CIU ranking 69th at International GreenMetric 2023
CIU’s ascension to the top in World's Most Sustainable University Campus rankings
Cyprus International University (CIU) has been named the 69th most sustainable campus in the world and the 29th in Europe based on the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings where academic campuses are evaluated in terms of sustainability. CIU, continued to demonstrate a constantly rising success pattern throughout these past 6 years despite the increasing number of universities in this year’s evaluation.
Prof. Dr. Serkan Abbasoğlu, Advisor to the CIU Board of Trustees and director of the Sustainable Campus Center, evaluated the sustainability activities carried out at CIU and the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings and said, "With our long-term work for a foreseeable future, we have climbed up the ladder coming close to the top among the most sustainable campuses in the world." Emphasizing that there is a constantly rising trend in the sustainability studies carried out within the university, Abbasoğlu noted that the contribution of students, staff and faculty members is very important in these studies.
Abbasoğlu pointed out that the island of Cyprus should be proud of the ranking CIU Campus has reached in the field of sustainability, and noted that the university has been carrying out serious work in the field of sustainability since 2009.
Stating that sustainability studies are in line with the 17 'Sustainable Development Goals' determined by the United Nations in 2016, Abbasoğlu stated that within the framework of the vision of the Board of Trustees, projects coordinated by the Sustainable Campus Center and carried out mainly by students have emerged.
Abbasoğlu said, "The goal here is for the CIU family to have a sustainable campus and to raise an awareness in the society in sustainability issues." Stating that they cooperate with many important organizations on the island, he added that the latest cooperation with Gönyeli-Alayköy Municipality made a significant impact on increasing this awareness.
Stating that CIU has materialized many special projects, Abbasoğlu said as an institution they upgraded the scores received in 6 different headings in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings, in addition to increasing their status in areas like energy, water management and transportation, this year they added environment and infrastructure.
Abbasoğlu stated that one of the projects they started this year is called "Sustainable Forest" and has made a great impact, and also noted that they have been working on an important project to reduce energy consumption in buildings.
Pointing out that they shared their projects with the international community at the conference held in Portugal in June, Abbasoğlu said, “We received very positive feedback. "It is a pleasure to compete on such platforms with important universities in the world and be at the forefront.”
To conclude, Abbasoğlu stated that their next goal is to reach the zero waste point with the participation of the entire CIU family and external stakeholders, and to become a carbon neutral campus that provides all the electricity needs of the world from renewable energy sources.