Life@AMSIB - Nathan Troost

1. First of all Nathan, tell us more about how exactly was the Green Office created.

The Green Office is an evolution of HvA Reset, the initiative that was given a specific amount of time to accelerate sustainability in AUAS, and when that ended last year, the Green Office took over to keep maintaining and working on the sustainability aspects of our university. To keep the passion and initiatives going and to offer a space for change and community.

2. It is indeed very important to have an office that actually represents these important aspects, and we certainly want to help spreading awareness about it. What does the Green Office truly stand for?

We represent the sustainability in the AUAS, we approach sustainability and think about the environment, education, diversity and inclusion, research, buildings, facilities, our behavior, and connecting the overall AUAS community internally as well as externally with today’s society and try to build partnerships with external well-known organizations, sustainability clubs for entrepreneurs, events and marches. The core values we stand for are sustainability, passion and community, and our main goal is to support all sustainable initiatives within the university and find ways to make an impact, all driven by the SDGs Goals and the Doughnut Economics. Additionally, this year we’re collaborating closely with the AUAS Board and the Diversity and Inclusion Team because we want to step up the AUAS game in recognizing and valorizing diversity and boost inclusion as well.

3. Why did you decide to join the office and how does the team look like?

I was looking for different jobs at the university and decided to apply but what truly motivated me was the emphasis on sustainability and the desire to make a difference. So I applied since the job description was quite open and got a call, which eventually lead to a position on the team in September! The passion and sense of community of the team did the rest! We are a “young and hungry” group of people divided in two main branches, namely the Community Team, which works with students’ initiatives and connecting people across campuses, and the Content Team, more focused on content creation for socials and online campaigns. I am working as the community officer and I work on connecting projects to the right places, as well as some communication assignments.

4. Sounds amazing! What’s keeping you busy right now? Any special projects on the horizon?

Every event we organize or project we make visible is a special journey of learning, fun and putting effort into something we really believe in. At the moment we are very busy organizing the second semester GoGame Changers Awards (I’m sure you heard of it and if you didn’t go check it out on our website!!) and figuring out if and how the Climate March is going to happen this year. The GoGame Changers Awards is one of the best examples of what we do, incentivizing students to really step forward and be rewarded for their great ideas and projects. Last semester we got 28 group applicants, among which there were internship projects, initiatives that people wanted to do on their own, some adventure studio projects, all very exciting stuff to be around, and also the rewards are chosen and awarded by amazing figures such as Kate Raworth (also our Professor of Practice) and Marleen Stikker.