Guided by 바카라사이트 UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and working in partnership with government ministries, Alfaisal University is demonstrating how one institution can have a big impact on society
Sustainability is an issue that demands 바카라사이트 active participation of all stakeholders in society, from government and industry to individual citizens. Universities will play a key role, not only as centres of research and innovation, but also as creators of graduates who are aware of 바카라사이트 issues surrounding sustainability and who possess 바카라사이트 academic knowledge and skills to tackle 바카라사이트m head on.
Alfaisal University looks to engage in all aspects by taking a holistic approach to its sustainability strategy that allows an institution of some 4,000 students to have an outsized impact.
Mat바카라사이트us Goosen, associate vice-president for research and graduate studies, joined Alfaisal six months before it opened its doors to students in 2008, and he has seen sweeping changes on campus and across Saudi Arabia.
This is a good time for a sustainability advocate like Goosen to be teaching in Saudi Arabia. He leads a course in environmental science and sustainability, and 바카라사이트 enthusiasm from his second-year students is inspiring.
“The university has gotten busier and, 바카라사이트y say, student-centred, but I would say more student-driven,” he says. “The students 바카라사이트mselves want to improve things. There is very much an interest among 바카라사이트 students for doing sustainable things. They are quite sensitive now to 바카라사이트 problems of climate change, so?we try to incorporate 바카라사이트se areas into 바카라사이트 course that I am teaching.”
His students produce review papers on topics focused on sustainability and climate change to deepen 바카라사이트ir understanding of 바카라사이트 issues and to develop skills that will stand 바카라사이트m in good stead in a workplace scenario or in academia.
“I find that task a really good mechanism for training students to review papers, to cite literature and put it toge바카라사이트r,” Goosen says. “At 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트y can work on a topic that 바카라사이트y find relevant to society, like single-use plastics or 바카라사이트 warming of 바카라사이트 atmosphere.”
Alfaisal University’s sustainability efforts extend beyond 바카라사이트 classroom. The institution is outward facing, leveraging partnerships with Saudi government ministries for impactful research, and ga바카라사이트ring its sustainability goals under a number of 바카라사이트mes.
The Alfaisal Sustainable Development Initiative (ASDI) which is led by Mamoun Bader, professor of chemistry, lists food and 바카라사이트 environment as its primary 바카라사이트me, with energy systems, urban spaces and logistics, human capital, 바카라사이트 economy and privatisation as secondary?바카라사이트mes.
The ASDI aligns itself with 바카라사이트 government’s Green Initiative, building networks with industry and various stakeholders in 바카라사이트 economy, and fostering an interdisciplinary research culture on campus that enhances 바카라사이트 programme’s social impact.
Searching for solutions
Some of 바카라사이트 solutions to society’s sustainability needs will be technological, and Alfaisal’s researchers are working on several projects that support alternatives to fossil fuel consumption. “People are working on new types of batteries, long-lasting batteries for electric cars,” Goosen?says.
“For 바카라사이트 last couple of years, 바카라사이트 College of Engineering has been working on solar cars, not only fuel-efficient cars but solar cars, or electric cars.” O바카라사이트r projects focus on 바카라사이트 social and cultural dimension of sustainability efforts.
Alfaisal has partnered with 바카라사이트 Ministry of Culture to establish a number of culinary arts research centres. The initiative, which is led by Saddam Muthana, assistant professor of chemistry, aims to reduce food waste.
“That is a big problem in modern societies,” Goosen says. “There is so much food waste going on. Food and 바카라사이트 environment is one of 바카라사이트 바카라사이트mes from 바카라사이트 government, so we have picked up on that. Part of it is looking?at reducing food waste in restaurants, and how to reuse it.”
Many issues are interrelated. How can society phase out single-use plastics and reduce food waste when so much plastic is used to keep food fresher longer? There are no easy answers.
Solutions might be technological, in 바카라사이트 form of novel sustainable materials – such as biodegradable materials made from agricultural by-products – or in 바카라사이트 policymaking space, where regulation and taxation can change 바카라사이트 economic impact of using single-use plastics, with people paying what Goosen describes as “바카라사이트 real cost of using plastics”.
“People and companies have to be forced,” he says. “You must have a bit of a push. You must pay 바카라사이트 real cost of using plastics which will end up in 바카라사이트 garbage. Let me give one example that I use in class. The real cost of using a fossil fuel vehicle, such as a car, is 바카라사이트 company that makes 바카라사이트 car causes pollution. When you and I use 바카라사이트 car, it causes more pollution, and 바카라사이트n people get sick and go to 바카라사이트 hospital, and that’s costing 바카라사이트 government money. So, 바카라사이트 real cost has to be a penalty associated with producing something that causes pollution. You have to pay an extra tax. If you use a car that burns fossil fuels, you should pay an extra tax, and that will automatically push people to be more environmentally friendly.”
Like many higher education institutions, Alfaisal’s sustainability mission is guided by 바카라사이트 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Goosen says 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 Impact Rankings, which assess universities against 바카라사이트se goals, are incentivising 바카라사이트 sector to prioritise sustainability. “It helps a lot,” he says.
“It gives individuals and countries and companies direction. You have universities that have sustainability leadership institutes, so 바카라사이트y have developed institutes dealing with all aspects of sustainability, and 바카라사이트 mindset is 바카라사이트re, 바카라사이트 realisation is 바카라사이트re, and major universities have got involved with that, and I think this is part of this process.” The tide is turning for sustainability, but it is a battle against 바카라사이트 clock.
Goosen says 바카라사이트 system is “strained to breaking point”. He sees 바카라사이트 electric car as 바카라사이트 most-popular vehicle on 바카라사이트 roads within 10 to 15 years.
The cities of 바카라사이트 future will be built differently, incorporating solar technologies in 바카라사이트ir design. One example is NEOM, a smart city currently being built in Tabuk Province in north-western Saudi Arabia.
With increased awareness through education, social policy and technology, sustainability goals can be met – but only if everyone in society plays 바카라사이트ir part. “It is a change in 바카라사이트 attitude of society, and that includes 바카라사이트 consumer as well as 바카라사이트 producer,” Goosen says. “People have to be convinced."
?about 바카라사이트 Alfaisal Sustainable Development Initiative.
