UTP encourages its students to partake in micromobility, such as the e-scooter, around the campus to reduce carbon emissions.
Institutions of higher learning play a pivotal role in shaping future generations of changemakers.
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) achieves this by embedding sustainability principles throughout its curriculum design, teaching and learning, research activities as well as student life and campus development.
UTP deputy vice chancellor (student affairs) Prof Dr Nor Hisham Hamid believes sustainability is a necessary strategic focus of the university to produce future industry and nation leaders for the betterment of the society.
“By immersing students in sustainability programmes, we raise their awareness of these critical issues,” he explains. “This translates into graduates who are prepared to enter the workforce as agents of positive change.”
In recent years, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations have been integrated into corporate and investment decision-making. The same can be said of institutions of higher learning, whether it is investment decisions that support sustainability and social responsibility or addressing issues such as climate change, energy transition and circular economy in their academic curriculum, research and operations.
“The development of our students as responsible citizens, who will positively contribute to society, is also reinforced by their experience of sustainable living on campus,” Prof Nor Hisham says.
Instilling personal and collective responsibility towards sustainability efforts, such as reducing the consumption of energy and other limited resources, recycling wastes and working on projects to support the circular economy, and preservation of nature, are embraced as part of their day-to-day activity on campus.
Centre for Student Experience senior director Saravanan Muthiah says sustainability has been a major part of the university’s decision-making process.
“We look at the bigger picture. When students enrol in UTP, some of them may have been exposed to the idea of sustainability but they may not fully understand the practices. It’s our role to raise awareness, strengthen their understanding and inculcate sustainable habits.
“So, when they graduate, the sense of sustainability and a focus on ESG principles are rooted in them. Wherever they are, the sense of living a sustainable lifestyle and mindset will be a part of them,” he says.
UTP integrates sustainability into all aspects of student development and living experiences. This is in line with the university's commitment to producing graduates who are not only technologically proficient but also socially responsible.
Infusing sustainability in the student experience is achieved via various initiatives. Under UTP’s strategy to achieve a low carbon campus, there are programmes to reduce plastic waste, manage food waste and reduce carbon emissions.
To promote effective recycling, UTP has placed 3R bins around campus for easy waste separation into categories like paper, plastic, glass and metal.
To reduce single-use plastic on campus, the university has eliminated its use in all campus food services, including student events and activities. This year alone, the university has removed around 15,000 plastic water bottles from use.
UTP also launched its "Bring your own container" campaign, encouraging students and staff to bring their own food and drink containers. To support this initiative, 163 water refill stations have been installed throughout the campus to date, with 60 more to be installed in 2025.
Strategically placed 3R bins covering across UTP campus provide easy access for the university's community to dispose of waste properly. Since June last year, UTP has recycled 10 tonnes of waste, equivalent to 20.16 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e). Additionally, UTP diverted 2.9 tCO2e of food waste from landfill by composting 1,522kg of food waste until July 2024.
“We’re also going big on green campus by encouraging students to cycle, walk, use e-scooters or carpool,” shares Saravanan, pointing to the pedestrian paths and covered walkways to encourage walking on campus.
New student accommodation on campus also considers the university’s energy management and efficiency priorities, he explains.
To foster a sense of social responsibility and environmental awareness, students are encouraged to consider sustainability in various courses, such as General Studies (MPU).
Community engagement projects that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, like initiatives involving the Orang Asli community, are highly encouraged. This approach not only enhances students' academic experience but also equips them with the skills and knowledge to contribute positively to society.
The sustainability initiatives introduced have received encouraging responses from the students. UTP Student Representative Council (2023/24) interim president Silvestre Ronaldo Jr Sunny says the implementation of the zero-plastic campus policy has had a profound effect on his daily habits.
“I have fully adapted to a plastic-free lifestyle, both on and off campus. I carry a reusable bag wherever I go, which has become second nature.
“This initiative has not only transformed the campus environment but also encouraged me to make more environmentally conscious choices in my personal life,” says the chemical engineering student.
He adds that the university’s emphasis on cashless payments as part of sustainable practices has also made a big impact.
“Whether at campus cafes or other vendors, I now prefer using e-wallet or cards for transactions. It has made the payment process faster and more convenient, eliminating the need to carry cash or wait for change.
“This shift has simplified day-to-day tasks and made me more attuned to the benefits of digital transactions, which I now use regularly off campus as well.”
Sustainability for UTP also includes an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. The university, Saravanan says, is taking a leaf from PETRONAS, which is creating a diverse and an inclusive ecosystem.
“At UTP, it’s about developing graduates who can work well with a diverse group of people.
“The graduates must be able to understand, respect, adapt and live with people of various cultures, nationalities and abilities.
“To instil this quality in their DNA, we build such a community on campus and ensure the ecosystem supports diversity and inclusion,” he points out.
To that end, he discloses that the common spaces at the residential halls, for example, have been refurbished to create an environment that encourages students to get together and undertake shared pursuits, thus enhancing their student experience.
With support from the faculty and staff, what’s promising about the sustainability initiatives at UTP is that the students themselves are in the driver’s seat.
The Go Green Movement Club (GGM-UTP), for example, is driven solely by its members’ love and passion for nature conservation.
Former club president Virginia Edmund Limbang says some of the activities in 2023 include mangrove sampling for mangrove conservation, low carbon campus seminar and a community outreach programme to Vietnam.
“In 2022, our club successfully carried out a plant-based campaign, river campaign to a primary school and a visit to the Tuntung wildlife conservation centre at Bota Kanan”, says the civil engineering student.
These opportunities, she says, have given her firsthand experience in real-world sustainability efforts.
“I have learnt that nature conservation comes in various forms from various people of different levels but of the same root value.
“I learned that a step outside of campus life lies in infinite efforts in saving nature and I hope to continue for as long as I am able and to share this passion with others,” she adds.
With support from the faculty and staff, what’s promising about the sustainability initiatives at UTP is that the students themselves are in the driver’s seat.
To learn more about the university, visit https://www.utp.edu.my
