Sustainability

We stimulate sustainability in our education, in research, as well as all aspects of our organisation. By accepting The Art of Sustainability and Circularity as one of our guiding lights, HKU has openly expressed its acknowledgement that sustainability is of great importance, and acts upon this conviction.

Community of committed creators

HKU is not just an educational institute for the arts and culture, but also its own community. A collective of creators who care about the world around them. Committed creators, most of whom critically reflect on society, who get together through education, research, and collaborations with other parties. Every day, our students and staff create, learn and study the issues through which they can contribute to innovation and relate themselves to the current societal challenges. Our aspiration to create a world that is still habitable in the future, is therefore carefully woven into the creative craftsmanship that is paramount at HKU.

Together towards an ever-more sustainable HKU

We give the guiding light of Sustainability and Circularity a firm place in our annual plans, and all our schools, research departments, workshops and locations are working on concrete actions to act upon these plans. At our workshops, for example, multiple effective initiatives have been taken in order to work with bioplastics and recycle used sheets collected from laundries. They also have their own garden where they grow their own organic materials that are used in their creation processes. At multiple locations, students can use free materials from the exchange shops of Lucrative Dumpster Dives. Next to the focused attention for sustainability in our procurement and the stimulation of travelling by bicycle, HKU also makes efforts to reduce our CO2 footprint in our energy consumption.

Smart energy use

All the electricity used by HKU, comes from suppliers that guarantee to generate their energy from Dutch wind and solar parks. Furthermore, three of our own locations have solar panels, and most of our buildings use zero natural gas because they are connected to city heating. The remaining 10% of energy that is required for heating, is generated by gas that is supplied by Greenchoice. In addition to implementing isolation and LED lighting, HKU uses an energy monitoring system that reduces energy use by 20% through lowering room temperatures and strict monitoring and calibration of installations. With these and other efforts, HKU ranks in 8th place among 28 academies in the sustainability levels of our locations – despite having several historical buildings.

The art of Sustainability and Circularity

Many of our students are also focusing on this theme and we have many inspiring examples among their works that entice and appeal to the imagination with regard to sustainability. You can see a selection here to get inspired!

Student works

Our students are also largely engaged and looking for ways to contribute to a more habitable world. The works of Musa Intimates is a nice example of this. See below for more inspiring projects and stories!

Education and research

The theme of sustainability and circularity is also reflected in our education itself, while students also have the opportunity to investigate this theme outside of their curriculum. Students, teachers and staff often apply it in their works, as the examples below demonstrate.

Organisation and partnerships

HKU is closely connected to society. We work together with many partners, who each in their own way contribute to the creations, education and developments at HKU. Below you see a number of examples of partnerships that are related to the theme of sustainability and circularity.