Let's Talk Sustainability
Podcast about the ambition of Utrecht Univeristy to be carbon-neutral in 2030. How does that work at a university with thousands of students, staff and dozens of buildings spread across multiple locations?
In the podcast Let's Talk Sustainability, scientists, staff and students talk about how they do it.
The heating
How do we keep buildings cool in summer, warm in winter and still use less energy? Energy coordinator Frans Tak explains how Heat and Cold Storage (WKO) actually works, what 120 swimming pools have to do with it and how the university saves energy with it. By drilling holes five km into the earth, can we heat 500,000 households energy-efficiently in the future? Professor of Geothermal Exploration Jan-Diederik van Wees answers that question and talks about the future of heating the Netherlands.
Get in!
How do the new UU electric cars drive? Can you make commuters loyal to sustainable transport? A university with three separate campuses involves a lot of logistics; think security, goods transport, removals and the post. Jipke Detrie is responsible for this. She talks about the decision to gradually make the university's vehicle fleet more sustainable. UU researcher Dea van Lierop talks about her research on commuting. How can you make commuters loyal to sustainable means of transport? To do so, she studies the travel behaviour of university employees.