General Tips

This page provides general everyday tips on how to promote sustainability at UZH. This list is not exhaustive; new information is added on an ongoing basis.

Air travel causes a large share of GHG emissions in UZH's regular operations. Therefore, travelling fewer air miles is an important lever for reducing GHG emissions. Basically, there are the following options:

Virtual presence 

Consider digital participation options for yourself and UZH guests. A video conference would have to take 8,700 hours to offset a flight from Zurich to New York and back in CO₂ equivalents.

Reduce the number of people travelling

Select carefully which team member(s) travel(s) to an event. Be sure to keep an eye on fairness for early-career researchers.

Travelling by bus or train

When travelling in Europe, rail and long-distance coaches are the more environmentally friendly options. For some destinations there are night trains.

Combine several reasons for travelling

If possible, plan the trip in such a way that it fulfils several purposes at the same time and thus replaces several individual trips (e.g. by combining several visits).

For unavoidable air travel

• Choose economy class. By foregoing Business Class, 5 to 10 percent of flight-related greenhouse gas emissions could be saved annually at UZH. The emission contribution of a flight in business class is arithmetically (due to the larger proportion of the aircraft used) at least twice as high as that of a flight in economy class.
• Choose relatively efficient airlines. By choosing an efficient airline, up to 50 percent of flight emissions can be avoided. For a distance of 6,550 km, one tonne of CO₂ can be saved for a return flight (efficiency class C: 1,600 kg CO₂, efficiency class G: 2,600 kg CO₂).
• Prefer non-stop flights. A non-stop flight in Europe is preferable to a flight with a layover, as the take-off phases are particularly emission-intensive. It is also worth replacing feeder flights with rail journeys.
• Offset emissions. When choosing a provider, ensure that the emissions calculation takes all greenhouse gases (not just CO2) into account and that the compensation projects are of high quality. The "Gold Standard" certificate provides guidance for the latter.

Air travel
Factsheet Business Travel
Project: Sustainable student mobility (SET project)

Diet provides a lot of leverage for your own behavior to contribute to sustainable development. Agro-industrial production and transportation of food significantly influence greenhouse gas emissions.

Prefer vegetarian or vegan options

Production and transportation of the ingredients of the various menus available at UZH cause on average the following greenhouse gas emissions (in CO2 equivalents):

• vegan menu: 700 g CO₂eq
• vegetarian menu: 900 g CO₂eq
• menu with meat or fish: 2,300 g CO₂eq

Choose seasonal and regional products

Seasonal fruit and vegetables help reduce environmental impacts  because they require neither heated greenhouses nor freezing. Regional products help reduce transportation-induced emissions.
WWF seasonal calendar (in German)

Drink tap water instead of bottled water

In Switzerland and may other countries tap water is good for you, and it causes 200 to 400 times less greenhouse gas emissions per liter than mineral water provided in glass or PET bottles. It is also suitable for business meetings when presented in an attractive carafe. You can fill your own bottle at the drinking water fountains in UZH buildings. You find a list of the available fountains on the Blue Community Network page:
Blue Community – Drinking water fountains at UZH (non-exhaustive list)

Avoid food waste

Ask the cafeteria staff to only scoop as much food as you will actually eat. Leftovers can be packed in reCIRCLE boxes and taken home. Here's how: Purchase a reCIRCLE box in the canteen or cageteria for a 10 CHF deposit in addition to the meal price. After eating, you can choose to return the reCIRCLE box to the cafeteria or keep it. reCIRCLE boxes are produced in Switzerland. They are leakproof, dishwasher-safe, and microwave-safe.

Food in UZH canteens and cafeterias
Factsheet Food in University Life
Guideline Sustainable Catering

Commuting to and from the university is a relevant source of greenhouse gas emissions caused by UZH. By reducing commuting distances and choosing an environmentally friendly mode of transportation, you can minimize these emissions.

Reduce commuting distances

Prefer a place to live that is close to the campus or otherwise provides good public transport access.

Use a bicycle or public transport for commuting

Bicycles, buses, streetcars, and trains cause much smaller amounts of greenhouse gas emissions per person kilometer than motorized individual transport modes.

Carpools

If a car is necessary, share the journeys with colleagues or fellow students. This reduces emissions per person and saves costs.

Local mobility
Factsheet Commuter Traffic (Comparison of various modes of transportation with respect to emissions)

The environmental load from the production of today’s end-user devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones, is many times that of the electricity consumed during their entire use phase. Servers are the only computers that require more energy during the use phase than during production. Moreover, mining raw materials and poor working conditions cause severe environmental and social damage. Therefore, the most effective step toward sustainability is to purchase as rarely as possible.

Use IT devices as long as possible and purchase new devices as seldom as possible

The most effective way to reduce IT-induced social and environmental impacts is to use devices for as long as possible. Have broken devices repaired instead of buying new ones.

Use devices available at UZH instead of buying your own

Using centrally available infrastructure, such as printers or servers, is more environmentally friendly than buying and using your own. Shared utilization via Technology platforms, the Shared equipment platform, the «Gerätebörse» or the «Büromaterialbörse» offer further options.
Shared utilization

Purchase used UZH Hardware for private use

UZH members have the opportunity to purchase used hardware from UZH, such as computers and monitors, for private use at preferential rates.
Gebrauchte Hardware (German)

Save energy while using IT devices

Monitors should be put in standby mode automatically even after a short period of inactivity. Reducing average screen brightness (e.g. by switching to “dark mode”) can also save energy.

