BGU among World’s Top 50 Green Campuses
BGU among World’s Top 50 Green Campuses
February 8, 2011
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev ranked 46th on GreenMetric’s list of worldwide green campuses. It is the only Israeli university on the list.
The GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities was established last year to provide a benchmark for universities to achieve an environmentally friendly and sustainable operation. It compares universities on their degree of commitment to environmental education and implementation of sustainable policies.
The rankings also demonstrate the value of policies and systems put in place at institutions of higher learning that have a positive impact on global warming and climate change, particularly those that help reduce carbon emissions through efficient energy use, alternative forms of transport, greening the campus and waste recycling.
While quite pleased with the ranking, Prof. Dan Blumberg, deputy vice president of research and development, and chairperson of BGU’s Green Council, was not surprised. After all, BGU has been at the forefront of sustainable development of the Negev Desert since its inception.
“In many western countries environmental awareness is at the top of public discourse. Unfortunately, in Israel, we are engaged in many important issues which push aside the conversation on the environment,” says Blumberg. “But, BGU and its Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research are leading the way in environmental fields, making a unique contribution to the world. Our position in the top 50 in the GreenMetric rankings testifies to our achievements in these areas.”
He noted that the University administration has made environmental responsibility a top priority, as have many departments, faculty and students. In fact, BGU was previously designated a “Green Campus” from Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.
“BGU is going green with gusto,” says Gil Yaacov, who represents Green Course, Israel’s 6,000-member, nationwide student activist group that is leading the fight for environmental issues at 23 of the country’s colleges and university campuses and established the Green Campus designation with the Ministry.
“Social change doesn’t just happen,” Blumberg explains. “People make it happen.”
To learn more about BGU’s Green Campus initiative, click to http://cmsprod.bgu.ac.il/Eng/Units/green/
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
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