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ECOLOGIC UNIVERSITY COORDINATORSHIP

The increasing energy demand due to the fast worldwide scale urbanization and population growth experienced in recent years has brought along many serious environmental problems such as air and water pollution as well as health problems. The use of fossil fuels to meet the energy demand over the years is considered to be the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions which in turn has led to global warming and climate change.

The current energy system which is mainly based on fossil fuels is not sustainable as resources are finite and thus are rapidly depleted. The concept of sustainability, which was first used in the Brundtland Report prepared by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987; It can be defined as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.

The concept of sustainability can be basically evaluated in three areas:

• Environmental Sustainability: It focuses on the need to use the resources in nature in a smart and efficient way, since they will run out over time.
• Economic Sustainability: The sustainability of production and consumption dynamics is an important concept for ensuring economic continuity and development.
• Social Sustainability: It focuses on the sustainability of social conditions in areas such as education, health, welfare, safe and quality life.

Universities can be role models in a society’s transition to a sustainable lifestyle in terms of environmentally, socially, and economically green practices. In achieving this, universities are particularly focused on the following areas:

• Green buildings, which represent the planning, construction, maintenance and repair of buildings in accordance with sustainability criteria such as energy efficiency and renewable energy use.
• Waste management including collection, transportation, and treatment (recycling or disposal) of office waste, laboratory or clinical waste, food waste.
• Ensuring that both staff and students commute to school by means of cheaper transportation such as bicycles, electric vehicles, etc.

İzmir Bakırçay University as a leading institution in many subjects has adopted the mission of supervising the society in environmental awareness and sustainability issues. In this context, the Ecological University Coordinatorship was established in our university with the directive of creating an environmentally friendly and sustainable campus area by ensuring energy efficiency and sustainability by utilizing smart technologies and automation systems and also meeting its energy demand by using clean and renewable energy systems such as wind an photovoltaic systems installed at the campus. It also aims to be certified by national and international accredited organizations such as GreenMetric and Leed. The Ecological Campus Coordinatorship also targets to implement an efficient waste management system which will enable waste disposal in a smart and environmentally friendly way. Moreover, the courses related to sustainability and environment will help to raise awareness on sustainability. Thus a natural campus area embracing the nature and our animal friends will be created.