How NTU is trying to become the world’s greenest campus

By Sophia Tan

HOPING to become the greenest campus on Earth by 2020, the University has already begun to incorporate green initiatives into student life in three major ways:

Green Infrastructure

Almost all buildings and residential halls in NTU are certified Greenmark Platinum by the Building and Construction Authority, an assessment of how energy efficient a building is.

Energy efficiency is achieved through fixing solar panels on rooftops, energy-saving LED lights and heat-deflecting windows, among other examples.

“NTU has done a lot to improve low-carbon local energy production by installing solar panels throughout campus,” said Assistant Professor Sonny Rosenthal, who teaches sustainability communication at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.

Green Installations

The campus has also become a hotbed for green projects in recent years, helping raise awareness on green efforts.

Ongoing installations on campus include energy-generating floor tiles outside the Coffee Bean outlet at North Spine, and a solar-powered electric charging station next to the bus stop at the Innovation Centre that allows students to charge their phones.

These are among 20 green features installed around campus since 2011 under the EcoCampus initiative to make NTU the world’s greenest campus.

New sustainable technologies are also being tested on campus to first determine if they suit the local climate.

“After the demonstration period, the technology will be implemented if proven viable,” said EcoCampus programme coordinator Ryan Jin.

Green Transport

Driverless shuttle buses in NTU may soon be a reality.

The Land Transport Authority and NTU’s Energy Research Institute are developing two electric hybrid buses. By early 2018, students will be able to test out autonomous bus technologies when they commute from campus to Pioneer MRT station.

Testing out the buses will come in stages, and will initially start with a 1.4km-long route between NTU and CleanTech Park.