Developing a green university framework using statistical techniques: Case study of the University of Tehran

Abstract The present research has tried to develop a green university framework using statistical techniques and assess its performance by implementing it as a case study in the University of Tehran due to the lack of a comprehensive green university development framework. In this regard, after identifying the selected green practice areas, using a questionnaire survey and structural equation modeling technique, practice areas are prioritized, and their relationship with the prospect of sustainable development is determined. The results identified the four practice areas of “water”, “energy”, “sustainable behavior”, and “procurement” as critical areas of implementing green practices. Then, using a questionnaire survey and interpretive structural modeling technique, the interrelations of the four practice areas are evaluated using influence-dependency analysis that identified “sustainable behavior” and “procurement” as the critical and fundamental areas of implementing green practices. Finally, the proposed practices are implemented at the University of Tehran as a case study, and using the UI GreenMetric rating system, the effects of implementing the selected green practices are evaluated. Setting and Infrastructure” and “Education” are two areas with the most improvement by 218% and 165%, respectively. Moreover, total scores earned by the University of Tehran increased from 3109 in 2016–5125 in 2020, showing 64% improvement in the total earned scores. Consequently, it is concluded that implementing green practices based on specific features of each university is more effective compared to experimental methods, and the green practices could be focused on the most critical areas.

[1]  Xabat Oregi,et al.  Environmental assessment of four Basque University campuses using the NEST tool , 2018, Sustainable Cities and Society.

[2]  Amelia Clarke,et al.  Choosing an appropriate university or college environmental management system , 2009 .

[3]  Adi Irfan Che-Ani,et al.  Campus Sustainability: Student's Perception on Campus Physical Development Planning in Malaysia , 2011 .

[4]  Adisa Azapagic,et al.  Towards greening a university campus: The case of the University of Maribor, Slovenia , 2009 .

[5]  S. M. Seyed Hosseini,et al.  Reprioritization of failures in a system failure mode and effects analysis by decision making trial and evaluation laboratory technique , 2006, Reliab. Eng. Syst. Saf..

[6]  Xueliang Yuan,et al.  Green Universities in China – what matters? , 2013 .

[7]  Marko Sarstedt,et al.  Partial least squares structural equation modeling using SmartPLS: a software review , 2019, Journal of Marketing Analytics.

[8]  Leith Sharp,et al.  Green campuses: the road from little victories to systemic transformation , 2002 .

[9]  Gholamreza Heravi,et al.  Evaluation of sustainability indicators of industrial buildings focused on petrochemical projects , 2015 .

[10]  P. Lombardi,et al.  Envisioning green solutions for reducing the ecological footprint of a university campus , 2019, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.

[11]  Pankaj Patel,et al.  Sustainable campus of Claris lifesciences through green initiatives , 2012 .

[12]  Yoshiyuki Shimoda,et al.  Strategies for a sustainable campus in Osaka University , 2017 .

[13]  L. Brandli,et al.  How can ecological fairs increase sustainability in a university campus? , 2019, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.

[14]  Khaira Amalia Fachrudin,et al.  Education Activities to Realize Green Campus , 2019, Asian Social Science.

[15]  A. Martinuzzi,et al.  The impacts of higher education institutions on sustainable development , 2019, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.

[16]  M. Najafpour,et al.  A trimetallic organometallic precursor for efficient water oxidation , 2019, Scientific Reports.

[17]  M. Al-Widyan,et al.  Environmental sustainability features in large university campuses , 2019, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.

[18]  Rebecca Croog.  Campus sustainability at the edges: Emotions, relations, and bio-cultural connections , 2016 .

[19]  Lakshman S. Thakur,et al.  Total interpretive structural modeling (TISM): approach and application , 2017 .

[20]  Taweesak Taekratok,et al.  CO2 emission estimation from transportation usage and cyclingconsideration in the context of green campus, Naresuan University, Thailand , 2018 .

[21]  Jinyue Yan,et al.  The Potential of Distributed Energy Resources in Building Sustainable Campus: The Case of Sichuan University , 2018, Energy Procedia.

[22]  Vivian W. Y Tam,et al.  A checklist for assessing sustainability performance of construction projects , 2007 .

[23]  Usha Iyer-Raniga,et al.  Reflections of a green university building: from design to occupation , 2019, Facilities.

[24]  Manfred Lenzen,et al.  Evaluating the environmental performance of a university , 2010 .

[25]  John A. Gambatese,et al.  Qualitative Research: Application of the Delphi Method to CEM Research , 2010 .

[26]  Simona Azzali,et al.  A framework for improving sustainable mobility in higher education campuses: The case study of Qatar University , 2018, Case Studies on Transport Policy.

[27]  Eric Olszak.  Composite indicators for a sustainable campus—Design rationale and methodology: The case of the Catholic Institute of Lille , 2012 .

[28]  Bing Xue,et al.  Creating a “green university” in China: a case of Shenyang University , 2013 .

[29]  Nor Rima Muhamad Ariff,et al.  The Implementation of Sustainable Energy Initiatives in Campus Buildings , 2020 .

[30]  Mohd Razman Salim,et al.  Institutionalize waste minimization governance towards campus sustainability: A case study of Green Office initiatives in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia , 2016 .

[31]  Wanxia Zhao,et al.  Green university initiatives in China: a case of Tsinghua University , 2015 .

[32]  Habib M. Alshuwaikhat,et al.  An integrated approach to achieving campus sustainability: Assessment of the current campus environmental management practices , 2008 .

[33]  Nader V. Chalfoun.  Greening University Campus Buildings to Reduce Consumption and Emission while Fostering Hands-on Inquiry-based Education☆ , 2014 .