Volunteers from seven countries made the Bialystok University of Technology campus greener as part of “My Green University 2.0”

From 6 to 19 October 2025, Bialystok University of Technology hosted volunteers from around the world, offering them a series of activities consistent with the University’s sustainable development strategy My Green University. The strategy includes, among others, expanding green areas on campus, developing biodiversity, and creating additional spaces for relaxation, work and study.

– We want to create more sustainable and greener university campuses and share our ideas for implementing the concept of sustainable development with young people from all over the world – explains Dorota Krawczyk, Assoc. Prof., DSc, PhD, Eng., Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at Bialystok University of Technology and Ambassador of the European Climate Pact in Poland. – The topic appealed so much to the volunteers of the European Solidarity Corps and the Erasmus+ programme that they eagerly came to Bialystok University of Technology to take part in the My Green University project. Here, they learn how small changes in their surroundings can have a positive impact on the environment. They also have the opportunity to exchange experiences and share information about eco-friendly solutions implemented in their home countries.

Theory and practice

For two weeks, volunteers from Georgia, Ukraine, India, Hungary, France, Algeria and Türkiye, together with students from Bialystok University of Technology, explored the principles of nature-based solutions – processes that use nature to address environmental, social and economic challenges. They were able to apply their theoretical knowledge in practice by participating in the greening of the Bialystok University of Technology campus.

– Plants should return to our campuses, as they significantly improve our well-being, air quality and water retention, enrich the soil with organic matter, and provide a home for insects – emphasises Dorota Gawryluk, PhD, Eng. Arch., from the Department of Sustainable Construction and Building Installations at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Bialystok University of Technology. – Joint planting not only raises young people’s awareness of environmental protection, but also fosters a sense of responsibility and strengthens social bonds.

Green transformation of the University

The volunteers of My Green University 2.0 planted new greenery in the flowerbed at the main entrance to the Bialystok University of Technology campus from Wiejska Street. The planting also covered the area of the Student Recreation Zone.

– For the plantings near the Rector’s Office building, we chose shade-loving and salt-tolerant species, including ivy, Japanese pachysandra, hostas in white-green shades and hydrangeas, which bloom in late summer – says Marta Baum, PhD, Eng. Arch., from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences at Bialystok University of Technology. – I hope the plants will adapt well here, and that by spring we’ll see the result we all dreamed of when designing this space.

My Green University 2.0

Participants of the My Green University 2.0 project also took part in other aspects of academic life at Bialystok University of Technology. Their activities included, among others:

• attending training sessions on climate change and learning about blue-green infrastructure solutions,
• preparing educational materials encouraging eco-friendly habits (theme posters and questionnaires for BUT students on sustainable development and the Erasmus+ programme offer),
• participating in information and promotion campaigns during Erasmus Days+, which popularised the idea of volunteering within the European Solidarity Corps and the Erasmus+ programme.

Among the volunteers of the European Solidarity Corps were four students from Bialystok University of Technology, who acted as mentors, supporting their international colleagues in adapting to life in Bialystok.

The My Green University 2.0 project is implemented by the International Relations Offices of Bialystok University of Technology with the support of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences. In 2024, the University received the European Solidarity Corps Quality Label, thus continuing its mission of hosting young, active volunteers from around the world.
More information is available on the My Green University project website of Bialystok University of Technology.

Monika Rokicka

The content of this publication represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission, the National Agency of the European Solidarity Corps, or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for the use that may be made of the information it contains.