NPUST and fellow members of the Green University Union of Taiwan are bringing added attention to environmental conservation and sustainable operations at universities around the country. During his term as chairman of the union, NPUST President Chang-Hsien Tai has been promoting the active participation of Taiwan universities in both the union and the GreenMetric ranking system, which give focus to the tangible actions that universities are taking to make their campuses more environmentally responsible.
On August 29th, the Fourth General Assembly of union members was held at Nanhua University. Keynote speakers include Ambassador Eugene Chien, the president of the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy; professor Shin-cheng Yeh of the NTNC Graduate Institute of Environmental Education; and University of Indonesia Prof. Riri Fitri Sari, chairman of GreenMetric World University Rankings. At the assembly an election was also held to decide who will serve in the union’s executive positions for the upcoming term.
In his speech, Ambassador Eugene Chien expressed that “the sustainable development of universities serves as a force for the advancement of society. By taking action on campuses, through education and research—while integrating University Social Responsibility— this influence can be brought into play and the country and society will be able to develop in a better direction”.
NPUST President Tai, who was among the five selected to serve as a director in the coming term, provided some comments, stating that “in addition to the role they have in transmitting knowledge and education, universities should bring their inherent influence into play, by actively pursuing environmental concepts, developing technologies for in-depth community service and promoting a greener world.”