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Akyol Özcan, K. UI GreenMetric and Sustainability at Universities. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/48268 (accessed on 18 May 2024).
Akyol Özcan K. UI GreenMetric and Sustainability at Universities. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/48268. Accessed May 18, 2024.
Akyol Özcan, Kübra. "UI GreenMetric and Sustainability at Universities" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/48268 (accessed May 18, 2024).
Akyol Özcan, K. (2023, August 21). UI GreenMetric and Sustainability at Universities. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/48268
Akyol Özcan, Kübra. "UI GreenMetric and Sustainability at Universities." Encyclopedia. Web. 21 August, 2023.
UI GreenMetric and Sustainability at Universities
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This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/su151612234

The concept of sustainability has become more important, especially as a result of the depletion of energy resources and increasing environmental concerns. UI GreenMetric ranks universities based on sustainability, environmental, and energy concerns, addressing issues of environmental pollution, food and water scarcity, and energy supply.

university ranking sustainability in higher education UI GreenMetric

1. Introduction

In today’s world, people care about global as well as local issues. In light of increasing concerns about energy resources and environmental protection, sustainability is now a vital issue for humanity. Across the world, the uncontrolled growth and consumption ambitions of countries, companies, and individuals pose a major risk to sustainability. Climate change, caused mostly by pollution, poses increasing challenges for modern societies as industrial activities, internal combustion engines, and energy-consuming buildings further degrade the environment. Recent research has focused less on internal combustion engines than on building operations and energy use in residential, office, and university settings, where energy performance, energy consumption, and associated activities are the main determinants of pollution [1]. Since the 1970s, increasing scientific evidence suggests that these human behaviors and activities have had significant negative impacts on the environment and, according to some indicators, these effects are so far-reaching that they threaten the sustainability of life on Earth. In societies around the world, this growing concern has pressurized governments, businesses, and industries to implement environmentally sound and sustainable management policies, practices, and operations [2]. Population growth and economic development have accelerated since the Industrial Revolution, and the amount of waste and pollutants released into the environment continues to rise. These changes pose a grave risk to human existence; the escalating problems include food shortages, energy threats, environmental degradation, ecological disasters, sluggish economic growth, and local social unrest. In these circumstances, mankind has been compelled to reevaluate its place in the ecosystem and to seek new pathways for long-term survival and development. This in turn has foregrounded sustainable development as a key strategy for socioeconomic transformation [3] but, despite an emerging consensus, interpretation of this term has proved controversial, and terms like “sustainable” and “sustainability” are often misunderstood or overused [4]. Organizations and individuals increasingly use expressions like “sustainable development”, “sustainable use of the biosphere”, and “ecological sustainability” to refer to the relationship between people and the global environment [5]. However, although the idea of sustainable development is almost universally accepted, little progress has been made in translating the concept into practice. The need for sustainable development was unanimously endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015, leading to the formulation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which prioritize education as a key strategy to promote sustainability [6]. The associated moral imperatives include meeting needs, ensuring equity, respecting environmental limits (as constraints on human activities), and maximizing economic value. Sustainable development is now recognized as a collective institutional response in pursuit of efficiency gains and social responsibility [7]. Although there is as yet no precise definition of sustainable development, the agreed upon general definition encompasses the simultaneous satisfaction of economic, environmental, and social objectives. While corporate executives and politicians address this in terms of economic growth, sustainable development also entails the idea of an equitable society served by an ecologically sustainable economy [8]. Overuse and abuse of the concept by different interest groups have spawned multiple definitions, but sustainability can be broadly said to involve economic, environmental, and/or sociocultural responsibilities to promote and support equitable resource use in both the natural and human worlds, also known as the biosphere [9]. The most widely used definition is the one proposed by the Brundtland Commission [10], which states that sustainable development allows for economic development while taking into account environmental limits and equity by “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
The notion of sustainable development enjoys widespread acceptance, yet there remains a notable dearth of advancements in effectively operationalizing this concept. The endorsement of sustainable development by the United Nations General Assembly prompted the establishment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which emphasize the significance of education as a primary approach for advancing sustainability [11]. Sustainable development encompasses the concurrent fulfillment of economic, environmental, and social goals. According to Guerrieri et al. [12], the concept encompasses the promotion of economic growth, the establishment of an equitable society, and the development of an ecologically sustainable economy. The importance of sustainability in universities has grown significantly, as the goals of sustainable development are crucial for the formulation of policies, guidelines, and indicators that facilitate the adoption of sustainable practices by educational institutions [13]. Within the realm of university sustainability, this particular investigation will incorporate the variables employed in the calculation of UI GreenMetric 2022. These variables encompass infrastructure installation, energy climate change, waste, water, public transportation, and educational research. The research gap addressed the evaluation of university sustainability, specifically in terms of energy and climate change, using the variables employed in the UI GreenMetric ranking. While there have been previous studies on sustainability in universities, this research focuses on the specific variables used in the UI GreenMetric ranking and applies different reweighting approaches to assess their impact on rankings. The study will reweight these variables using different approaches, such as CRITIC, entropy (ENT), standard deviation-based (SDD), and equal weighting (EW), and apply the TOPSIS ranking technique to compare the outcomes with the UI GreenMetric ranking.

