UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) has achieved 4.5 Trees Rating points from the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking 2023. It improves by 0.5 points from 2022, which previously achieved 4 points. It shows UNAIR’s commitment to supporting environmental sustainability, especially towards green campus.

To UNAIR NEWS (30/10/2023), Director of Logistics, Security, Order and Environment UNAIR, Dr Karnaji SSos MSi, said that the ranking is an appreciation to campuses, which shows its seriousness in environmental management. “From this perspective, UNAIR has carried out many positive activities in relation to environmental management,” he said.

Various environmental sustainability innovations

Karnaji explained that UNAIR has made many innovations and massive changes to be a green campus. These include centralizing parking areas, limiting vehicles entering the campus area, building integrated pipes, utilizing collected rainwater in tanks for processing, and waste management.

“So, wastewater from the rectorate and several buildings is not immediately wasted but goes through a process first so that the water can be reused for watering plants, for example,” he added.

Regarding waste, UNAIR has been active in sorting waste systemically and independently. Moreover, the collected organic waste will be used and processed into compost to improve soils in campus garden. He added that UI GreenMetric is the only global-scale university ranking that operates in sustainability.

“We also process and decompose food waste in the canteen by developing maggots. “In the future, maggots can function as fish food,” he said.

Supporting Zero Emission movement

Karnaji also added that UNAIR supports the emission-free movement. It is demonstrated by the use of free electric golf cars for mobility in campus. In the future, developing human character and behavior will be one of the focuses, such as the movement to sort rubbish and bring drinking bottles to campus.

This year, UNAIR will also maximize campus bus facilities for picking up lecturers and administrative staff. This is an effort to reduce vehicles in campus environment, but the campus also provides. For the initial facility, the buses will transport the employees on two routes, from West Surabaya and Sidoarjo.

“The people should realize that protecting the environment is not just the government’s or UNAIR’s job, but also each individual,” he said.

Author: Afrizal Naufal Ghani

Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia