Politehnica University Timișoara's Interest in Responsible and Sustainable Energy Consumption

Politehnica University Timișoara's Interest in Responsible and Sustainable Energy Consumption

On Thursday, July 13, 2023, the Library of Politehnica University Timișoara hosted a press conference to present the results of a survey conducted among students regarding responsible and sustainable energy consumption, along with the upcoming stages of the project carried out through the Politehnica Timișoara Foundation, named "University Students Engaging in Responsible and Sustainable Energy Consumption."

Politehnica Timișoara Foundation, in partnership with Quality Management Systems Norway, is implementing a project until April 2024, inspired by European and international concerns about building a more sustainable future. The project is funded with 196,202 euros from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021, as part of the "Energy Program in Romania." The project, titled "University Students Engaging in Responsible and Sustainable Energy Consumption," aims to increase the knowledge of students in Timișoara about responsible energy consumption, develop behaviors that conserve energy resources, and reduce the ecological footprint in campus life and activities.

Since its launch in May, the project team led by prof. dr. Vasile Gherheș, Ph.D., has conducted a study on the energy consumption habits of students in Timișoara in their accommodation spaces. They have collected students' messages about their vision of a greener future and organized a summer school focused on sustainability-oriented lifestyle, resulting in the training of "student ambassadors for sustainability" at UPT.

The project includes the following:

- Organizing competitions among dormitories to promote responsible behaviors.

- Awareness campaigns about possibilities to reduce the ecological footprint in student and professional life.

- Providing training sessions to develop students' skills as future active and responsible citizens, contributing to a world conscious of the need for a "green future" not only for Timișoara and Romania but also for Europe.

The project's objectives align with Politehnica University's interest in promoting sustainability, as defined in the United Nations Agenda 2030. This is achieved through education, research, management, organizational aspects of university life, and preparing young people for independent living in a society increasingly aware of the need to act with balanced resource use and genuine social equity.

Information about the project is available on the webpage https://imipasa.upt.ro/ and on Facebook. The webpage's name echoes the project's chosen slogan, "Îmi pasă" (I care), because both professors and students care about the environment, the fate of the campus, Timișoara, and  the planet itself!