Each year, university staff and students can submit ideas to make the RUG more sustainable. The best ‘fun and innovative sustainable idea’ is awarded with the funds to implement the plan. However, the fourth edition of the Green Mind Award has not resulted in a sufficient number of good ideas.
‘The jury has assessed every single submission for the Green Mind Award 2017 and found them lacking’, says Dick Jager, member of the jury and programme manager for integrated sustainability at the RUG.
Problems
The university’s sustainability contest has been plagued with issues since its inception. One previous winner’s idea, parasols containing solar cells people could use to charge their cell phones and tablets, could not deal with the weather circumstances. Another smart system using solar panels, which were supposed to heat up the showers at sports centre Aclo, was also cancelled: the set-up was too heavy for the roof to carry.
Last year, another winning project failed. The University Library façade was supposed to be covered in plants to give the building a more sustainable look, but the municipality’s aesthetics committee did not like the idea.
This year’s mediocre submissions are another disappointment for the contest. ‘However, that does not mean the Green Mind Awards are over. We’re working on a plan for a new start. We might have to retool the concept a little’, says Jager.
RUG spokesperson Gernant Deekens confirms that the contest will be reassessed. ‘The Green Mind Award has been evaluated, and an amended version is being considered. But no decisions have been reached yet.’