This year (2022), the 8th International Workshop on GreenMetrics (IWGM) was hosted by NPUST, marking the first time it was held by Taiwan. However, due to considerations related to the epidemic, the event was organized to take place online, rather than in a physical format. The opening ceremony for the workshop was scheduled for the evening of September 27, with NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang and the president of the GreenMetric University Rankings, Dr. Riri, serving as the hosts.
The main activities took place over the two following days, during which time participants explored the theme of “Collective Actions for Transforming Sustainable Universities in the Post-Pandemic Time”. Eugene Chien, the president of the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy Research, was invited to speak on different topics and share their organization’s research with the one hundred plus people, from Taiwan and around the world, who took part in the event.
At the opening, GreenMetric President, Dr. Riri, welcomed member universities from around the world and thanked NPUST for hosting the workshop. In his remarks, NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang explained that “at this year’s IWGM, we will be discussing the ways in which universities in the post-pandemic era will be transformed, and how we can work together towards sustainable development goals”. He also expressed hope that “through the GreeMetric University platform, as we bring together colleges from around the world, we will be able to have an excellent time of interaction and exchange, and advance global sustainability goals. We also hope to see more universities come into the network, and over the next few days of interaction, discussion, and exchange, that we will be able to establish friendly and solid international relationships and work together to promote sustainability goals.”
On the first day of the workshop, the GreenMetric Secretariat shared a video introducing the participating schools via its official YOUTUBE channel. On the second day, the 6th Steering Committee Meeting was held and school representatives from around the world were invited explore “the shape of higher education and research within sustainable development”, “the cultivation of global sustainable leadership”, and “cooperation on sustainability challenges”.
The former president of NPUST, Dr. Chang-Hsien Tai, was invited to share on his experiences from running the university over the past eight years, and to discuss how to help Greenmetric universities develop in sustainable ways. Bringing into focus a “Public-Private Partnership for Transforming Sustainable Universities”, the president of the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy Research, Eugene Chien, talked about the institute’s sustainability achievements from the past several years, and expressed hopes that through public-private sector cooperation, university social responsibility, and international forums, more attention will be placed on sustainability in Taiwan and the rest of the world.
Professor Uzu-Kuei Hsu from the NPUST Professional College submitted a paper for the workshop, and was asked to serve as speaker for the group discussion on “Energy and Climate Change” which took place on Sept. 29. Additionally, Assistant Professor Yu-Hsing Huang of the NPUST Department of Industrial Management and Dean of General Affairs, Meng-Hao Tsai, were invited to chair the group discussions for 9/28 and 9/29, respectively.
This year was the first time for the International Workshop on Greenmetrics to be held in Taiwan, and for NPUST, it was an opportunity to further promote its mission. Regarding the participation in and promotion of sustainable world affairs as a duty, NPUST hopes that the GreenMetic activities will not only encourage Taiwanese schools and educational agencies to include sustainability goals as part the general curriculum, but that the next generation of students from around the world will cultivate mindsets that care for people and the environment and that they will work towards social co-prosperity.