2. UI GreenMetric and Sustainability at Universities

2.1. Sustainability at Universities and Its Importance

In 1972, concerns raised in the Club of Rome report regarding the impact of human activities on the world’s ecosystems began to attract greater attention [14]. As organizations such as companies and universities bear some of the responsibility for severe environmental degradation [15][16], these entities must participate actively in the effort to save the endangered planet [17]. Education is also an important tool for guiding society toward sustainability when prevailing approaches to economic growth are not sustainable [18]. A further link between sustainability and education is the need to ensure that training courses and programs meet labor market needs in this regard [19]. Throughout history, institutions of higher education have played a significant role in both establishing and challenging societal norms, as well as preparing upcoming individuals in positions of authority, innovation, and influence [20]. In this way, universities make significant social, economic, academic, scientific, and technological contributions to their local and national environments as the foremost producers of knowledge, which is considered a key driver of economic growth [21]. This mission requires universities to take the lead in pursuing sustainability [4], both in their internal affairs (organizational goals, education, research, management) and in their dealings with external stakeholders (within the context of their regional mission) [22]. As organizations, universities contribute significantly to the personal identity, worldview, and values of their students. Through appropriate curricula and lesson plans, universities can shape their students’ commitment to sustainability and set an example for other institutions, informing future transformation and the creation of a more sustainable society [23]. Universities have a significant impact on future leaders, teachers, and parents, not only directly through education, research, and knowledge transfer but also through the example they set in being accountable for sustainability performance. Universities that take these responsibilities seriously are expected to be leaders in sustainability reporting practices [24]. Rooted in the late nineteenth century, the Sustainability in Higher Education (SHE) initiative emerged following the Stockholm Declaration of 1972. In 1990, more than 350 universities worldwide signed the Talloires Declaration, which included “a ten-point action plan to integrate sustainability and environmental literacy in university teaching, research, operations and outreach”. In the last half-century, more than 30 PDS declarations have been signed by more than 1400 universities across the world, affirming the incorporation of sustainability principles into education and research policies [25], and reflecting the issue’s increasing importance for higher education. In so doing, leading higher education institutions now acknowledge the links between sustainable development and environmental protection, social justice, economic development, governance policies, and student learning experiences, as well as innovation and competitiveness [26]. University policymakers and planners have increasingly prioritized campus sustainability as a key issue in response to the environmental effects of university activities and operations. The matter has garnered increased impetus due to the influence of state agencies responsible for environmental protection, movements promoting sustainability, university stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, and student advocates [27]. Because a significant proportion of university facilities are situated in historic buildings, it can be difficult to reduce energy costs. Over the last two decades, as university missions began to incorporate a sustainable development component, many such buildings have been adapted or repurposed. Other elements of university sustainability strategies include data reporting, relevant programs and events, changing curricula, and new research programs. The primary approaches towards sustainability pertain to three key areas, infrastructure, community, and learning. Infrastructure encompasses buildings, morphology, design, energy, food, materials, and waste management. Community pertains to governance, leadership, mission, investments, capital, health, wellness, and services. Learning encompasses curriculum planning and related aspects [28]. As a result of this growing awareness, universities now play a key role in environmental sustainability through research, updated curricula, and a more environmentally friendly campus infrastructure [29]. The role of universities in promoting sustainable development has been demonstrated in many academic studies [30][31][32][33][34][35]. Because of their size and the impact of campus activities on the environment and society at large, universities are often referred to as “small cities” in the context of sustainability. Universities are also seen to have the capacity to anticipate change and to be proactive [36]. The issues of energy use and waste generation are highlighted by the large population of associate, undergraduate, and graduate students at universities in this country, including Bursa Uludağ University (67,173), Marmara University (66,747), Akdeniz University (64,037), Selçuk University (63,221), Ankara University (61,318), Dokuz Eylül University (61,073), Kocaeli University (60,777), Istanbul University (59,900), Atatürk University (58,122), and Ege University (55,158). These numbers refer only to those in face-to-face education and do not include distance and open learning students; according to YÖK statistics, the total number of students in formal education in Turkey is 3,752,475 [37]. When teaching staff and other personnel are also included, some universities can be likened to small cities and should be managed accordingly. To be recognized as a sustainability-oriented institution, a university must address the challenge of holistically integrating the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of organizational operations and structures, as well as education delivery, research, and outreach. For that reason, fragmented initiatives involving a few departments or faculties will not suffice, and sustainability must be addressed at all institutional levels [38]. Sustainability reporting is recognized as a useful tool for improving universities’ accountability and socio-environmental performance, and more should be done to assist universities to cope with twenty-first century problems that include environmental and socioeconomic disasters, pay disparities across nations, and political instability. To that end, universities must incorporate the concept of sustainable development into future organizational arrangements, research, and education by equipping professionals with the necessary knowledge, competences, and skills to resolve ecological, social, and economic challenges across communities [39].

