Zhejiang University: ZJU International Campus continues its commitment to sustainability
On December 27, 2021, the International Campus received the ISO14001:2015 certification, an international standard for the environmental management system, continuing to lead in the operation of a sustainable campus.
Responding to China’s carbon peak and neutrality goals and under the framework of A Global ZJU for Social Good (Z4G), ZJU’s sustainability action plan, Haining International Campus has committed to building itself into a world’s leading sustainable campus.
Since its construction dating back to 2014, a series of measures have been adopted to minimize the collective impact on the earth with a Green Office to oversee green campus planning and construction, operational activities monitoring and community outreach.
Adjacent to wetland parks and connected with the city through a water system, the International Campus enjoys a superior natural environment. Hence the “Sponge Campus” concept was incorporated into landscape design. For instance, the campus rainwater is collected for storage in the central lake, to be filtered and used for campus irrigation. It is estimated that 15% of water resources are conserved and utilized every year. To meet its emission reduction targets, the Campus promotes eco-friendly travel options. Ten public bicycle rental points allow easy access across the Campus, which are further connected to hundreds of city-wide rental points. Alternatively, people can easily walk to every corner of the Campus through a full-fledged pedestrian system.
Over the past years, its leading sustainable operations and management capacity has been recognized by the two-star Green Building Design Label in 2018 and a platinum award in 2020 issued by the British Eco-Campus certification system.
The ISO14001:2015 certification is issued by the International Organization for Standardization. Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is aimed to improve environmental management capability and has been widely recognized and applied around the world.