Greening Campuses in Turkey

TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE LIVING: GREENING CAMPUSES IN TURKEY!

WHAT
The Green Campus Project initiated by Ecofys Turkey aspires to reduce greenhouse gas emissions attributable to an inefficient use of energy at university campuses in Turkey. Unprecedented in Turkey, this ambitious and innovative project aims to create campuses where students and staff engage in daily life in an ecologically sound manner while raising awareness about sustainability. This project aims to articulate and eventually put into effect measures that will aim at reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the involved campuses by 50%.

The first phase of the project consists of a twofold evaluation: both carbon foot prints of the involved universities and their potential to develop renewable energy sources will be investigated. In the second phase, sustainable forms of transportation systems and renewable fuel opportunities are developed while administrative and governing structures are adjusted to these ends. Further emphasis is given to sustainable management and financing.

WHY
Turkey, as a rapidly developing country, continues to increasingly contribute to global CO2 emissions and thereby climate change. Presently, little awareness exists in Turkish society about the consequences of global climate change and the role humans play herein. Moreover, only a handful initiatives aimed at raising awareness and/ or increasing environmental sustainability have been deployed in Turkey.

This project aims to contribute to adequate societal responses to halt future ecological decline and improve possibilities for a sustainable life-style. It targets university campuses in particular because of their naturally innovative character, central position in society and thereby related potential for spillover effects. Additionally, consultations with implied Turkish and Dutch universities revealed a great demand for the exchange of knowledge and expertise on sustainable living.

WHO
The Green Campus Project has been initiated by Ecofys Turkey and will be subsequently carried out by Sabanci University in Istanbul, the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Erasmus University in Rotterdam (EUR) and the Delft University of Technology (TUDelft) and the Netherlands Institute for Higher Education Ankara (NIHAnkara). The selected Turkish and Dutch universities are leading institutes in the field of sustainability studies. The TU Delft especially has a worldwide reputation on, amongst others, innovative climate change solutions, whereas the EUR is leading

CONTACT
If you would like to hear more about the project, please feel free to contact: