Overview

Since 2019, the University of Sharjah has been leading a comprehensive Sustainable Campus Initiative to integrate sustainability into all aspects of campus life—from daily operations to academic curricula. This initiative continues to foster a culture of sustainability through collaboration, engagement, and strategic planning with stakeholders across departments.

A core component of this initiative is the Eco-Rep Program, which empowers selected representatives across the university to act as sustainability ambassadors within their units.

Administrative Eco-Reps are appointed from key operational units (e.g., IT, procurement, facilities management). They champion sustainable practices, identify improvement areas, and ensure alignment with campus-wide goals.

Academic Eco-Reps are designated faculty members from each academic department who lead efforts to embed sustainability into curricula, research, and departmental activities.

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Key Integration Areas

The Sustainable Campus Initiative is built around four key pillars that guide strategy and actions:

Academics

• Led by faculty Eco-Reps from each department
• Integration of sustainability into curricula and research
• Development of sustainability KPIs and course inventories
• Promotion of interdisciplinary learning aligned with the UN SDGs

Operations

• Managed in collaboration with administrative Eco-Reps across key service units
• Implementation of sustainable procurement, energy efficiency, and waste reduction
• Continuous monitoring and improvement of infrastructure and services

Engagement

• Campus-wide involvement through events, workshops, and campaigns
• Active participation in sustainability rankings such as STARS and UI GreenMetric
• Eco-Reps facilitate awareness, coordination, and communication within their units

Planning

• Strategic alignment of sustainability goals with university policies and objectives
• Regular departmental meetings to track progress and adjust priorities
• Use of data to inform sustainability-related decisions

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Campus-Wide Engagement Events

Two flagship events brought together the UoS community:

STARS Application Cycle Event – February 2022 Focused on student and staff involvement in the STARS rating process and demonstrated the value of collective efforts in sustainability reporting.

UI GreenMetric Management Event – December 2023 Hosted at UoS with participation from international university representatives. Discussions focused on collaboration and innovation in campus sustainability. 

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Departmental Integration

Throughout the academic year, departments and administrative units were engaged through:

• Regular Eco-Rep coordination meetings and progress reporting
• Collaborative mapping of sustainability goals to each department’s activities
• Academic participation in identifying sustainability-focused courses and KPIs, and in enhancing the curriculum

This approach ensures each unit plays a role in shaping a sustainable campus future.

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Culture of Sustainability

By involving Eco-Reps, faculty, staff, and students in sustainability rankings and performance indicators, the university has fostered:

• Awareness of institutional sustainability priorities
• Accountability and transparency in operations
• Long-term commitment to building a greener campus