Governance & culture
What we stand for and how we act.
Sustainable development at the ZHAW is a vibrant principle of action and a responsibility for all stakeholders. Sustainability is embedded at the highest strategic level and applies to all performance areas.
Regula Jöhl
President of the ZHAW
“The ZHAW plays an active role in shaping sustainable development – through practice-oriented teaching, applied research and its own operations. As a university of applied sciences, we bridge knowledge and implementation, developing solutions that make a difference in everyday life.”
People and stories
At the ZHAW, staff and students are driving sustainable change. Their projects, ideas and perspectives demonstrate exactly how they are helping to build a better future.
Sustainable Development Committee
The Sustainable Development Committee (SDC) brings together all eight Schools, the President's Office, Finance and Services, and the student body to promote sustainability. It serves as an important participatory body for sustainability at the ZHAW. Find out more.
“Sustainability can only succeed if the entire university is committed to it. In the SDC, leadership, subject matter experts, and students from all Schools come together – transparently, collaboratively, and as equals. It is precisely there that our strategy is translated into active responsibility for a sustainable ZHAW.”
Francesco Bortoluzzi, Head of Sustainability Programmes, ZHAW sustainable, President's Office
“Transformation is a collective endeavour. As an organisation-wide network, the SDC makes visible and harnesses the diverse perspectives, experiences and expertise within our university, enabling us to actively shape sustainable development in our teaching, research and operations.”
Julia Grundisch, lecturer at the Institute of Applied Media Studies, ZHAW School of Applied Linguistics
“Commitment to sustainability is an ongoing endeavour and always encompasses the three dimensions of the environment, social issues and economic viability. ”
Rolf Krebs, Head of the Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, ZHAW School of Life Sciences and Facility Management
“There is no “Planet B.” This is why, together with many other dedicated staff members and students at the ZHAW who make up the SDC, I am committed to ensuring that sustainable development is advanced and implemented for all ZHAW stakeholders through education, research and practical application.”
Cathérine Hartmann, Co-Head of the Environmental and Sustainability Psychology section, ZHAW School of Applied Psychology
“Sustainability is not only expressed through strategies, but above all in our day-to-day actions. The Sustainable Development Committee brings together committed individuals with a wide range of specialist knowledge and diverse perspectives. This exchange generates valuable momentum for the sustainable development of the ZHAW.”
Thomas Larcher, Head of Facility Management, Finance and Services
“Environmental changes are impossible to ignore. Through sustainable action, each and every one of us can make a valuable contribution to our shared future.”
Esra Hergert, Strategic Project Manager, ZHAW School of Engineering
Additional topics
Sustainability shapes everything the ZHAW does. Learn more about further thematic areas here.
