Most currently, topics such as the calculation of UP’s environmental footprint and the material recycling of waste in the Olomouc Region have been listed. Many students collaborate with Sustainable University on research. This includes mapping the estates and the state of green areas on the university’s estates, mapping the bins and containers for sorted waste, the number of bike racks, etc. Researchers are also increasingly motivated to incorporate the SDGs into their projects, and Sustainable University is helping them to do so by providing consultation.
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Community for Sustainability
The aim is to build a community of UP scientists, staff, and students who are actively interested in sustainability issues in various fields and will work closely with the Sustainability Coordinator on projects, campaigns, and research. The first meeting of interested parties took place on 8 December 2022, when the Sustainability Strategy, Action Plan, and plans and projects for 2023 were presented and a discussion about further ideas and possible projects for the next year was also started.
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Healthy Lifestyles and Community Care
The possibility of creating an compulsory optional physical education course was discussed at the UP Academic Senate meeting in September 2022. The inadequate financial infrastructure to support athletics at UP was also pointed out. The proposal was supported by those present and complemented by a number of important suggestions that still need to be addressed. No resolutions were passed, and the entire proposal continues to be refined.
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Equal Opportunities for All
In 2022, Palacký University was awarded the Olomouc Region Governor’s Award for Social Responsibility, fulfilling the third role of the university, i.e. work for the benefit of society. The university has long been organising lectures, talks, and educational series for the public. What further stands out are the voluntary activities of students and employees and the work of the UP Volunteering Centre, an indispensable network that has proven so helpful during the war in Ukraine.
In 2021, an analysis of equal opportunities was carried out at UP, which led to the creation of the Gender Equality Plan, which sets specific goals for the period 2022–2023 aimed at better gender equality throughout UP.
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Support for the Region
Within the Olomouc Region, Palacký University Olomouc has established cooperation with the Department for the Environment and will thus be involved in a project to use food waste in the biogas plant in Rapotín.
The cooperation with the Statutory City of Olomouc has been conducted in several areas. UP is a member of Local Agenda 21, which is a programme (strategic plan) for the development of the city, characterised by an effort to solve global problems locally – i.e. on the territory of the municipality or region, especially in the field of sustainable development. UP is also negotiating with the Olomouc City Transport Company regarding the improvement or strengthening of the transport infrastructure for commuting to UP, thus aiming to reduce the number of car commuters. Experts from UP participated in the development of the Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy of the City of Olomouc, and its objectives were also mutually reflected in the UP Sustainable Development Strategy. UP also established closer cooperation with Sluňákov – the Olomouc environmental activities centre, with which they jointly organise educational events such as Sustainability in Practice, Facts about Climate, and Olomouc Ecological Days. UP students and teachers also go to Sluňákov for internships and educational programmes and help out at various events.
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Strategic Partnerships
For the past two years, UP has been a member of the Aurora Alliance, which brings together nine European universities working on social responsibility, sustainability, digitisation, and cultural diversity. In 2022, UP participated in the creation of the Sustainable Campus Action Plan. The plan aims to encourage participating universities to use energy sustainably, prioritise regional foods, etc.
In 2022, for the first time, UP was listed in the international UI GreenMetricranking, which assesses the environmental friendliness of universities. Out of 956 universities, UP ranked 642nd. In one of the two most prestigious rankings in the world, THE World University Ranking, Palacký University was ranked 201st–300th in sustainability and second in the Czech Republic, after Charles University in Prague. In the QS World University Rankings, out of approximately 700 universities that were included in the ranking of the most sustainable universities in the world, UP was ranked 451st–500th.