Unplug devices with insufficient sleep or standby mode

Most of today’s IT devices (e.g. monitors, printers, laptops, and their power supply units) have a sleep or standby mode with negligible energy consumption. Exceptions can be recognised by the waste heat. If a device gives off noticeable amounts of heat when not used, it is advisable to unplug it, especially if the device will not be used for a longer period of time.

Sustainable procurement – Shared utilization
Sustainable procurement – IT infrastructure
Factsheet Media Use

Contrary to many expectations, paper is not a major factor in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is because paper production generates relatively little CO₂, especially compared to categories like transportation. Nevertheless, the figures are impressive, and it is therefore still worthwhile to consider the necessity of printing on a case-by-case basis and to switch to recycled paper. In 2018, approximately 18 kg of paper was consumed per employee at University of Zurich (only centrally procured paper such as copy paper, printed materials, and envelopes; as of 2018). This figure decreased to around 6 kg by 2024.

Do not print electronic documents

If possible, do not print lecture notes or other large documents. 

Use 100 percent recycled paper

UZH has had a «one-paper strategy» since 2018. According to this strategy, only one type of paper is sold at the UZH Material-Zentrum. This paper consists entirely of recycled fibers and meets the strict criteria of the «Blue Angel» label, which recognizes particularly environmentally friendly products. However, the organizational units can also purchase other types of copy or printer paper if required. In that case take care to use 100 percent recycled paper. Producing average virgin fiber paper causes roughly 2.5 times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as producing recycled paper.  Comparative ecological life cycle assessment of various paper types (in German)

Cut down on paper use and do not print in color if possible

Double-sided printing saves paper. Color printing requires more material and energy than grayscale printing.

Use printed media (lecture notes, books) multiple times

People can lend or give lecture or seminar notes, journals, and books to others via the platform Uniboard. Books can be borrowed from the Zentralbibliothek Zürich or the University Library Zurich.
Uniboard

Sustainable procurement – Paper
Factsheet Media Use

The most effective way to reduce waste is to buy less. In the case of many consumer goods, for example food, at least packaging can be reduced or recycled.

Avoid waste

The mensas and cafeterias provide multi-use coffee mugs as well as reCIRCLE boxes for a deposit. If you bring your own cup, you get every eleventh hot drink for free.

Recycle waste

The UZH Waste Disposal Guidelines define how waste occurring at UZH is to be disposed of properly. Information about various types of waste – general waste, paper/cardboard, glass, PET, metal, aluminum, toner cartridges, and Nespresso capsules – is available on the staff portal website. At Campus Irchel there is a separat waste collecting point for plastics.
Richtlinien zur Behandlung und Entsorgung von Abfällen an der Universität Zürich Juli 2025 (German)
Entsorgung Abfall (German)
Entsorgung Sonderabfall (German)
Kunststoff-Sammelstelle am Campus Irchel (PDF, 233 KB) (German)

Waste & Disposal

At UZH, there are exchange platforms and online channels where you can swap, buy, sell, or give away items.

Offerings of the V-ATP

All portable, undamaged, clean items that do not use lithium-ion batteries can be dropped off and picked up on a designated day in October during UZH's Bring- und Holtag (bring and take day). The Bücherbörse (book exchange) works the same way, but only books are accepted. The Bücherkabine (book exchange booth) in the UZH main building is also available year-round.
current V-ATP events (German)
V-ATP services (German)

UZH Alumni Marktplatz

Offers and requests can be posted online under the Flohmarkt (flea market) section.
UZH Alumni Marktplatz (German)

Möbelbörse

At UZH, unused office furniture is offered to all students and staff for private purchase.
Möbelbörse (German)

Purchase used UZH Hardware for private use

UZH members have the opportunity to purchase used hardware from UZH, such as computers and monitors, for private use at preferential rates.
Gebrauchte Hardware (German)

Use devices available at UZH instead of buying your own

Using centrally available infrastructure, such as printers or servers, is more environmentally friendly than buying and using your own. Shared utilization via Technology platforms, the Shared equipment platform, the «Gerätebörse» or the «Büromaterialbörse» offer further options.
Shared utilization

Events can cause relevant greenhouse gas emissions due to attendees’ travel as well as catering and accommodation.

More Information:
Guidelines Sustainable Events and Sustainable Catering
Tips for sustainable give-aways and alternatives (German, accessible after UZH-login)
Tips for sustainability related activities in and around Zurich (German, accessible after UZH-login)

Subscribe to the UZH Sustainability newsletter

The Sustainability Hub issues a newsletter once a month; its style is intentionally simple and straightforward. 
Register for the newsletter

Promote sustainability in your unit

Let yourself be inspired by existing initiatives: Overview of sustainability initiatives in various organizational units 

Critically reflect the processes in your unit

Talk with the people responsible in your organizational unit about non-sustainable processes and review together how these processes can be changed.

Report problems with technical installations

Problems with technical installations can increase energy or water consumption. Please inform the relevant Service Center about defective radiators, dripping faucets, and the like.
Service Center Betriebsdienst Zentrum (also responsible for Oerlikon Campus, German)
Service Center Betriebsdienst Irchel (German)

Submit your own suggestions

Send your proposals to the Sustainability Hub, preferably using the following form:
 Steps Towards Sustainability – Mailbox for Your Proposals