Syméon from GreenTU about spreading awareness, the GreenWeek and how to make an impact at your university
Welcome to a new article of the rubric ‘Sustainable Students in the Spotlight’! This time, we have interviewed Syméon of the GreenTU Delft. The GreenTU has won the Sustainability Pitch at Studenten voor Morgen’s last General Assembly to increase the reach and visibility of the GreenWeek. What do they want to achieve with the GreenWeek? And what advice does Syméon have for other organisations that want to make an impact?
Syméon's Ambition for Sustainability
The Belgium Syméon came to the TU Delft for his bachelor’s ‘Aerospace Engineering’, but he realised that this is not the direction he wants to go into. He changed course and started the master’s ‘Sustainable Energy Technology’ at the TU Delft, and at the same time he joined the GreenTU, the Green Office of the TU Delft. He applied with one goal in mind: to have a positive impact on the planet. “As a student it is limited what you can do, but there are still options like the GreenTU where you can be part of a broader structure of implementing changes. It is a very concrete way for me to make a change, and the impacts are really visible”.
The GreenTU and Spreading Awareness
One of the main goals of the GreenTU is to reach an audience that is not yet aware about sustainability, and as a community coordinator, Syméon helps with that. “I have a broad portfolio. I am engaged with many stakeholders at the university who do something with sustainability, and I connect them with each other to organise cool events.”
A great example of how the GreenTU reaches broader audiences is their participation in Delft Career Days, the biggest technical career event in the Benelux. There, they had a stand about greenwashing, which evoked a lot of interesting conversations with other students. “It shocked me that 1 out of 3 people at this event had never heard of greenwashing. But we got a lot of positive feedback from those people, and that is why it is so cool that we do this.”
Winning the Sustainable Pitch with the GreenWeek
During the last General Assembly of Studenten voor Morgen, we organised ‘the Sustainable Pitch’ and invited member organisations to pitch their sustainable idea and be able to win €500 to execute it. Syméon, on behalf of the GreenTU, pitched about increasing the reach and visibility of the GreenWeek. The GreenWeek is a week full of sustainability activities at the TU Delft. It once started as debate organised by the university, but the GreenTU took it over and started organising things with many other organisations. “The GreenWeek is about making sustainability accessible for everyone. That a football association can also do something about sustainability.” The GreenTU supports organisations who set up their own activities by giving feedback and ideas, organising a platform for sign up and offering visibility. “It is a big win for all the parties”.
The GreenWeek has been growing in the past years, but the GreenTU is ambitious to continue expanding the project and reach more students. “We want to make it a visible event where students look forward to every year. We will use the money of the Sustainable Pitch for promotion and visibility purposes.”
The most fun thing about the GreenWeek for Syméon? “Active promotion! As a board, we will go out to bars and offer a drink to students in exchange for a chat about sustainability. That is also where you get to share your motivation and passion about sustainability with other people, and I think that makes a big impact on people.” Apart from that, the GreenWeek will be full of fun activities: a sustainability debate about green growth vs. Degrowth, a movie night on sustainability in agriculture, associations organising sustainable travel events, biodiversity walks and more! Good news for you: everyone is welcome to join the GreenWeek, happening from the 28th of April to the 2nd of May.
Barriers and Opportunities for Making Change
The GreenWeek is an inspiring event, but Syméon also highlights that there is so much more you can do outside of organising events. He sees three categories where a Green Offices can have a big impact: operations, curriculum and the relation between study associations and students. “In operations, the most tangible thing that you can have an impact on as GreenTU is the food.” They are working hard on less meat options being served, and more vegan meals for a lower price. Regarding the curriculum, Syméon advocates for a climate fresk workhop for all students, and a course on ethics and sustainability in every bachelor. “Students are not enough educated about sustainability, and that should be changed.” His last category relates to his role as a community coordinator. “My dream would be that all association take sustainability in the heart of their association, and that sustainability related events become the norm.” He advises everyone that wants to organise sustainability events to collaborate with other groups and associations, because it can broaden your reach a lot.
Still, making structural changes in a university can be difficult. To overcome the hierarchies and barriers you face as a student, Syméon describes it as a good skill to get along with many people. “When you want to change things on a higher level, it is all about connections and contacts. Become friends with the ‘higher level’ people, and find your contacts through the hierarchy of the university.”
Thanks to Syméon for sharing his story!
Would you also like to share your experiences, projects and questions with other member organisations of Studenten voor Morgen? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch! We’d love to hear from you.
