AUC Receives Unprecedented Greenmetric Ranking

BY PASSANT EL GAYYAR

AUC was placed 25th out of 301 universities in the energy and climate change category and 39th in the water usage and conservation category in the fourth annual University of Indonesia’s (UI) GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities.

The university received the recognition after a survey of several criteria was completed.

The survey questions were broken into six categories; setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste water, transportation and education.

“At first I was not one of the people who cared that much about the society, but after seeing the great effort that was done on campus in dividing the garbage and putting sensors in classrooms to conserve energy and waste, I started doing the same,” said Akram Hatem Kheir, an accounting student.

Nourhan Tarek, an economics junior, added that as a person who respects recycling and people who practice it, she likes that AUC is concerned with being environmentally friendly by growing trees and adding recycling bins on campus.

On campus water shortages previously led to campus closure in the summer semester of 2012-2013.

AUC faculty and stuff carried out studies for the university’s water usage and developed a plan to increase the campus’s supply of water while decreasing its demand.

The study was implemented as of the 2013-2014 academic year leading to a 60 percent decrease in water usage and a 60 percent increase in storage capacity.

As a result, an energy- saving plan was designed and implemented by the university’s sustainability team; resulting in a one-third reduction in AUC’s energy consumption over the past two years.

An on-campus newly established Research Institution for a Sustainable Environment (RISE) is also launching new projects and continuing programs to raise awareness about environmental issues.

The institution works on strengthening AUC’s commitment to a sustainable environment.

They also work to promote sustainability for diverse environments in Egypt.

“We appreciate the effort that is played by the University for improving the efficiency of energy and water use and we feel that AUC is doing its best as pioneers in the region,” said Mohsen Nawara, operations manager in the department of RISE.

Nawara added, “RISE will require major efforts and economic investment for sustainable development for future generations.”

RISE offers hands-on training for environmental sustainability through AUC community based learning classes.

“We often hold awareness raising events on campus, such as Earth Week and Sustainable Campus Day, which involve educational booths and activities,” stated Colleen Marie Devlin, presidential intern in the department of RISE.

Also, a recent AUC carpooling website was launched to help students conserve energy and decrease pollution.

The university also introduced a parking policy in which parking fees are waived for students who carpool as an incentive.

Videos encouraging on-campus recycling will be produced and distributed to help members of the community become more environmentally aware, Devlin added.

UI launched the GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities in 2010 to encourage universities and schools to achieve sustainable environment-friendly goals.

The number of universities participating in the ranking has been increasing yearly and reached 300 in 2013.