Sustainable impetus: Janosch Dahmen and Verena Schäffer in dialogue with Witten/Herdecke University

With its plans to build one of the most sustainable university buildings in Germany, Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) has attracted national attention. The university's themes - a focus on the future, interdisciplinarity and sustainability - overlap with those of the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen party, which is why politicians and university stakeholders met in the new building in Witten. The core topic was "sustainable construction", which is set to become even more important in the district, but the future of medical care, especially in rural areas, and the development of care in Germany were also important topics of discussion.

For Dr Janosch Dahmen, the visit to Witten was a home game: he studied medicine at UW/H from 2004 to 2010. Today, Dahmen is a member of the German Bundestag and health policy spokesperson for the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen party. He is also a member of the university's Supervisory Board. "I have always followed the development of my university and actively contributed to its further development. During my visit today, however, my aim is to draw on the experience and expertise of the UW/H in the areas of sustainability and healthcare to provide impetus for the further development of the region, which will also feed into my tasks as a federal politician," he explains the background to his visit.

Sustainability in the environment and healthcare will have a significant impact on quality of life

He was accompanied by Verena Schäffer, Chairwoman of NRW's state parliamentary group: "The topics being worked on at the UW/H are relevant to society as a whole. How sustainably we shape our environment and how prudently we plan our healthcare will have a significant impact on everyone's quality of life. The impetus from Witten is therefore extremely important." Katrin Lögering (councillor in Dortmund), Ralf Schulz (councillor in Witten), Kirsten Deggim from the Ennepe-Ruhr district association and Axel Störzner, local chairman and councillor in Herdecke, joined the discussions.

"I am pleased that our experiences and views have been positively received by the party members and can thus be incorporated into political work at local, regional and even federal level," said Vice President Dr Dirk Jakobs, who is responsible for sustainability on the UW/H Executive Board, among other things. UW/H President Prof Dr Martin Butzlaff sums up: "Clever thinking and courageous progress in planning a future that is almost impossible to predict - that is part of our university's self-image and that is also a mandate from our politicians. That's why today was a very valuable day for all of us."