Sunway University is a case study featured in an internationally released guide on Accelerating Education for the SDGs launched on 21st September 2020 by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which operates under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General.

“It is very easy to say what universities should do about education for sustainable development, but the actual reality of what this looks like is a lot more complex,” says Tahl Kestin, one of the guide’s authors during the launch. This guide is organised in a user-friendly manner to inspire, empower and mobilise universities and higher education intuitions across the globe to provide students with the necessary knowledge, training, and skills to contribute solutions to the world’s pressing issues in light of the 2030 Agenda deadline.

Sampling of ten smart and sustainable initiatives as a means of embracing and embedding culture of sustainability in the campus community

As part of an organising strategy to achieve cross-cutting outcomes as an entire campus, Sunway University has set up a “second-operating system” in its governance structure. The Smart Sustainable Campus Committee (SSCC) was set up in 2017 to brainstorm and innovate together in order to creatively advance sustainability in campus-wide initiatives. The committee consists of academics, administrators, students and top management. The deliberate diversity of members from multiple departments, schools and student organisations strengthens its ability to champion campus-wide initiatives. The goal was to implement clean energy, reduce waste, and instill behaviour change towards green living within the Sunway education complex. Examples of the committee’s efforts can be found in the case study with the mention of solar panel installation, and a plastic awareness campaign which has effectively removed single-use plastic bottles, straws and polystyrene from campus eateries.

Several features of Sunway University’s sustainability initiatives were mentioned. The case study further highlights Sunway University’s multipronged approach to infusing sustainability in research, curriculum, operations and campus life. Further ongoing sustainability efforts can be found on the Sunway University sustainability website: /sustainability