Pieterskerk Leiden has been Green Key Gold certified since 2011, the international quality mark that guarantees the commitment of an organization to do more for the environment than is required by legislation and regulations.

Pieterskerk Leiden has a social function as ‘Leiden’s living room’ and as a national monument. This also includes corporate social responsibility (CSR). In addition to fulfilling the social function, this also involves sustainable business operations, sustainable purchasing and sustainable maintenance.

The garden around the Pieterskerk Leiden has been carefully landscaped taking into account water conservation and attracting insects and birds. Volunteers lovingly take care of the maintenance of the garden.

Evergreen shrubs serve as shelter for small birds and with staggered flowering and fruiting, bees and butterflies are attracted. In the middle of winter sweet box (Sarcococca) and silverberry bloom, in the spring the bulbs, snowdrops, shadwood, lilacs and the prunus trees and in the summer the phloxes and butterfly-bushes. The plants have been selected in such a way that watering the garden is not necessary. A rain barrel in the garden provides water in hot summers and a few insect hotels provide shelter in the winter.

Sustainability goes without saying for all the restoration and maintenance work in a monument like the Pieterskerk Leiden. A few examples?

In addition to purchasing green energy, all of the lamps in the Pieterskerk Leiden are LED lights; even in our chandeliers.

In addition, the monument is equipped with motion sensors in the corridors and toilets. These are also in a number of ‘backstage’ places, such as high above the vaulted ceiling. There, the lights go on when you walk past the sensors and the light switches off automatically after a set period.