Sustainability
About a sustainable department of public hea
Trees for all
Since 2023, the Department of Public Health has started the initiative ‘Trees for All’ to plant trees for each new employee. The new employee receives a certificate stating 2 trees have been planted in the Netherlands and Bolivia/Indonesia.
In addition, 2 trees for every existing Public Health employee were planted. In total, 254 certificates have been distributed, representing 508 planted trees.
A front runner in sustainability
The Sustainability Taskforce, under the leadership of Professor Alex Burdorf (Head of the Public Health department), collaborated with the company Metabolic to create "the Carbon Footprint" of Erasmus MC.
The healthcare sector contributes about 7 percent to total greenhouse gas emissions by the Netherlands. This includes emissions in the Netherlands and abroad. Erasmus MC is one of the largest university medical centers in Europe.
Sustainable initiatives
Erasmus MC aims to embrace the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs- “Duurzame Ontwikkelingsdoelen van de Verenigde Naties”) as the guiding principle to obtain a sustainable Erasmus MC. All employees and students will contribute to this endeavor. Whether exploring new possibilities or revisiting traditional methods, Erasmus MC collectively assesses how to reduce their CO2 footprint and implement changes.
Minor Planetary Health
Through allocated governmental (hoka)funds, the Planetary Health working group, is developing an interfaculty and interdisciplinary minor Planetary Health.
Sustainability dialogues
Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is stepping up its commitment to sustainability with 14 university-wide dialogues under the theme "Sustainability at EUR: From words to action".
Health Sciences Green Team Newsletter
The Health Sciences Green Team would lik to keep you updated on topics we discuss in our meetings, on events and on initiatives about sustainability at your departments, within Erasmus MC and within Rotterdam. We would also like to inspire you by providing tips on becoming more sustainable yourself!