Interview Faculty of Law

Professor J.B. Wezeman, Dean of the Faculty of Law

Due to the fact that they are located in the same building, the Faculty of Law has acted together with the Faculty of Arts in incorporating sustainable ambitions in its yearly progress plans in what concerns their employee, venue and student awareness.

What actions have been taken by the Faculties towards a more sustainable behavior?

The Faculty has established an environmental section that describes how both the Arts and Law faculties deal with the challenges to make the programs more green. To facilitate this analysis they used a survey of the GMW which showed that the Law Faculty follows the University policy on energy-saving measures and incorporates Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards at all the levels. Moreover, the Faculty is striving to find as much SMART solutions for the issues it has as possible, but it was proven that energy efficient measures are the most suitable solutions.

The Faculty is taking an integrated approach by always ensuring that its units are receiving sufficient control of efficient and socially responsible business practices. In addition, the units set an advisory board UFB on price and used the expertise of the sustainability coordinator and the department of energy management.

How is the Faculty dealing with waste?

Waste is monitored yearly and the faculties look at how results may be deliberately handled with the use of facilities such as from printers (digitizing / scanning vs. print) or, for example hot drinks (use your own mug), reuse old furniture (the largest waste stream). Also furniture  from the renovation of the library was given to start up companies.

How does the Faculty promote sustainable transportation?

The Faculty is encouraging its employees to travel by bike or by an electric bike to university if they are not living too far away.

How is the Faculty reducing water use?

The faculty buildings were made available for a pilot project about waterless and water-saving toilets. In this way the faculties contribute to the awareness of staff and students.

How is the Faculty dealing with Energy usage reduction?

Also the Faculty has a new lighting system based on LED that is supposed to last for 50,000 hours as is planning to implement an energy monitoring system.

How sustainable is the education and research of the Faculty of Law?

1. The Faculty offers the North Sea Energy Law Programme at a two-year postdoctoral training, along with the universities of Aberdeen, Copenhagen and Oslo.
2. One of the six faculty research themes is: Energy and Sustainability.
3. One of the projects under the Investment is: Sustainable Financial Practices.
4. The faculty is an institutional member of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, the largest  international network of academics see dealing with sustainability issues.
5. The faculty has a special chair (GUF) for environmental law, as well as the special chair for International Environmental Law. There is also the Assistant Professor of Administrative Law and Sustainability.