Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

Dear colleagues and members of the university

You have before you the current Environmental Report of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. It
represents a significant work commitment and signifies that our university is living up to its
potential by working together to fight climate change.

In its update in the form of the second edition, the Environmental Report provides us with
more than just relevant data. It is more than just a report, and since the release of the previous
version from 2021 at the latest, we now know exactly where we stand. We have mapped
out the relevant spheres of activity for the university, with these areas linked to the strategic
objectives of the Presidium as a collective management body: implementing sustainability,
combating climate change and protecting the environment in all departments. With the
Environmental Report, we have set for ourselves concrete goals that assist us in measuring our
progress while also providing ongoing motivation. This primarily includes raising awareness
among all our members, that is, students and university employees alike. Here we set ourselves
apart by taking current issues of the future into account in research as well as in our teaching
and administration. That is what makes a university and what distinguishes us from other state
institutions.

At the same time, we are aware that the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, together with the other
universities in the Free State of Thuringia, are among the major energy consumers. We are
striving here to achieve climate neutrality in concert with the other universities while standing
shoulder-to-shoulder on this issue with the state as a whole, as we know that we cannot do it
alone. An important consideration is that the majority of our carbon footprint is due to heating.
In this respect, it is obvious that renovation of the building infrastructure of our campus and
reducing its energy consumption not only makes a significant contribution to CO2 neutrality
but also helps to stem the explosive increase in energy costs. That is why we, together with the
other universities of Thuringia, are demanding the appropriate resources necessary to make all of
this a reality, up to and including digital monitoring of the operation of each individual building.
We are realists in this endeavour: We know we can only achieve climate neutrality on campus
if we view our campus as a separate district within the city. The wide-ranging building stock,
which includes the primary building as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Digital Bauhaus
Lab, is something that we not only utilise but also cherish. Our goal therefore must be to
preserve existing buildings while supplementing them with new buildings that exceed the
current climate targets and thus compensate for historic buildings that are less energy efficient.
This also includes energy concepts such as on-campus energy generation and the transition to
the use of non-fossil energy sources. We will continue to work together on this.

Dr. Horst Henrici
Chancellor of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar