If he were given a bag of money to spend on a particle accelerator, Jorgen D’Hondt wouldn’t automatically put it toward more particles and higher collision energies. Perhaps using the same number of particles and the same collision energy would be better, if that can be achieved with less energy.
That’s what the Nikhef director says in one of the interviews being published this week as part of Sustainability Week at the Institute for Particle Physics. He calls a commitment to sustainability vital for a scientific institute like Nikhef. “Only then are we future-proof.”
Throughout the week, the institute is hosting meetings and workshops designed to underscore the importance of sustainability. One of the goals is to identify sustainability ambassadors within research groups.
“The goal of this week is to embed sustainability as one of Nikhef’s pillars, so that sustainability and our scientific mission reinforce each other structurally,” says sustainability officer Catharina Vaendel, who is organizing the event.
Vaendel: “The week aims to raise sustainability awareness, from travel to computing and from procurement to behavior. Thinking about sustainability must become second nature, even at a scientific research institute.”
On the website kb.nikhef.nl/sustainability of Nikhef’s sustainability program, an interview with a staff member will be posted every day this week, covering both personal thoughts on sustainability and ideas for working and conducting research in a more sustainable way. In addition, there will be informational sessions, workshops, and debates.
Like other NWO institutes, Nikhef has long had sustainability goals, not only in scientific projects, workshops, and labs but also in the areas of travel and building management, waste, and responsible catering. The institute is also working to increase biodiversity in the surrounding Science Park. Making a positive impact as an institute is always a matter of many different actions, says Vaendel.
Nikhef is currently aiming for 90 percent climate neutrality by 2035, as well as improved energy efficiency, reuse, and making a positive impact on the environment and its people. The year 2026 will serve as a benchmark for improvements in this direction, with a 55 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030. To achieve these goals, a new assessment of the institute and its processes will be conducted this year.
“If I had to plant a flag somewhere in five or ten years, it would be that all sustainable options and elements come together in a shared mindset,” says Nikhef Director D’Hondt in the interview that appeared today on the site as the first in the series.
