Eco Team

Wim Annaert (left) and Sandrine Da Cruz (right), our Eco Team co-leads

How are you working towards making our research Center more sustainable?

“Unfortunately, research labs do not have the best reputation in aspiring sustainability." Sandrine Da Cruz, Group Leader and Eco Team Representative shares. "Our Center’s Eco Team acts as a sustainability think-tank that explores ideas and initiatives to make our work place more sustainable, and to create awareness on topics including - but not limited to - food, energy, mobility, and waste reduction. Changing mentality and increasing awareness are key towards a more sustainable work environment. This has to go through a bottom-up approach, and that’s where the Eco Team comes in.”

"The Eco Team consists of people throughout each layer of our organization, with representatives from as many of our labs as possible." Wim Annaert, Group Leader and Eco Team Representative explains. "We will also form a point of contact between our Center and policy makers at the university and institutional level, because we definitely are not alone."

Initiatives

The Eco Team is divided into six subcommittees, each of which organize initiatives and awareness campaigns at the Center for Brain & Disease Research surrounding six core themes.

Water

Providing information on when and how to use different taps in the labs.

Energy

Encouraging people to be more aware of energy usage on campus.

Stock image of two people riding their bicycles down a country lane

Mobility

Collecting commuting data and campaigning for more eco-friendly alternatives.

Stock image of a person putting green bottles in a green recycling bin

Waste & Recycling

Monitoring the waste chain in the department, and advocating for more sustainable practices.

Stock image of lots of different colourful fruits and vegetables in a market

Procurement

Promoting short chain economy initiatives, e.g. purchasing seasonal fruit as much as possible through local suppliers.

Stock image of a person sitting cross-legged in an armchair drinking a warm beverage and smiling

Health, Safety & Wellbeing

Communicating existing (mental) health initiatives and increasing biodiversity, green areas, and aesthetics on campus.

A scientist smiling, leaning against a cell hood and chatting with a colleague at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research

Environment & Sustainability Resources, Policy & Advice at KU Leuven

Our Eco Team has the support of the sustainability office at KU Leuven to coordinate initiatives. We can learn and benefit of the work done already by the 40 other existing Eco Teams at KU Leuven and the University Hospital UZ Leuven. Together, we can maximize our impact.