The Warme Truiendag (Warm Sweater Day) campaign fights climate change and is supported by corporations, schools and other organisations across the Netherlands, including Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). It is the third time that EUR participates in the nation-wide event. The campaign takes place around the time of the anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement from 2005, aimed at reducing the global emissions of greenhouse gases causing climate change.
During the Warm Sweater Day, which encourages people to think about their energy use, EUR will turn heating down with two degrees, saving 12 per cent on CO2 emissions compared to an average winter day. “We know it’s a small gesture and it will not change the world,” says Eva Rood, co-director of the Centre for Eco-Tranformation and course co-ordinator of the MSc in Global Business and Stakeholder Management at RSM. “I think participating in this initiative will get the discussion going. Our earth is vulnerable and behavioural change is needed. Warm Sweater Day alone will not do the trick, but might be a good starting point.” Canada also celebrates the Kyoto Protocol’s anniversary this week during its national Sweater Day.
Sustainability at RSM
RSM aims to reduce its environmental footprint with its school-wide initiative Sustainable RSM, which all students can join. In addition to optional electives, RSM’s MBA programmes integrate sustainability into every functional business area of the curriculum.
“Smart people engaged with global issues and common sense understand the importance of wearing warmer clothing during the cold winter months,” says Joey Johannsen, sustainability co-ordinator at RSM, adding that turning up the heat radiators and wearing clothing inappropriate for the season simply wastes energy and increases CO2 emissions. In addition to participating in the energy-saving Warm Sweater Day initiative, Johannsen said that Sustainable RSM encourages all students and employees of the university to regard all cold weather days as warm clothing days. “Layer up and keep a moderate radiator dial,” she said. “Our communities simply can’t afford the losses that irresponsible choices create.”
RSM Store
To celebrate Warm Sweater Day, every customer who purchases a sweater at the RSM Store this week will receive a free scarf. The RSM Store is located on the third floor of the Mandeville Building on Woudestein campus in Rotterdam.
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is a top tier European business school and ranked among the top three for research. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who carry their innovative mindset into a sustainable future thanks to a first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes. RSM also has offices in the Amsterdam Zuidas business district and in Taipei, Taiwan. www.rsm.nl
For more information on RSM or on this release, please contact Marianne Schouten, Media & Public Relations Manager for RSM, on +31 10 408 2877 or by email at mschouten@rsm.nl.
