Green Committee of Leiden Observatory

Astronomy is a dirty business, at least in terms of its carbon footprint. Frequent, long-distance flights, the operation of observatories at remote locations, as well as the execution of CPU-intensive simulations lead to per-capita greenhouse gas emission significantly larger than those of the general population. Fortunately, inexpensive solutions, that would significantly reduce our carbon footprint immediately, are available.
In this group, we are evaluating the emissions from our astronomical research. This is the first step in order to reduce our own emissions significantly and become role models for demanding realistic change while we continue to collaborate globally. Perhaps more importantly, we are also working together on projects that can convey awe for the wonders of the universe, a sense of the uniqueness of our planet, and a feeling of global citizenship -- the most important ingredients to provoke a feeling of urgency about the climate crisis, that ideally leads to climate action.

The committee is open to your suggestions on how we can make the observatory more sustainable. Please contact us at green-committee@strw.leidenuniv.nl. Currently active committee members are: