Climate change has progressed from “global warming” to “global boiling”. As institutions of higher education, universities should play the role of a “think tank” on this issue, allowing sustainability to take root on campuses.
In response to the Ministry of Education’s recently proposed “New Generation Environmental Education Development” policy, Chung Yuan Christian University is committed to promoting environmental education and practicing intergenerational sustainability, leading the school towards a transformation into “education oriented towards sustainable development”. The eight colleges cultivate professional talents in sustainability. For example, the Colleges of Science, Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Intelligent Computing provide training for talents in carbon reduction, green energy, circular economy, AIoT, and carbon neutrality technologies. The College of Commerce and the College of Law cultivate talents in sustainable management and carbon trading legal markets. The College of Design and the College of Human Ecology strengthen talents needed domestically in sustainable cities, rural areas, and partnerships.
In addition to cultivating green talents, Chung Yuan Christian University also practices environmental protection in its facilities and equipment. It has installed smart electricity and water meters, solar photovoltaic systems on campus, and improved the replacement of high-energy-consumption equipment. The university has obtained ISO 50001 certification and continues to have its energy conservation and carbon reduction work supervised by the Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction Promotion Committee. From 2015 to 2023, the average annual electricity saving rate was 2.24%, meeting the government’s requirement of 1% annual electricity saving. The energy use intensity (EUI) value decreased from 104.2 kWh/m2/yr to 83.4 kWh/m2/yr.
