Sustainable Campus is a community with a common goal of improving the effectiveness of energy usage, sustaining resources and increasing the quality of environment. This can be attained by sustainable development education and implementing projects that contribute to a healthy and conducive lifestyle.
As an educational institution, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) desires to turn its campus into a Green Campus.
UniMAP’s U-Sikal project is carried out under the ‘Sustainable Campus’ initiative. It is an ambitious ‘point to multipoint’ transportation system, whereby students ride on bicycles to get from one point to another. Riding a bicycle is environmentally friendly compared to using fuel-based transportation options. For starters, 140 bicycles will be purchased and placed in the Nature Campus, Pauh Putra, specifically at the Library, the bus terminal, the residential colleges in Pauh Putra, the lecture hall complex, and the boulevard. Students are given 15 minutes free use of the bike.
After 15 minutes, a charge is imposed. So as to encourage a fast turn-around, the rate will be higher the longer the bike is with the student. The operation of the bike system utilizes RFID technology developed in-house, namely by the School of Mechatronic Engineering.
Taking into account students’ view (garnered through some focus group sessions), the campus landscape will be readied via appropriate bicycle pathways, zebra crossings, signages, ramps, etc. The system uses smart cards, and it forms the basis for more ambitious green and smart technology projects to be developed and implemented in the near and far future.
UniMAP Holding is entrusted to operate the system. This project is one of the many carried out to make UniMAP a sustainable university.
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UniMAP’s Sustainable Teams comprise the following. Anybody who is interested to participate in greening the campus through the following means, please get in touch with the team leaders:
Waste – led by Dr Tengku Nuraiti binti Tengku Izhar (email- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Transport – led by Dr Shahriman Abu Bakar(email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Climate – led by Dr Nasrul Hamidin (email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Building Design – led by Prof. Madya Dr. Othman Hashim email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Building Operation and Maintenance – led by Dr Dina Maizana MT (email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Procurement – led by Dr Hazry Desa(email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Land and Water – led by Dr Umi Fazara Md Ali (email- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Energy Management – led by Dr Samila Mat Zali (email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Food – led by Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam (email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
People – led by Dr Shuhaida Yahud (email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
In December 2002, United Nations Resolution 57/254 was adopted which established the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). Many universities and colleges are in various stages of organizing for sustainability.
The concept of words “sustainability,” “going green,” or “green building” generally is associated with in discussions about the management of resources and business practices and has been around for many years. It contains the following main components: improving economic efficiency; protecting and restoring ecological systems; and enhancing the well-being of all peoples.
The driving forces behind the implementation of sustainability, often interpreted as the transition to a more sustainable future are many, including economic, the indoor environment, growing limitation on non-renewable energy sources, and pollution and its effect on climate change and ecological health. (1)
Awareness to staff and students in efforts to reduce campus environmental impacts – including those related to electricity and water use, transportation choices, waste and recycling, food, and purchasing, is of utmost importance. The main bulk of the total expenditure in many universities is often attributed to the consumption of energy and water in the residential buildings.
There are numerous ways to save electricity and water while living on campus. Simple things like remembering to turn off lights and televisions and unplugging electronics and power strips when you are not using them will reduce energy usage.
Students can play a major role in championing the green campus concept. They can buy used textbooks instead of new ones at the start of each semester, which will save money in addition to helping the environment. In the dorm room they can recycle plastic grocery bags as garbage bags for small trash cans. Pizza boxes, soda cans and plastic bottles are items commonly found scattered in college dorms; instead of throwing these items in the garbage, try recycling them. Cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminum and paper are all recyclable materials. Students can set up designated containers for recyclables and empty them about once a week.
Students who live on or near campus can walk or ride a bike instead of driving to classes. In addition to saving gas money, they could carpool to save emissions that will protect the environment from pollution.
They could buy recycled goods as much as possible. Paper, cleaning products and water are products that can be purchased as a recycled good. They’re slightly more expensive than the normal products, but it’s worth it to make a green campus.
