On the 19th, the Executive Yuan held the 113th National Sustainable Development Award ceremony, where Taiwan Tech was recognized for its long-standing efforts in creating a green and sustainable campus. The university stood out among 162 contenders, earning the award for its outstanding achievements in smart energy management, greenhouse gas inventory, innovative research, and sustainable education.

President Jia-Yush Yen stated that Taiwan Tech has incorporated sustainable development into its medium- and long-term institutional planning, setting the goal of achieving 50% carbon neutrality by 2030 and 100% by 2049. The university has integrated sustainability into its educational DNA, offering an average of 1,500 courses annually that cover SDGs and USR content, attracting around 50,000 students. This reflects the depth and breadth of its commitment to sustainable education. “We will continue to uphold our responsibility, keenly observe changes in the social environment and challenges, and take on the crucial task of nurturing future sustainable talent”, he added.

Taiwan Tech wins the National Sustainable Development Award in the education category for integrating sustainability into educational DNA. The award was presented on the 19th by Minister of the Environment, Chi-Ming Peng (left), with President Jia-Yush Yen accepting on behalf of the university (right).

Taiwan Tech’s Center for Sustainability Development and Institutional Research, along with the Center for General Education, regularly hosts the “Sustainable Campus” series of events. These initiatives aim to put the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and University Social Responsibility (USR) into action, planting the seeds of low-carbon transformation on campus and expanding their impact outward. Through USR programs, faculty and students engage in a variety of activities such as cultural heritage preservation, community environmental improvements, and disaster prevention courses, actively responding to societal needs. Notably, they have helped preserve cultural assets like the Xueshi New Village and the Gui-Zi Building on campus, and supported the Chengnan community in earning a Resilient Community One-Star certification. The university has also extended its efforts internationally, assisting rural areas in Indonesia and Vietnam with improving irrigation systems and sanitation facilities, demonstrating a strong commitment to global social responsibility and influence.

Taiwan Tech held a Sustainable Week event, featuring green energy bicycles where attendees could experience generating power through pedaling.

Through the “Infinity of the Southern Taipei - Sustainable Co-construction Project of Urban Moutain City and the Infinity University” USR program, Taiwan Tech has engaged with surrounding communities to promote disaster prevention education and knowledge. This initiative has effectively fostered diverse social dialogue, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and community identity, spreading the influence of the university’s social responsibility from the inside out.

Taiwan Tech has developed a carbon reduction roadmap and set clear strategies and goals. To build a sustainable campus, the university updates high-voltage distribution equipment, air conditioning systems, and lighting facilities annually, incorporating temperature control, remote control, and sensor technologies to reduce energy consumption. The campus has installed solar photovoltaic systems, elevator energy recovery devices, and a rainwater harvesting system for irrigation, putting its carbon reduction vision into practice. In 2023, these initiatives resulted in a total reduction of 218,913 kilograms of carbon emissions.

Taiwan Tech’s Program of Engineers in Action helped build an irrigation system in Situbondo, Indonesia, addressing local agricultural challenges such as insufficient rainfall. This initiative showcases the university’s commitment to global social responsibility and its impact on international communities.

Taiwan Tech emphasizes environmental sustainability in its architectural design. The first student dormitory, rebuilt in 2021, received a Diamond-level Green Building certification, becoming a model for campus sustainability. The university is also actively promoting green consumption and green office practices to reduce its carbon footprint. In the 2022 academic year, the green procurement rate reached 96.75%. Moving forward, Taiwan Tech will continue to drive campus low-carbon transformation through sustainable innovation strategies, smart energy management systems, and cutting-edge technologies.

Taiwan Tech has installed a solar photovoltaic system on the rooftop of the Fourth Teaching Building, progressively increasing the proportion of green energy on campus each year.

Taiwan Tech is committed to supporting economically disadvantaged students, raising over 10 million NTD in scholarships annually. The university provides academic tutoring and career counseling to help these students enhance their competitiveness and confidence. Additionally, Taiwan Tech regularly offers entrepreneurship workshops, providing students with startup support and diverse guidance, fulfilling its dual goals of educational equity and social responsibility.