Ivar Maas is the Head of the Sustainability Office at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) and is responsible for the implementation of the university’s sustainability strategy. Ivar is also a PhD candidate at the Institute for Environmental Studies at VU, where he studies transformative change towards sustainability in higher education institutes.

Big Idea(s) for Advancing Sustainability in Higher Education

What does the world need most right now?

We live in challenging times: climate and biodiversity crises, wars and genocide, growing inequalities, democratic backsliding, and increasing pressure on universities themselves (just to name a few). It is quite an overwhelming amount of issues we are facing, and it can be difficult to see how to move forward. Besides, many of these issues don’t have linear solutions and require society to reflect on how it wants to move forward.

Therefore, I think what the world needs is (democratic) spaces where co-creation, knowledge exchange, values, empathy, and imagination come together to enable and envision change. I strongly believe that universities can create these spaces for change. But I don’t think universities are there yet. For example, I think knowledge can be generated more in collaboration with society instead of extracted from society. To be able to create these spaces for change, I therefore think universities should re-envision how they view their role in society. If you ask me, science should go out of the labs and into the streets more.

Leadership and Inspiration

What does effective leadership look like to you?

Working at a university comes with significant privilege: access to knowledge, strong networks, and many opportunities. This privilege comes with a duty to act accordingly. Or, as often attributed to Albert Einstein: ‘Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act.’ I believe effective leadership is acknowledging this and taking the needed action.

For universities, I believe, that means standing up for scientific integrity and shared values. For example, it means preparing our students for the future, practising what we preach by showing that the energy transition on campus is possible, and speaking truth to decision-makers even if the science is politically sensitive.

Tenacity and Perseverance

The climate emergency feels like the greatest challenge of our lifetime – what keeps you inspired?

What keeps me inspired, in the face of the climate crisis, is the commitment and drive of students and the many colleagues across faculty and staff who put in so much time and effort to work on sustainability. At its core, I think that addressing the climate crisis is a collective effort. I think this also happens when you create these spaces for collective involvement at the university, in which, on the basis of trust, we re-envision a hopeful future. This kind of involvement doesn’t just inspire me, it gives me hope that together, we can actually make it happen!

Fun Fact

What is your favourite activity you do in your spare time?

I love doing sports in nature! Hiking, (trail) running or biking through the hills and mountains, I find it fantastic! Unfortunately, we don’t have many of those in the Netherlands.