In addition they could use refillable binders instead of notebooks. This is a simple way to save waste. Whenever the semester is done students can take out the notes, staple and save them in the binder for the next semester. To make the campus greener, they can use laptop to take notes at class. (2)
Kitchen waste from food stalls and cafeteria is another problem encountered in the university. Vermiculture is a way of composting using earthworms to speed up the process. It is easily done inside the home as it takes only a small amount of room and creates no odor. Vermiculture bins could be installed at the cafeteria or places that produce kitchen waste. The organic fertilizer obtained could generate income besides reducing waste in the campus.
The above mentioned are some steps that could be implemented to make the campus look green. It is tough task that need the cooperation of everyone involved as cited in the quotation
- "Achieving sustainable development is perhaps one of the most difficult and one of the most pressing goals we face. It requires on the part of all of us commitment, action, partnerships and, sometimes, sacrifices of our traditional life patterns and personal interests".
~ Mostafa Tolba, Chairman of the Commission on Sustainable Development
Article compiled by Dr. Harbant Singh (30th July, 2012)
References
Retrieved from:
(1) https://www.sustainablecampus.org/universities.html
(2) Ways to Go Green on Campus | eHow.com
Green Campus is a community with a common goal of improving the effectiveness of energy usage, sustaining resources and increasing the quality of environment. This can be attained by sustainable development education and implementing projects that contribute to a healthy and conducive lifestyle.
As an educational institution, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) desires to turn its campus into a Green Campus.
Nonetheless, converting UniMAP into Green Campus is not an easy task because it takes more than green technology to achieve. Instead, sustainable development values in university community and local communities need to be sown as well. A good example of this is to have the conscious action of switching off the lights and air condition when there is no one in the room.
This project is carried out by the Professors’ Council of UniMAP and Office of the Assistant to the Vice Chancellor while the caretaker is the Sustainable Development Unit. A series of discussion was held which includes presentation to the Vice Chancellor and the Executive Committee of UniMAP. A Green Campus Workshop was also held on the 12 of June 2012 at Timah Tasoh.
Accordng to a lecturer from the School of Mechatronic Engineering, UniMAP, Dr. Siti Khadijah Za'aba, the implementation of Green Campus is a worthwhile investment.
Dr Siti Khadijah, who is the coordinator to this project explains that the implementation of the Green Campus shall bring benefit to the university in terms of the use of resources as well as ensuring good practices to safeguard a good future for the younger generations so they can get enjoy the world as we do.
“So far, UniMAP’s Green Campus team has come up with an action plan of five years. Perhaps we can see the development of the project in five years time,” she was quoted to say.
She has also stressed that the execution of this project is divided into four aspects namely administration, academic, research and local communities.
“The success of Green Campus depends on the four parties who are leading the aforementioned aspects.”
Several teams have been formed based on specific themes which are Building, Weather, Energy, Food, Soil, Human, Purchase, Transport, Waste and Water. The themes are significant in order for the project to be executed comprehensively,” she said.
University is not only a place to pursue the quest for knowledge; it is also a place to nurture the personality of its graduates. In addition, it is a great place to nurture the sustainable characteristics because eventually the graduates would contribute to the growth of the nation either directly or indirectly.
Besides that, among the initiatives that have been taken by UniMAP in achieving the green campus is organizing the “Earthday” campaign annually. This effort will be taken by the School of Environmental Engineering.
The purpose of this campaign is to inculcate the awareness among students and staff on the importance of environment, furthermore UniMAP also organizes recycling campaign.
It is hoped that the culmination of the Green Campus and Sustainable Campus project, the values of sustainability could be inculcated in the hearts of UniMAP’s family and the local communities.
» Please visit UniMAP Sustainable Campus Website (https://kampuslestari.unimap.edu.my/ ) for more info regarding UniMAP Sustainable Campus :
Kindly please contact the person-in-charge:
Jemaah Profesor UniMAP
Hanimah Karjoo
Assistant Registrar
Tel.: +604 979 7949
Fax : +604 979 7948
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Latest Update: 30th January 2019