Environmental education policy for pursuing sustainable campus: experience from taiwan higher education
Graduate Institute of Bioresources, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan E-mail: wttsai@mail.npust.edu.tw , Phone: +886-8-7703202; Fax: +886-8-7740134
Abstract
The education for sustainable development (ESD) in Taiwan s higher education institutions with 160 universities and colleges plays a leading role in promoting sustainable campus since the 1990s. This article was based on the documents of official and non-profit organizations attempting to review ESD policy and programs for pursuing environmental sustainability in these institutions. These mission-oriented programs include sustainability education curriculum, sustainable campus infrastructure, Green University Union and Environmental Education Regional Center. The article also tried to analyze the successful case study of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, ranked No.1 in Taiwan as well as the third place in Asia according to the 2015 Universities Indonesia (UI) GreenMetric World University Ranking. It is thus prospective that the campus sustainability in Taiwan s higher education institutions has been on the way toward a low-carbon campus in line with the Environmental Education Act.
Keywords
education for sustainable education (ESD); environmental education; higher education; sustainable campus; Taiwan