Although the push towards sustainability is a holistic effort that touches every fabric of our nation, corporations are usually given the limelight due to their stronger presence.
Large corporations with their position at the pinnacle of society enjoy a visibility that often defines the theme of sustainability. Yet if the effort for every great movement is to be re-examined in detail, one cannot help but realise that all great movements start from the roots.
And that involves the education system from which every great leader must come from. The Sunway Education Group is among that force of change. With the Malaysian government going strong on its commitment to become net-zero carbon emissions, Sunway Education Group sees this as a boon to its already flourishing sustainability efforts.
“The government has a strong ambition to be carbon neutral by as early as 2050. Increasing existing funding programmes and extending tax incentives to encourage the adoption of green technology in the country. It is most encouraging to see Malaysia committed to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. And we at Sunway, taking our cue from Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah fully support this,” said Sunway Education Group CEO Professor Dato’ Elizabeth Lee.
Starting Them Young
On the get-go, Sunway Education Group has made Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Education compulsory for all staff and students. Supported by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, SDG modules are incorporated in the teaching and learning content.
All students have to complete the compulsory MOHE MPU subjects offered under the General Studies Department. Subjects include Sustainable Development in Malaysia and Community Service for Planetary Health. Students who complete this subject are required to take the Sunway Planetary Health Pledge.
Expanding on this, Sunway University is home to the Jeffrey Sachs Centre on Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN) Asia Headquarters. The SDSN Asia Headquarters is responsible for initiating and coordinating continent-wide priority programs, particularly in the areas of decarbonisation, biodiversity conservation, financing sustainability, and education for sustainable development.
There is also the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health (SCPH) which is committed to planetary health through education, research and making knowledge accessible by engaging with people across the Asia and Pacific regions – they are the key drivers behind the Planetary Health subject mentioned earlier.
In the classrooms, students are encouraged to incorporate and relate assignments and projects with the UN SDGs. True to Sunway University’s Campus With A Conscience values, the University has banned styrofoam and plastic straws on its grounds. From the students to the top-level management, most have taken to bringing containers from home to reduce plastic usage.
Elizabeth said sustainability is reinforced by the various recycling bins planted strategically across the campus clearly indicated by colours and signs to encourage effective waste-sorting. As of 2020 alone, the effort has diverted 13.9 tons of waste from landfills through recycling, repurposing, reusing and composting.
Sustainability In Every Aspect
Sunway XFarms is another initiative by Sunway Education Group. It is an urban farm operating on circular watering, a system that recycles water and levels nutrients automatically. The system is claimed to hydrate crops at 90% less water compared to traditional farming.
By stacking trays vertically, the farm can produce up to x10 more yield per sq ft, making the most out of each space. Besides that, sustainable education is perpetuated by enlisting students as apprentices to work the farm.
Towards the public infrastructure, solar panels line the top of the canopy walks connecting to the university and a number of buildings have also been topped with solar panels. The energy harvested resulted in a reduction in electricity bills by 71% since 2019.
According to Elizabeth, there is also a water treatment plant that cleanses the water in the South Quay Lake adjacent to Sunway University, which at full capacity provides 8.5 million litres of water per day.
Away from the urban area, the Sunway University Drone Project makes a sustainable statement in Sarawak by investigating the status of mangrove forests. The project is a collaboration between the Sunway University’s School of Engineering and Technology and the Sarawak government.
In the current phase of the project, hyperspectral cameras are used to access changes to the mangrove in relation to sea level, pollution, and sedimentation rate. Sunway University postgraduate students are involved in the data analysis of the project. The Drone Project is one of Sunway University’s many research projects. At Sunway University, researchers as well as students look to find solutions to some of the most prevalent current issues.
In an effort to conserve local culture and natural surroundings, Sunway University researchers from School of Hospitality and Service Management, and the School of Arts looked into the possibility of highlighting fishing villages as slow tourism destinations.
Concentrating on the fishing village of Sungai Lima, the researchers identified several socio-cultural and environmental concerns where they proposed solutions which may help in the conservation of culture, while promoting tourism.
Fishing villages face various challenges such as an ageing population, urban relocation and the vanishing fishing industry. The project integrated into subjects with the involvement of students culminated in an exhibition to educate the campus community on some of the issues faced in Sungai Lima.
Mark Of Excellence
With all these efforts and more in place, it is unsurprising that Sunway University was ranked 280 in the 2021 UI GreenMetric (UIGM) World University Rankings, out of 956 universities worldwide.
UIGM is an initiative of Universitas Indonesia, based on the green campus sustainability and environmental management efforts. There are six main criterias, namely setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, transportation and education.
Sunway University is also the highest-ranked private university in Malaysia within the globally recognised Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021. All these efforts culminate with Sunway University being among the Top 200 for SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, making it one of the world’s leading institutions in this category dedicated to creating career and business opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and building resilient societies and economies.
“The government has a strong ambition to be carbon neutral by as early as 2050. Increasing existing funding programmes and extending tax incentives to encourage the adoption of green technology in the country. It is most encouraging to see Malaysia committed to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.”
