Green Campus Initiatives at Nazarbayev University

Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising

The intervention has the following goals: 1. To strive for zero emissions by integrating intellectual capacity and existing infrastructure, in order to achieve a balance between environmental and economic performance at Nazarbayev University. To achieve zero emissions, objectives include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the waste management system. 2. To ensure that university activities do not have a negative impact on the environment at the local, regional, and global levels. 3. To ensure healthy air, water, and indoor environment in order to have a positive impact on university residents and guests. (1, 2, 3, 4)

The Green Campus office coordinates all university activities related to sustainable development, including the development of strategic documents and environmental policy, as well as the coordination of environmental protection projects (2). It supports cultural, educational, and innovative activities aimed to promote eco-consciousness within and beyond the university community [4]. The initiative regularly organizes tree-planting activities on campus. About 1000 trees have been planted, with species including willows, pine trees, Canadian maples, Manchurian walnuts, Ussuri pear, golden currants, mountain ash, red guelder rose, blood-red hawthorn, Rugosa roses, Chokeberry, Nedzvetsky apple trees, almond trees. The trees were purchased with funds donated by university sponsors or raised from the collection and recycling of campus waste paper (4, 3). The NU Green Week is one of the University's most notable green initiatives. This week-long event is held on campus annually in April before Earth Day on April 22. During this week, the university community can enjoy various events, including masterclasses on sorting waste and making crafts from unused clothes; vegetarian fairs; photo exhibitions on environmental disasters; debates and live theater performances; lectures and seminars on urban farming; and more. Students traditionally commemorate the end of the week with two activities: plogging in city parks (i.e., picking up garbage while jogging) and a field trip to clean up around Lake Borovoe, where volunteers spend the day collecting and sorting garbage, which is then transported back to Nur-Sultan for recycling [3, 7]. In 2019, the Sustainability Living Lab program was also established under the Green Campus initiative to support students' and employees' research and innovation projects on campus. It aims to bring green technologies to life and create green startups that benefit society. In 2019, 10 teams were selected on a competitive basis to receive a grant and the opportunity to implement and test their project prototypes on campus (Ref: 3). Multiple projects have been developed on campus by students which include biodiesel from cooking oil, green corner, vegan meat, topyraQ, a drinking fountain on campus, precious plastic, indoor air quality, green box, zhanaru, and energy-efficient greenhouse (2, 4).In 2021, the Sustainability Living Lab program expanded its reach to disseminate experience in the implementation of green initiatives at other universities in Kazakhstan. It aims to improve sustainable development and green initiatives on university campuses by empowering students, faculty, and staff to undertake this work ( 6). Besides, the university also organizes the national stage of the Climate Launchpad, which is an international competition for green business ideas. In the year 2019, more than 80 applications from all over Kazakhstan were submitted, among which 12 projects were selected to hone their ideas, develop business plans and learn how to properly present their projects (3). Additionally, the university developed an NU community garden for local residents, a 50 kW on-grid system integrated into Technopark, and equipped 67 townhouses at campus with solar collectors. Solar pumps were installed at the university with photo-electric water elevators (5). The University also coordinates a separate waste collection process on campus for its further recycling. It collects separately six types of waste: paper, plastic, glass, metal, batteries, and light bulbs and then send it for recycling. (4, 8).

• Researchers/University
• Young people and children