Expeditions, participation in conferences or lectures: Business trips are part of everyday life for employees at Leibniz University Hannover (LUH). For some business trips abroad it is unavoidable to air travel. A flight levy fund has been established at LUH, to compensate the greenhouse gas emissions and other negative environmental effects caused by these trips. Employees who travel by air are asked to pay a lump sum into the fund, so that internal university climate protection projects are supported. Every six months the LUH Green Office decides in consultation with the Senate Sustainability Working Group on the expenditure of the fund money. In the near future, the climate protection projects that have been implemented will be reported on this website.
Realized projects
Project 1: Six trees planted at mechanical engineering campus
In autumn 2023, six fruit trees were planted at LUH´s mechnical engineering campus. The levy fund provided two apple-, two pear-, one cherry-, and one plumtree. One fruit tree can store 10kg of CO2 each year. Furthermore the project contributes to more biodiversity on campus and the trees provide food for various insects.
Projekt 2: E-Cargo Wheel at LU
In cooperation with the department 32 “Electrical Engineering” in the department “Telecommunication, fire alarm technology and service centre”, an e-cargo bicycle was purchased, which will enable the environmentally friendly transport of materials and tools across the university campus in the future. The bike was financed in part by the Flight Levy Fund. It is estimated that the cargo wheel can save up to half a tonne of CO2 per year.
Project 3: A planted tree
In honor of Professor Dr. Christina von Haaren’s retirement from her position as Vice President for International Affairs and Sustainability, a tree planting ceremony was organised by the Green Office. Using funds from the flight compensation fund, a sweetgum tree with deep red autumn foliage was planted on the Herrenhausen campus. A fully grown tree can bind between 10 and 40 kilograms of CO2 annually. As part of the symposium "Landscape Planning Towards 2050 – Exploring Challenges and Prospects" at the Institute of Environmental Planning, the tree was ceremoniously inaugurated on September 6, 2024.
