Green Office Blog

Spending time in nature can have a positive impact on mental health and overall well-being. Walking in nature can increase energy levels, improve focus, reduce stress, and enhance creativity. Evolutionary psychology suggests that natural environments are easier for humans to process and can lead to a feeling of connectedness, which can improve attention and self-discipline. Tips for starting a walking routine include starting small, stretching to warm up, ensuring safety, and finding ways to stay motivated.

In this blog, you will find out how to plan your trip in nature. How can learning new activities, volunteering, and meeting new people positively impact the environment?  Choosing the right places to visit, engaging with local businesses, and sharing transport are some of the strategies that Larisa uses when she travels. Learn about her experience and how to put the concepts into practice!

The coffee and tea industry face several environmental challenges. The production is climate dependent, chemical pollution is a key issue, and waste is created throughout the chain. What underlies these challenges, and how can we help overcome them? By choosing sustainable brands, reducing our own waste, and supporting local businesses, we can promote sustainability in the coffee and tea industry.

During the Sustainability week, the Green Office and the Faculty of Science & Engineering’s program ‘FSE is going green’ collaboratively organized several litter-picking walks.  In this blog, Nils shares his experience of the trash picking event at Zernike. Acknowledging that people might experience psychological barriers, he and his friends were pleasantly surprised by the activity.

The days are getting colder, and with the current energy crisis, conserving energy has become more relevant than ever before. But how can you best save energy as a student? In this blog, Sarah walks you through the basics and offers 6 tips on how to stay warm. She advises to embrace the sun, wear layers, prevent drought, get an infrared radiator, ask your landlord for insulation, or focus on warming up your body. Don’t worry if you can’t work through all the tips, nobody is perfect and some action is better than none!

Do you have a balcony, or even a (small) garden? Make your outdoor space winter-ready within three steps! In this blog,  Jylles explains why now is the time to invest in plants, how you can help out birds & insects, and the benefits of doing nothing! Learn how to make your green-area winter-proof for plants & wild-life, and prepare to flourish in the spring!

In this blog, Margarete looks back on her panel discussion with 3 lead environmental media scholars. Organized to create awareness about the environmental impact of films, Margarete discusses the issues behind unsustainable film production and possible drivers for change. Moreso, Margarete discusses the importance of starting the conversation on the topic and raising awareness on the issue. 

For her final blog, Matanja elaborates on how to think, shop, and store products with more care and less waste. In four tips, she explains how to reuse paper and packaging, buy groceries plastic free, make sure to only buy what you need, and above all: stay optimistic!

Easter is around the corner, but did you ever wonder if celebrating it could have an environmental impact? Mattanja gives us 5 tips on how to celebrate this weekend sustainably, from which eggs to buy to how to veganize it. Click on the links embedded for some great resources and delicious recipes!

After having discussed the impact that the fast-fashion industry has on the planet and why we should avoid it, in this second blog, Mattanja gives us a comprehensive guide to vintage and secondhand shopping, from online to local! Click on the links to check the apps, websites, and shops recommended.