PILLAR VII: GREEN UNIVERSITY

Growing environmental awareness, the need to avoid industrial pollution, and making sense of the world’s rising energy consumption have created the area for environmentalism in many institutions. One can notice the symbolism of “green,” such as green university, green industry, and green agriculture, which are used worldwide. Many higher education institutions in developed countries have started to adopt technologies, practices, and tools aimed at protecting the environment and helping to lessen reliance on products and practices that put a financial and time-intensive burden on universities and colleges. In addition to these concepts, phrases such as “greening curriculum” and “greening education” have recently come into use as potential future initiatives targeted at bringing about green education.

Koya University aims to reengineer education in a manner that is consistent with the growing green scientific and economic development that the world is experiencing today.

OBJECTIVE 1: Work Toward Lean University

STRATEGIES:

1. REDUCE AND ELIMINATE BUREAUCRACY AT ALL LEVELS.

• Reflect on which data, facts, and figures relevant to bureaucracy-related information can be prepared, documented, and made available to the university management and the central university administration.
• Make the data, facts, and figures additionally available to a potentially interested public, both internal and external to the university.
• Transfer the facts and key figures already available and deliver them in a more sophisticated presentation format.
• Translate de-bureaucratizing ad-hoc activities into action to recognize appropriate warning signals in a timely and reliable manner.

2. PUBLICIZE AND ENCOURAGE WASTE REDUCTION.

• dents through lessons that are easy to understand and comprehend while facilitating the use of new educational technologies.
• Encourage young people to participate in community service and various activities related to reducing waste both on and off campus.
• Introduce a waste segregation and recycling program that promotes a recycling culture

3. PROMOTE A GREEN MINDSET AND PRACTICES

• Develop a set of sustainability solutions including a sustainable master plan for the Koya University campus that ensures efficient use of buildings and creates habitable, active indoor and outdoor facilities.
• Develop academic and professional programs concerned with the environment, such as environmental legal studies, environmental accounting, etc.
• Expand the use of environmentally friendly technology such as smartphones and smartboards as an alternative to traditional teaching aids and equipment in classrooms.
• Encouraging students to develop awareness and skills need to engage in activities involving recycling materials.
• Develop values of preserving green spaces and protecting and planting trees.
• Expand the application and use of electronic correspondence and letters as an alternative to printed ones to reduce and avoid paper consumption.
• Create green teacher, green lecturer, green employee, and green institution (university) awards for those who excel in the fields of environmental conservation.
• Adopt environmental slogans such as “the land is ours” or “think smart and green” that aim at protecting the earth for future generations.

OBJECTIVE 2.: IMPROVE HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT

STRATEGIES:

1. IDENTIFY AND PREDICT THE EXPECTED RISKS TO MINIMIZE LOSSES AND MITIGATE EFFECTS

• Provide an appropriate and safe work environment.
• Adopt the objectives and systems of occupational health and safety.

2. CHANGE THE STRUCTURE OF THE DIRECTORATE OF HEALTH TO MEET ITS BROADENING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Establish the Directorate of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) to include four divisions: Division of Occupational Safety and Fire Fighting, Division of Occupational Health and Environmental Protection, Awareness and Training Section of the Safety Division, and The University Security Division.
• Create the Occupational Safety Unit and Firefighting Unit on-campus under the umbrella of Division of Occupational Safety and Fire Fighting.
• Establish an Occupational Health Unit, Environmental Protection Unit, and Mental Health Services under the umbrella of the Division of Occupational Health and Environmental Protection.
• Divide the University Security Division into the University Security Unit, the Visual Monitoring Unit, and the Parking Permit and ID Card Office.

OBJECTIVE 3: RENEWABLE ENERGY AND WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIES:

1. ENCOURAGE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Establish the Research Center for Renewable Energy and Environment at Koya University to support and contribute to pioneering research projects in the field of renewable energy in Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
• Disseminate information about using renewable energy to obtain clean, environmentally friendly energy by raising awareness of the extent to which solar energy systems and wind energy systems are useful in preserving the environment from pollution.

2.  FOCUS ON POSITIVE ENERGY AND WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO HELP ACHIEVE THE GREEN UNIVERSITY GOAL

• Create wildlife drinking stations across the university campus.
• Reuse the wastewater from the swimming pool for irrigation.
• Build a wastewater treatment plant.
• Use solar lamps for night lighting.
• Reduce energy consumption by encouraging students and staff to use bicycles as transportation on and off campus.
• Create a system for the sorting of different kinds of solid wastes, separating light sewage water from heavy.
• Build borewell recharge pits and ponds for rainwater harvesting.
• Work with leading environmental organizations including United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

OBJECTIVE 4.: FORESTATION AND GREEN SPACES

STRATEGIES:

1. RECOGNIZE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENT PRACTICES THAT PROMOTE THE FORESTATION AND GREEN SPACES PROGRAM

• Encourage the use of compost bins for cafeteria food wastes.
• Promote the usage of reusable bags for carrying supplies and other goods for the classroom.
• Encourage the use of biodegradable eating and party supplies.
• Provide university buses/shuttles to transport students as a public means of transportation on campus and replace them in the future with electric buses.

2. INCREASE GREEN SPACES

• Plant a campus garden to make the area more attractive and to grow vegetables.
• Plant large trees on the edges of the streets to provide shade during the hot seasons and to facilitate walking.
• Allocate designated open green areas for physical activities on campus.
• Establish the natural museum project using local funds.
• Create new hiking trails across the university campus.
• Build shelters as well as small separate nests along with the distribution of feeders to attract wild birds to the campus.