“Through its research and teaching, and as one of the region’s largest employers, the University of Graz bears a significant responsibility and sets an important example. This includes acting sustainably. By introducing the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme EMAS, the university has committed itself to continuously reducing its ecological footprint. To this end, we have implemented numerous measures. Developments over the last ten years show that we are on the right track,” says Rector Peter Riedler.
Efficient consumption
Operating sustainably always means using natural resources sparingly. Between 2015 and 2025, the University of Graz succeeded in reducing its consumption of drinking water from the public supply by 30 per cent through the use of wells and the installation of cisterns.
Measures to reduce the use of photocopying paper have been particularly successful. Thanks to digitisation, awareness-raising, the default setting for double-sided printing and other ‘Paper Down’ initiatives, consumption in 2025 was around 66 tonnes lower than in 2015.
Exemplary mobility
Whether by public transport, bicycle or on foot – the majority of students and staff commute in a climate-friendly way. Taking all journeys between home and the University of Graz into consideration, private motorised transport accounts for only around 20 per cent of staff journeys and less than four per cent of student journeys. The rest is covered by bus, train, tram, bike or on foot. This makes the University a true role model. It promotes active and climate-friendly mobility through numerous measures. These include, amongst other things, subsidies towards the purchase of a bicycle, e-bike and “KlimaTicket” or a combined Park&Ride ticket.
Renewable energy
Since 2019, the University of Graz has been obtaining 100 per cent of its electricity from certified renewable sources. Part of this is supplied by the university’s photovoltaic systems, which now have a total capacity of 584 kilowatt-peak. This corresponds to the average consumption of 175 households.
Climate-friendly construction
Whether it’s the construction of the Graz Centre of Physics or other infrastructure projects on campus, care is taken to ensure that new buildings generate as few emissions as possible. For example, the Training and Diagnostics Centre at Rosenhain, built using timber construction methods, received a silver award under the ‘klimaaktiv’ building standard, an initiative of the Austrian Ministry for Climate Protection.
A flourishing campus
To promote biodiversity, a total of 550 square metres of flowering meadows and strips have been created across the entire campus. Around 550 native flowers and shrubs, as well as more than 600 trees – the equivalent of one hectare of forest – provide food and habitat for insects and other small animals.