2.2. UI GreenMetric: A Ranking System for Campus Sustainability

In recent years, economic globalization has had a significant impact on communities and organizations, and growing international competitiveness and social scrutiny have also impacted higher education institutions. In this context, stakeholders need more information to evaluate and compare universities’ performance worldwide, and university rankings are widely used for simple and rapid comparison based on a selected set of characteristics [40] ranging from research and academic reputation to education and environmental performance. Of these three perspectives, most designers of university rankings generally prioritize research and academic reputation, followed by education-related indicators. Institutions and stakeholders are therefore increasingly concerned with university rankings, which impact global, regional, and national rankings, enabling comparisons, and influencing their environments and institutions [41][42]. Although these ranking tables have been in use for at least forty years, environmental issues have only recently been included [43]. Since 1983, when US News and World magazine published its first annual review of America’s best colleges, professional organizations and governments as well as private media organizations now produce higher education rankings [32]. Each stakeholder makes use of these rankings for their own purposes. Prospective students and their families use rankings to select a college based on education quality, future career prospects, and cost; academics use rankings to advance their own career goals; and policymakers and university administrators use rankings to assess their institution’s current status, both nationally and internationally. Finally, these rankings also attract media attention, reflecting the growing societal interest in higher education. Media institutions use university rankings to inform the public about the status of higher education institutions both at home and across the world [44]. Hazelkorn et al. [45] found empirical support for the claim that performance indicators have a strong influence on university rankings. A survey of 171 managers from 39 countries found that 87% of respondents closely monitored their ranking and that 61% set ranking targets. Across a range of metrics, global rankings compare institutions, fields, subjects, and scientists around the globe. These metrics are based mostly on bibliometric measures from databases that include Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. While the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) prioritizes academic accomplishment, the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (QS) and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings emphasize reputation and internationalization. Both University Rankings by Academic Performance (URAP) and the National Taiwan University (NTU) Rankings focus exclusively on scientific research performance. US News & World Report’s (USNWR) Top Global University Rankings emphasize academic research and overall recognition [46]. By aligning sustainability practices with institutional goals, sustainability-related university rankings can help university administrators focus on sustainable development actions. The traditional emphasis on education and research typically excludes social and environmental issues [38]. However, since 2000, university sustainability assessment tools created by external organizations have become more central than campus environmental audits and other assessments previously performed by students. These new tools commonly facilitate comparison of different universities in terms of their sustainability practices, and this increased visibility incentivizes such practices and shifts the emphasis to off-campus and out-of-classroom indicators. The use of standardized frameworks to assess sustainability encourages universities to collect and report relevant data [47]. In 2010, the University of Indonesia created the UI GreenMetric system to address campus sustainability issues. Using this approach, higher education institutions around the world are now ranked according to their implementation of campus sustainability measures. Their performance is measured against well-defined and globally accepted indicators in six broad categories [48]. Based on dimensions of environment, economy, and equity, 95 universities from 35 countries participated in the ranking in 2010; by 2021, the number of participants had risen to 956 universities from 80 countries.
The UN Environment Department’s 2030 Agenda proposes integrated approaches to sustainable development that demonstrate the social and economic benefits of a healthy environment. To reduce environmental risks and make societies and the environment more resilient, the UN goals promote environmental action for sustainable social and economic development. The UI GreenMetric criteria and indicators address the 17 SDGs, assigning weightings of 21% for energy and climate change, 18% for waste, 18% for transportation, 18% for education and research, 15% for facilities and infrastructure, and 10% for water [49].

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