Several Thoughts on Promoting University Education …
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the university’s theories and practices in building a green university. They summarized the Tsinghua model of green campus construction and green university education in the past decade and more, and generalized three concepts and practices—
environment-friendly campus, economical campus, and ecological and beautiful
campus.
2. Promoting green transformation of university development through green
initiative
Green concepts and ecological civilization awareness should be applied in teaching,
scientific research, social service and cultural advancement. Building a “green university” means implementing the principles and guiding thoughts of sustainable development and environmental protection in all university activities and the whole process
of university education around the center of “education of man.” As a concrete action
to promote ecological civilization in higher education, it is an important part of the
ecological campaign. In a sense, the significance of building green universities goes
far beyond the initiative itself—it is a more important effect to demonstrate and lead
the good practices of building an ecological civilization nationwide.
Prestigious universities around the world all take cultivating new talents conscious
of environmental protection as their mission. After Yale University rolled out the
“Blueprint for a Green Campus” at its “Campus Earth Summit,” Brown University in
the United States also initiated the “Green Brown” initiative, University of Edinburgh
in the United Kingdom launched the “environmental agenda,” and University of
Waterloo in Canada the “Green Campus Action.” Single-item action plans aimed
to promote environmental protection and sustainable development both on and off
campus are also carried out. Most of the subjects in University of Michigan’s crossdisciplinary courses are about world or regional environment, energy, resources and
other sustainability-related issues, as well as ecological civilization and industries.
A growing number of Asian universities are conducting green practices. There are
the Meijo University, Tokai University and its Faculty of Education in Japan, South
Korea’s Hanyang University, and nine universities in India including the University
of New Delhi and Indian Statistical Institute. Their fellows also include Malaysia’s
University of Malaya, the Philippines’ University of Manila, Thailand’s Chiang Mai
University and Vietnam’s Institute for International Relations in Hanoi.
In China, Tsinghua University was the first to suggest building green universities
in 1998, and submitted a plan for “building green demonstration projects” to the
National Environmental Protection Administration. In view of the actual development needs of domestic universities, Tsinghua University, with “education of man”
as the center, proposed to implement the principles of sustainable development and
environmental protection in all teaching activities. It also formulated a three-layered
action plan for building green universities, namely cultivating talents with “green
education,” advancing scientific research and environmental protection with “green
technology,” and enlightening the people through “green campus” demonstration
projects. Of the three layers, green education is the core of building a green university.
It is aimed to blend sustainability ideas such as resource recycling and environmental
protection with all non-environmental subjects and university education in general,
559
the university’s theories and practices in building a green university. They summarized the Tsinghua model of green campus construction and green university education in the past decade and more, and generalized three concepts and practices—
environment-friendly campus, economical campus, and ecological and beautiful
campus.
2. Promoting green transformation of university development through green
initiative
Green concepts and ecological civilization awareness should be applied in teaching,
scientific research, social service and cultural advancement. Building a “green university” means implementing the principles and guiding thoughts of sustainable development and environmental protection in all university activities and the whole process
of university education around the center of “education of man.” As a concrete action
to promote ecological civilization in higher education, it is an important part of the
ecological campaign. In a sense, the significance of building green universities goes
far beyond the initiative itself—it is a more important effect to demonstrate and lead
the good practices of building an ecological civilization nationwide.
Prestigious universities around the world all take cultivating new talents conscious
of environmental protection as their mission. After Yale University rolled out the
“Blueprint for a Green Campus” at its “Campus Earth Summit,” Brown University in
the United States also initiated the “Green Brown” initiative, University of Edinburgh
in the United Kingdom launched the “environmental agenda,” and University of
Waterloo in Canada the “Green Campus Action.” Single-item action plans aimed
to promote environmental protection and sustainable development both on and off
campus are also carried out. Most of the subjects in University of Michigan’s crossdisciplinary courses are about world or regional environment, energy, resources and
other sustainability-related issues, as well as ecological civilization and industries.
A growing number of Asian universities are conducting green practices. There are
the Meijo University, Tokai University and its Faculty of Education in Japan, South
Korea’s Hanyang University, and nine universities in India including the University
of New Delhi and Indian Statistical Institute. Their fellows also include Malaysia’s
University of Malaya, the Philippines’ University of Manila, Thailand’s Chiang Mai
University and Vietnam’s Institute for International Relations in Hanoi.
In China, Tsinghua University was the first to suggest building green universities
in 1998, and submitted a plan for “building green demonstration projects” to the
National Environmental Protection Administration. In view of the actual development needs of domestic universities, Tsinghua University, with “education of man”
as the center, proposed to implement the principles of sustainable development and
environmental protection in all teaching activities. It also formulated a three-layered
action plan for building green universities, namely cultivating talents with “green
education,” advancing scientific research and environmental protection with “green
technology,” and enlightening the people through “green campus” demonstration
projects. Of the three layers, green education is the core of building a green university.
It is aimed to blend sustainability ideas such as resource recycling and environmental
protection with all non-environmental subjects and university education in general,