Asia

National University of Singapore Plans “Green Town”

Drawing of National University of Singapore's University's plan for green town. Photo, DP Architects Pte Ltd.

Singapore is getting a new “green” town, filled with plants and environmentally friendly features, by 2011, according an article by Sia Ling Xin in AsiaOne News.

The National University of Singapore’s (NUS) University Town, an extended campus connected to the current one by pedestrian and vehicular bridges, will boast buses that run on compressed natural gas that produces less pollution.

The new town also will feature a system for capturing storm water to irrigate plants, plant-covered roofs to keep buildings naturally cool and landscaping strategies to encourage plant growth in their natural habitats.

“Climate change and environmental sustainability are among the most pressing issues of our time,” said NUS President Tan Chorh Chuan. “And NUS, as a global university, is committed to reducing its environmental impact.”

The university is one of two recipients of the inaugural Green Mark Award for Districts, given out by Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education Grace Fu during the International Green Building Conference in October 2009.

Australia

University of Syndey Garners Award for Eco-Footprint Calculator

The University of Sydney’s new assessment tool for organizations to calculate their ecological footprint has earned it the state’s leading environmental awards for the public sector sustainability category.

The university received the New South Wales Government’s Green Globe Public Sector Sustainability Award in recognition of work by the university’s Integrated Sustainability Analysis research team.

The team made an enormous contribution to sustainability both in NSW and globally by making the measuring of the carbon footprint of a business or organization much easier. The method involves inputting data to a computer program to devise truly sustainable strategies and outcomes that benefit the environment, economy and society.

“It is very exciting for the institute that one of its founding groups has been recognized in this way,” said Professor Maschmeyer, director of the University of Sydney Institute for Sustainable Solutions (USISS) in a AZoCleantech news article. “The work has provided the back-bone for many other projects that draw on its ability to generate a sound basis for analysis and subsequent action. I expect that this effort and others emanating from USISS will make lasting contributions to sustainability.”

Green Globe Awards are given each year to organizations showcasing outstanding achievement in the sustainable use of natural resources and demonstrating leadership in tackling climate change.

University of Queensland Raises Bar On Green Initiatives

The University of Queensland, in a demonstration of its commitment to environmental sustainability, is now a signatory to the international Talloires Declaration and its 10-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities.

The adoption of the declaration underscores UQ’s commitment to integrating sustainability throughout learning, discovery and engagement, said Paul Greenfield, UQ vice chancellor and professor, in a university news article.

So fare, more than 400 university leaders in more than 50 countries have signed the Talloires Declaration since it was composed in 1990 at an international conference in Talloires, France.

“It is a formal acknowledgement of UQ’s roles and responsibilities to advance sustainability through education, research and engagement with communities, corporations and governments,” Greenfield said.

“The university must also lead by example as an environmental citizen, and we continue to enhance strategies and practices to make our own operations more sustainable.”

UQ in 1996 started implementing site and campus environmental management systems and recently established a Sustainability Steering Committee.

The university has well-established environmental and sustainability policies and procedures covering areas such as water, recycling, waste management, air quality, biodiversity management and energy. Its efforts also include education programs, water saving measures, the Unigreen program, participation in Earth Hour and World Environment Day and the inclusion of the Indooroopilly Mine site and part of the St Lucia campus in the Land for Wildlife program.

“As the challenges of sustainability increase,” Greenfield said, “so do the responsibilities of the university and all members of its community.”