JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — UTM, as a technology-driven university and aligned with its tagline, “innovating solution”, has been working diligently to push ahead with the sustainability agenda for the university, supporting in achieving the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK12) as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the Malaysian government and United National respectively.

Therefore, UTM has recently launched its sustainable blueprint, “Campus Sustainability Blueprint 2023-2030”, to highlight UTM’s commitment to create awareness on sustainability within the campus. The official launching event was graced by Prof Datuk Ir. Ts. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail, the Vice-chancellor, witnessed at the recent assembly attended by staff from all its three branch campuses. “This blueprint will brand UTM as an institution of higher learning which uphold  and empower sustainability to all its campus citizens” said Datuk Fauzi in his speech. He further explained that this blueprint comprises goals and objectives that will drive the UTM community to embrace sustainability as a lifestyle.

UTM Campus Sustainability Blueprint 2023-2030

Six Strategic Priorities Areas are being identified, namely Net Zero Carbon Campus; Ecosystem Resilience; Sustainable Production and Responsible CSDGs Localisation; and Network and Partnership.  Adopting Open Science through an integrated data-sharing system is one of the key enablers to ensure this Blueprint’s successful implementation and provide a healthy campus experience.  Subsequently, UTM practice a “Whole- institutions approach” in implementing the Blueprint where all parts of the university community, including external stakeholders, are involved in the efforts and has successfully adopted the Quadruple Helix approach.

Living Lab

UTM Campus Living Lab Framework consists of seven main areas: Sustainable Arcade, Green Office, Sustainable Energy Management, Bio-Recycling Centre, Green School, Green Community, Sustainable transport, and Biodiversity. These seven designated focuses were meticulously planned to strengthen the interactive linkages within the research-teaching-learning-operation. It adopts and grows organically by facilitating adaptive governance, which involves the co-management and co-implementation of campus sustainability and improves the transformational changes of education for sustainability in institutional settings using the sustainability science approach and issue-based approach to accommodate interdisciplinary approach in teaching and learning.

Net Zero Carbon Campus

The initiatives under Net Zero Carbon (NZC) campus are to implement NZC campus practices for the campus. Establishing the UTM NZC community of practices shall position UTM as the champion in driving the NZC initiatives in Malaysia. These initiatives will be supported by establishing extensive data management and monitoring the implementation and impact of net zero carbon initiatives. UTM will also invest in low-carbon UTM transportation, such as electric vehicles powered by Renewable Energy, and infrastructure related to low-carbon mobility. Carbon off-setting projects such as planting trees with high carbon sequestration rates will also be implemented under the fostering living lab for decarbonisation and resilience adaption initiatives.

Ecosystem Resilience

Ecosystem Resilience initiatives focus on water, air, biodiversity, and noise parameters in UTM. An ecosystem’s resilience refers to its ability to withstand a variety of disturbances and reorganize in the face of change while maintaining crucial functions while undergoing state changes. The first initiative involves leveraging natural resources to build preparedness and resilience by developing a climate preparedness and campus resilience action plan. The establishment of inventory baseline data and reporting systems will support the process. To secure resources, UTM will enhance alternative resource consumption and building design to increase its rate and provide a centralized communication platform for fault reporting. The last alternative is to promote Edu tourism and open campuses to facilitate space-sharing accessibility and engagement in conservation, preparedness, and resilience programs that involve stakeholders. As a result of these initiatives, UTM’s ecosystem could serve as a model for environmental sustainability for other institutions or agencies

Sustainable Production and Responsible Consumption

Ecosystem Resilience initiatives focus on water, air, biodiversity, and noise parameters in UTM. An ecosystem’s resilience refers to its ability to withstand a variety of disturbances and reorganize in the face of change while maintaining crucial functions while undergoing state changes. The first initiative involves leveraging natural resources to build preparedness and resilience by developing a climate preparedness and campus resilience action plan. The establishment of inventory baseline data and reporting systems will support the process. To secure resources, UTM will enhance alternative resource consumption and building design to increase its rate and provide a centralized communication platform for fault reporting. The last alternative is to promote Edu tourism and open campuses to facilitate space-sharing accessibility and engagement in conservation, preparedness, and resilience programs that involve stakeholders. As a result of these initiatives, UTM’s ecosystem could serve as a model for environmental sustainability for other institutions or agencies.

Health and Well-Being

Health & Well-being is an initiative to provide instruments for measuring the quality of life for staff via a survey index by UTM Governance. From the survey, the UTM Well-being Index will be used as an evidence-based intervention for well-being initiatives. The involvement of the well-being committee in the planning, enforcement, advisory, monitoring, and reporting of UTM well-being initiatives is to provide a constructive campus well-being map and ensure that the well-being initiative program implementation is successful.

SDGs Localisation

The establishment of UTM-SDG localisation is to develop a capacity-building and engagement implementation plan by having multi-stakeholder partnerships to establish living labs and volunteer groups/ clubs. This initiative assesses new focus areas and creates indicators based on UTM experts’ niche areas. Furthermore, data-driven instruments and mechanisms will be developed as evidence-based policy formulation to improve data sharing and Open Science. Each faculty will be provided with Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for sharing real-time and aggregated data to ensure that open data is fundamentally accessible, reliable, reusable, comprehensive, comparable and interoperable.

Network and Partnership

The network and partnership initiative intends to strengthen networking and collaboration initiatives through the effective participation of UTM’s quadruple helix synergy partner focusing on the UTM campus sustainability agenda. This initiative aims to bring more notable achievements via networking and partnership to sustain university growth. This initiative aims to create international collaborations enabling academics and students from some of the world’s top universities to work together on promoting SDGs initiatives through the university’s media platform and international industry players. Via these initiatives, UTM emphasises a high-impact quadruple helix CSR project by establishing the GLCs Industry database, which applies CSR Government Index. The establishment of this database will align with the CSR Government Index and strengthen the university’s brand and visibility enhancement towards the UTM sustainability agenda until 2030. 

UTM Ranked 181-190 in QS Sustainability Ranking

UTM participated in the QS Sustainability Ranking for the first time in 2022 and was ranked 181-190 among 700 universities globally. UTM also was announced as the recipient of the Most Environmentally Sustainable Institutions 2023 – Southeast Asia Award Category November 2022 during QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific 2022. This award demonstrates UTM’s dedication to the sustainability agenda and its initiative to spearhead the cross-sector implementation of the SDGs. This continuous effort could be the model for other universities to follow suit with the expectation of alterations made to fit the nature of the environment.

About Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)

UTM is a leading innovation-driven entrepreneurial research university in engineering, science, and technology in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, and Pagoh, Malaysia. It is renowned for being at the forefront of engineering and technological knowledge and expertise. UTM operates based on the core values of Integrity, Synergy, Excellence, and Sustainability. These values guide UTM community practices and are embedded in the strategic thrusts that propel the University to greatness. For more information about UTM, visit utm.my