The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals

The Global Goals -
Plastics Global Change & Challenges

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Local and Organic Produce at the Kepler Hall

The JKU organizes seasonal farmers' markets at the Kepler Hall at Easter and at Christmas, featuring local and organic produce grown mainly by local farmers as well as handmade decorative items and gifts.

The clothes swap organized by the Austrian Students' Union Climate Office has also become an established fixture at the markets.
Click here, opens a file to learn more!

Upcoming date:
The Easter Market on April 10, 2025, between 11.00 AM and 3:00 PM, at the Kepler Hall
You can find more information here, opens a file.

Click here to see all of the events supporting sustainability. 

 

Self-Guided Campus Tour featuring Sustainability Stations

An herb garden, mint field, edible hedges, 100-year-old oak trees, and more! Grab your smartphone and walk around campus to discover sustainability at the JKU. Have fun discovering & nibbling!

PV Installations Across the Campus Rooftops

Photovoltaic installations mounted across campus rooftops are a key milestone towards "Mission 2030" and becoming a climate-neutral university. JKU researchers are also conducting intensive research into advancing photovoltaic systems. Together with the JKU Energy Institute, they have created a roadmap designed to support the transition to renewable energy, a climate-neutral JKU, and accomplishing "Mission 2030". JKU and BIG (the building owners) are working together on a large-scale transition to solar power.

Green Mobility at the JKU

Better air quality, more peace and quiet, enjoying green spaces, and improving your health... There are many reasons to "switch over" right now and use your bike, a JKU City Bike, a tim electric rental car, or the tram (which stops practically at the JKU’s doorstep)! Whether you just need to get from one end of campus to the other, commute to the JKU every day, plan a trip into the city or a business trip, grab one of our sustainable means of transportation available at the JKU campus.

A Circular University - ARA Plus Project

Digitized trash cans and a solar-powered trash compactor - these are just two examples of sustainable waste systems that will be making their way onto the JKU campus.

Do I have to wash plastic containers out? Why don't tissues go in the paper trash? This project aims to raise awareness among our approximately 23,000 campus users about the right way to recycle.

Honey Made at the JKU

Feel like getting something sweet from the campus? The JKU has been selling its own, on-campus produced honey at the Merchandise Shop since August 2021! With the support of Raiffeisen Bank of Upper Austria, numerous bees moved into hives located right here on campus. Former JKU Rector Meinhard Lukas himself helped to harvest the very first batch of honey!

Dry Meadows, Wetland Biotopes - Biodiversity and Species Diversity at the JKU

There is a paradise for insects and small animals between the Science Park buildings at the JKU. Biodiversity and species diversity - a vital mission for the JKU as a "stepping stone" between an open natural landscape and a denser cityscape.

Gentle Giants - Tree Diversity at the JKU

A giant sequoia, 100-year-old oaks, sky-high plane trees. The variety of trees on the JKU campus is amazing, inviting you to take a walk and explore it for yourself on campus or online: The City of Linz's tree registry lists them all of them by name, age, height, trunk circumference and canopy diameter. Just enter "Altenberger Straße 69", click on a tree, and on "i" for information.

JKU Austrian Student Union Office for Climate Protection & Sustainability

The JKU is voluntarily committed to supporting the Climate Alliance and reducing its carbon footprint by actively advocating environmental and sustainability measures to support energy efficient campus buildings and facilities. In supporting the Climate Alliance, the JKU serves as an academic role model, taking on a pioneering role and demonstrating that these goals can be accomplished in-house.

The Climate Alliance is Europe's largest urban environmental protection consortium. To date, over 960 communities, 520 educational institutions, 35 parishes, and over 1,000 businesses in Austria have committed to the alliance.

JKU Austrian Student Union Office for Climate Protection & Sustainability

Using their social media channels, representatives at the JKU Austrian Student Union continuously provide information about climate protection and sustainability issues. The JKU Austrian Student Union also hosts a "Climate Roundtable" each month. They also organize a number of presentations, lectures, and events.

Fair Fashion vs. Fast Fashion - The JKU Austrian Student Union Clothes Swap

The Austrian Student Union clothes swap also takes place on WeFair Day and at all of the markets held at the JKU Kepler Hall. Click here, opens a file to learn more.

Alliance of Sustainable Universities

The Alliance of Sustainable Universities is joining forces to pool resources and raise awareness in regard to sustainability. These concepts are also reflected in the JKU's educational programs and research as well as in its social commitment and the way operations are managed at the Johannes Kepler University. 

Our YouTube channel features statements about just how the JKU is supporting this initiative:

Mag. Maria Buchmayr,, opens an external URL in a new window Sustainability Officer at the JKU (YouTube video)

Univ. Prof. Dr. Ernst Langthaler, , opens an external URL in a new windowJKU Institute for Social & Economic History (YouTube video)

Univ. Prof. Dr. Erika Wagner,, opens an external URL in a new window JKU Institute for Environmental Law (YouTube video)

Assoz.Univ. Prof. Dr. Veronika Wittmann, opens an external URL in a new window, JKU Institute for Cultural Economics & Research (YouTube video)

Scientists for Future

Scientists4Future is a movement organized by academics and scientists, most of them being active academics/scientists themselves from various backgrounds and disciplines. The common goal is to support the demands as outlined in the "for Future" groups and provide scientific facts and information.

Approximately 140 scientists in Upper Austria are currently actively involved; 83 of those supporters are at the JKU.

EC²U - European Campus of City-Universities

The Johannes Kepler University Linz has joined forces with the University of Coimbra (Portugal), the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi (Romania), the University of Jena (Germany), the University of Pavia (Italy), the University of Poitiers in France (the EC²U alliance coordinator), the University of Salamanca (Spain), the University of Turku (Finland) to work, teach, and conduct research across borders. The community shares common values that include supporting diversity, democracy, and progress towards serving people and emphasizing sustainability.