The quiet forces behind a sustainable campus
Liana Pekaar & facilities team
Sustainability within an organisation does not depend only on big visions or innovative projects, but also on the people who ensure every day that ideas become reality. At HZ, Liana Pekaar, together with the facilities and concierge services, plays an indispensable role in that development.
Open attitude
As team leader of facilities management, she, together with her team, has made an important contribution to further greening and improving the university.
What makes their efforts special is the combination of practical support and an open attitude towards innovation. Where facility services in the past often tended to be risk-averse, the HZ facilities and concierge team is known for their willingness to think along with creative and sometimes unexpected ideas. This creates room for experimentation and improvement, also in the field of sustainability.
Personal initiatives
The impact of this is visible throughout the organisation. Waste separation is becoming increasingly well organised, the range of sustainable food options is growing, and the campus is literally becoming greener. Plants are once again welcome inside the buildings, green corridors have been created at HZ Vlissingen, and an HZ garden has emerged as a green meeting place. Progress has also been made in mobility, such as a renewed vehicle fleet and the availability of cargo bikes for staff and students.
What makes the concierge service extra special is that their contribution often happens behind the scenes. Yet the effects are visible everywhere. Small, unexpected initiatives, such as a bench or picnic table in the HZ garden personally donated by team members, show that involvement goes beyond simply carrying out tasks. It is about thinking along, participating, and improving wherever possible.
Continuity and involvement
For the HZ Green Office and other sustainability initiatives within HZ, this collaboration is of great value. Without a supportive and constructive facilities service, many ideas would be much harder to realise. It is precisely through this cooperation that sustainability ambitions are made concrete in the daily practice of the university.
The strength of Liana Pekaar and her team does not lie in visibility, but in continuity and commitment. They ensure that the foundations are solid, so that others can build on innovation. In doing so, they form a quiet but essential engine behind an increasingly sustainable HZ.
