Low Carbon Campus

In line with the UAE’s Green Agenda 2030 and the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment’s (MOCCAE) National Plan for Sustainable Consumption and Production, our primary goal is to turn AUS into a low carbon campus. Based on our organizational footprint, we have selected two key priorities to achieve this goal:

1. Reducing Building Energy and Water Consumption

AUS has been awarded a "2 Pearl" rating by Estidama, a sustainable development initiative of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, for the design aspects of the university’s new Engineering and Science Building (ESB). This latest achievement is a testament to the university’s commitment to meeting sustainable building requirements and providing a sustainable campus environment. Estidma’s Pearl Rating System (PRS) functions as a green building rating system for communities, buildings and villas, each with the scale of 1 to 5 Pearl, and is based on four criteria: environmental, economic, social and cultural. The Campus Development team at AUS is the first to achieve the "2 Pearl" rating outside of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

AUS won the “Green School” category at the 2015 Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) awards for its Campus Service Center. The EGBC Awards recognize excellence in sustainability, and honor architects, consultants and contractors that demonstrate the clear implementation of sustainable design, construction and operation of buildings and structures. It is an initiative of the Emirates Green Building Council, an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices.

As the older buildings on campus are being renovated, attention will be placed on incorporating sustainable features into their construction. The university has also been incrementally incorporating LED lights, room sensors and other technologies into the older buildings to increase energy efficiency.

Click here to learn more about the sustainability practices on campus.

2. Sustainable transportation to/from/on campus:

With more than 70 percent of our students and 90 percent of our staff commuting to and from campus on a daily basis, managing transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a key priority for AUS.

According to the World Health Organization, the main driver of global transportation energy growth is land transportation, mostly from light-duty vehicles, such as cars.

We strongly believe that the collective power of individual behavior can have the biggest impact on our environment, hence we encourage the AUS community to strive for the following guidelines when commuting to and from campus:

• Take public transportation when possible (please find an up to date list of  on- and off-campus shuttle services provided by AUS).
• Find ways to carpool with friends/colleagues.
• Invest in a low-emission or electric hybrid car.
• Walk or take a bike whenever possible.