In the era of climate change, environmental issues have become a central focus, not just for environmentalists but also for various stakeholders, including educational institutions. Both formal and non-formal education sectors need to commit and take tangible actions in addressing climate change issues.
Universitas Terbuka (UT) has been proactive in responding to these issues. Since 2010, UT has been committed to addressing environmental problems through the UT Go Green initiative. Various programs have been implemented at both the central UT and regional UT levels. These include reducing paper usage, planting rare trees, building artificial lakes, managing waste, creating biopores, using renewable energy, and developing eco-friendly buildings. The UT Go Green program aims to raise awareness and responsibility among staff and students in preserving and protecting the environment by reducing the causes of environmental damage.
Additionally, UT has formed the UT Green SDGs Task Force to preserve and coordinate programs oriented towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as outlined in the UTGU Strategic Plan 2022-2025. To accelerate the implementation of SDG-oriented UTGU programs and realize UT as a World Class University (WCU), various collaborations with external parties have been performed.
UT has been actively participating in the UI GreenMetric green campus assessment since 2011. In 2023, UT ranked 46th nationally and 513th internationally, showing an improvement from the previous year. UT is committed to enhancing its achievements, both nationally and internationally. To improve its UI GreenMetric rankings in 2024, UT has partnered with UI GreenMetric for support.
The UI GreenMetric team’s support activities are divided into three stages, with the final stage conducted on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at UT’s central office in Pondok Cabe, South Tangerang. The event was attended by both the UT Green SDGs team and the UI GreenMetric team.
In his speech, UT Rector Prof. Ojat Darojat, M.Bus., Ph.D., stated, “The partnership with UI GreenMetric is crucial for UT in improving our environmental performance and achieving SDG targets and World Class University (WCU) status. We aim to innovate and strengthen our commitment to environmental preservation,” he emphasized.
Prof. Ojat explained that the UT Go Green program aims to raise awareness and responsibility among staff and students to participate in environmental preservation by reducing environmental damage.
This statement aligns with UI GreenMetric Assessor Dr. Ruki Harwahyu, M.T., M.Sc., who said, “This collaboration is a strategic step to strengthen UT’s position in the UI GreenMetric rankings and demonstrate UT’s dedication to environmental sustainability.”
Vice-Rector IV of UT, Rahmat Budiman, S.S., M. Hum., Ph.D., added that to expedite the implementation of SDG-oriented UTGU programs, which are also part of UT’s World Class University (WCU) realization, various collaborations with external parties have been conducted.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Imam Farisi, M.Pd., Chairman of the UT Green SDGs Team, represented by Vice Chairman Dr. Ake Wihadanto, S.E., M.T., stated, “With this support, we hope to better understand and implement best practices in campus environmental management, helping UT achieve its SDG targets more effectively.”
Chair of the Research and Community Service Institute, Prof. Dra. Dewi Artati Padmo Putri, M.A., Ph.D., noted that the presence of UI GreenMetric, Chair Prof. Riri Fitri Sari, and the UI GreenMetric assessment team at UT aimed to evaluate UT’s green campus implementation based on UI GreenMetric criteria. “We hope UT continues to meet UI GreenMetric requirements, positioning UT as a leading World Class University in green campus and SDGs,” she said.
During the event, UI GreenMetric Chair, Prof. Dr. Riri Fitri Sari expressed her appreciation to UT for completing the UI GreenMetric assessment. “Based on six UI GreenMetric indicators, UT received a 3.5 trees rating. This rating is similar to hotel star ratings from 1 to 5. UT has met all indicators well, and today we discuss areas for improvement,” she explained.
Prof. Riri hopes UT can contribute better in the future, given the exceptional support and attention from UT leadership and related teams. “Few universities in Indonesia have facilities as advanced and complete as UT, and we hope quality education and sustainability concepts can be implemented,” Prof. Riri added.
With strong commitment and collaboration, UT, a large campus with over 550,000 students, aims to become a more environmentally friendly and more sustainable campus.
“We are impressed by UT’s great, green, and comprehensive campus. Our team has evaluated several indicators showing UT’s strong commitment,” concluded Prof. Riri.
The discussions focused on support from the UI GreenMetric team to strengthen UT’s position as an environmentally conscious higher education institution and enhance its 2024 UI GreenMetric achievements.
Through collaboration with UI GreenMetric, UT strives to reinforce its status as an environmentally responsible higher education institution. With strong commitment and collaboration, UT aims to create a more environmentally friendly and more sustainable campus. Thank you for your attention and support. Let’s work together to protect our planet for future generations.
