Again success in the international sustainability ranking: with over one thousand higher education institutions, HAMK ranked 17
The international GreenMetric ranking measures the sustainability of higher education institutions’ activities and operational environment. Häme University of Applied Science’s (HAMK) sustainable development goals are promoted not only by participation in the measurement but also by its own sustainable development programme and its working group.
The number of participants, from all continents, increased by almost 100 compared to last year. The participants now included 1,050 higher education institutions.
This was the fourth time HAMK took part in the measurement. HAMK improved its overall score, although the ranking decreased slightly from last year’s ranking (14.) In 2020, Häme University of Applied Sciences ranked 35th and 87th in 2019. HAMK was clearly the best of the three participating Finnish higher education institutions: The University of Eastern Finland ranks 39 (34 in 2021), and Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences ranks 506 (420). The University of Wageningen from the Netherlands, as well Nottingham Trent and the University of Nottingham from the United Kingdom, are among the top countries.
The ranking examined measures to promote sustainable development in six areas: Campus infrastructure, energy use and climate change response, waste management, water use, transportation, as well as education and research. The examination concerned the measures for 2021.
HAMK improved its score on issues related to the education category, such as organising events related to sustainability and organisation of the student union. In matters related to water treatment, HAMK receives full points. The weakest area at HAMK, even though it scores 80 per cent of the maximum score, is energy usage. Compared to many other higher education institutions, HAMK has a large number of campuses and thus maintainable infrastructure. HAMK has been carrying out measures aimed at energy efficiency for a long time, and the aim this winter is to save energy by 10 per cent, by reducing indoor temperature.
“We can be satisfied with our position with such a large number of participants. Also, participating in the ranking is one way of boosting our efforts to improve our activities, in all areas related to sustainable development. The work in this field is continuous, and in the near future we will focus especially on exporting the sustainable development goals to our various fields of study, says Mervi Friman, who has led the Sustainable Development Working Group for a couple of years.
A monthly Sustainable Development Working Group, which brings together specialists from various parts of the organisation, to consider and develop sustainable development measures, as well as to put them into practice based on HAMK’s Sustainable Development Programme.
The GreenMetric comparison has been organised since 2010, and it is based on the UI GreenMetric University Rankings Network led by the University of Indonesia.
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