UNS — Strategic research on UNS Green Campus is released by the Society of Renewable Energy (SRE) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta last February 2021. The research was conducted by the SRE UNS, an education community on renewable energy, which focused on environmental issues as a form of support and contribution to the implementation of Green Campus within its base campus.
Muhammad Fuadi Hakimi as the Head of SRE Academic states, Green Campus has numerous objectives for environmental sustainability against global warming and climate change. This grand objective also included the growth of university academic members’ awareness to take part in environmental management and handling, which is not only related to the GreenMetric ranking.
Hence, to realize the Campus a real, collaborative, and consistent action is needed. Furthermore, the objective can be achieved if this idea can be shared with the wider community, through education in strategic research released by the UNS SRE.
“The incorporation of individuals within a group with one collective vision, thus the quality and quantity can contribute to the campus environment. This research is expected to help students in understanding more about the reality of Green Campus in UNS,” Fuadi states, Wednesday (24/3/2021).
In the introduction session, SRE explains the concept of Green Campus (Environmentally-Friendly Campus) based on the UNS Rector Decree No. 827A/UN27/KP/2013 in Champer 1 General Provision Article 1. The regulation explains that the Environmentally-Friendly Campus is a campus that can achieve a clean, cool, and comfortable environment. As well as supporting a dynamic and sustainable campus life by fulfilling the Gree Campus criteria.
The criteria include the layout and infrastructure that ensures the availability of open green space, energy efficiency, and mitigation, adaptation to climate change, waste management, water management, transportation, and teaching education.
Furthermore, SRE also communicates with the Environmental Research Center (PPLH) UNS, explains the policies, programs, and collaborations related to the Green Campus program in UNS. One of them is the policy to require UNS academic members to bring their tumblers to reduce plastic waste in UNS.
“According to Dr. Suryanto as the Chief of PPLH UNS, the plastic waste that often scattered about has gradually decreased along with this program,” Fuadi added.
On the other hand, SRE states that with the establishment of the Center for Lithium Battery in UNS, the potential for the campus to develop battery is great. The current UNS position is sufficient with the appropriate human resource support and development laboratory, which integrated with the UNS battery industry.
Additionally, UNS (especially the Faculty of Engineering-FT) is developing an efficient and massive solar cell installation. UNS has optimized EBT in the campus area such as solar panel usage for street lighting in several faculties, electrical car development, and power source installation.
The Need for Innovation Focus
SRE also deliver some developing suggestions including the need for innovation focus in the development of UNS Green Campus UNS related to the unplanned innovation. The innovations can be developed under certain criteria. First, all students must be included in the sustainability topic through their extracurricular activities. Second is the net-zero CO2 that can be achieved by the utilization of renewable energy, public transport usage, or environmentally-friendly building.
The third is zero waste activity, through recycling optimization, leftover food composting, water reuse, and recycled product buying. The last criteria are the establishment of a culture that can conserve biodiversity by buying organic food, creating campus gardens, and processing toxic chemicals.
Moreover, SRE considers that aside from the facilities and infrastructure that support the Green Campus program also needs revitalization and optimization periodically. One of them is by providing campus bicycles. In this matter, SRE suggested the installation of a Global Positioning System (GPS) and locking key on the bike, or RFID that added to the Student ID card. By installing GPS, the location of the bike can be tracked, thus reducing the possibility of assets lost.
“Further, to minimize the pollution in the campus area, transition to electric buses as the campus bus can be considered,” Fuadi states.
Concluding the session, SRE UNS stressed the importance of collaboration among the stakeholders to achieve an Environmentally-Friendly campus, even though the implementation is quite challenging. However, this objective is a constructive framework to be a role model in sustainable development implementation. Humas UNS
Reporter: Kaffa Hidayati
Editor: Dwi Hastuti