Sustainability as an attitude
Prof. Dr. Klärle, as Vice President of Frankfurt UAS sustainability is right at the top of your agenda, and you are often heard to say that you’re “fighting tooth and nail” for this cause. How did this fight for sustainability come to be a vital issue in your life?
My personal gateway to sustainability dates back to my studies and was opened by my dissertation supervisor Ortwin Peithmann. In the beginning I only shook my head at his lifestyle. He bought his clothes at thrift shops and walked the last few miles from the train station to the University or else thumbed a lift when no buses were running. But it wasn’t long before I understood what he was teaching us through his choice of lifestyle. He was all about conserving resources. I myself ultimately came to realize that this was a positive goal to have in life. And, to tell the truth, my parents had already instilled in me this attitude, this outlook on life, practicing diligence and mindfulness – for example, gleaning fallen fruit and baking it instead of allowing it to rot and buying new fruit all the time. I was reminded of this when I came to understand and appreciate my dissertation supervisor and his way of life. And I thought: this is the way to be and act in life that I also want. Flashing forward, I was by then already a researcher in my midforties when I received a second jolt to my consciousness that reinforced my conviction that sustainability was worth fighting for. I’d spent two weeks in Greenland with Mojib Latif, climate researcher and President of the German Club of Rome. We’d been studying the effects of climate change in all its dimensions. And I suddenly realized that each and every one of us has the opportunity to do something and make a difference. And if each one us perseveres in doing something, then we will have the opportunity to flip the switch.
You highlight the environmental dimension of sustainability, but isn’t there also a social and economic dimension?
I know, the UN has defined 17 sustainability goals, all of which are important. At the same time, however, I’m equally aware that I cannot fight for all of these equally. It’s the environmental component that is the strongest influencing factor for me. As land surveyor, geodesist and environmental scientist, I have a close affinity to ecology. I think that there are other people who are just as active in their commitment to sustainability as I am – except that they happen to be fighting for social or economic goals.
Where and how are you proactive in the area of sustainability?
At the University, for example, in my capacity as professor, in the transfer of knowledge so that the energy revolution and climate protection can succeed. I am constantly on the look-out for opportunities in my life as to how and where I might implement the practical aspects of my fields of research – such as in my hometown with our personal life’s work, our Plus Energy Hof 8 [plus-energy farmyard].
Isn’t Hof 8 a prime example of the sustainability triad?
Yes, now that you mention it. The buildings are well designed from an environmental perspective, and the Hof is not only a place to work and do business but has also given the village a new economic and social center teeming with life. Most of all, it has a magnetic appeal. Many people come and find inspiration here to make a change with a project of their own. When I experience that, I feel thankful and proud. I am delighted with all that I have achieved. And I can be sustainably mobile using the E-Mobil, for example, which runs on power generated at Hof 8, and I also travel by train. Even if I need to commute up to 10,000 kilometers a month, I can do it in a climate-neutral way.
What can a university do for greater sustainability?
Education is all-important. It is the first step towards change. It’s my responsibility to teach students about sustainability as an attitude to life and as a belief system. Whether this be in the construction industry, engineering professions, social occupations or in economics: The basic principle is the same wherever you go. Each year, 2,500 students graduate from Frankfurt UAS.
And when they have all learned to think and act sustainably, they will have become full-fledged “sustainability spreaders.” And I hope I’m able to convince our students and colleagues both in my attitude to life and by way of active example in just as persuasive a manner as my dissertation supervisor succeeded in doing with me. I hope also that many teaching staff members will plant the seeds of sustainability in young minds. These seeds will then have to be watered by others for the idea to ripen and bear fruit. That is our major lever. And one day we’ll have a prominent researcher among our graduates who develops some breakthrough technology that will bring about a permanent change in the world.
In your role as Vice President, what is your specific contribution to making this a sustainable University?
One of the reasons I took up the post of Vice President was to make the University more sustainable and to encourage everyone to join me on this path. I took up the post of Vice President with the aim of enlisting everyone’ commitment to ensuring that our University operation, including our teaching and research activities, are aligned with more sustainable practices.
Are you confident of achieving your goal?
Yes, there is a tremendous amount of support for our Sustainability Strategy. It’s really amazing to see so many people come up to me now and say they thought they were the only ones who were convinced that the University should also become more sustainable. I’m suddenly surrounded by so many enthusiastic supporters. There are some who are in favor of declaring a state of climate emergency and others who would like to see small apiaries set up on the rooftops. My job is to support all of these dedicated comrades-in-arms and to empower them to achieve our goal.
What partners does the University need on its path to sustainability?
We have three main partners to begin with. First: the entire University Administration endorses the goal. Second: our faculties, including their curriculum development, must pull together. And third: we need the support of our government, and this is the most challenging area. The Minister and her State Secretary are on board. But if we want or need to build new facilities, for example, then there are many regulations that stand in the way of sustainable building. For instance, there is one type of insulation material that is made from polystyrene. I’m in favor of slowing down the pace or intensity of building activity if only to ensure that new buildings are future-ready. I always keep this mantra in the back of my mind: we don’t have the funds for going cheap.
What tool should you use to ensure the successful conversion to a sustainable University?
We have yet to develop the requisite tool. That’s within the purview of our Green Office or our Sustainability Office. Monitoring and systematic reassessments of change will be performed, and reports submitted on our goal achievement level. This is to keep sustainability as a topic from being buried too deep under the shuffle of everyday life.
You drafted the Sustainability Strategy during the Corona pandemic with the help of digital capabilities. Is the simultaneous outbreak of the pandemic and materialization of the Sustainability Strategy a coincidence or mere quirk of fate?
It’s just possible that there’s a connection – for the simple reason that the pandemic has heightened our awareness of how vulnerable our world is. The crisis has called us to our senses. We may seem to accept it as a matter of course that everything is functioning smoothly, but this is anything but self-evident.
When did Frankfurt UAS and you — as its Vice President — achieve the stated goal with your Strategy?
The way is the goal. With energetic spirit and self-confidence towards greater sustainability and future-readiness – one step at a time: that is our goal.