The foundation of the METU Climate Action and Sustainability Plan dates back to 2016, the Strategic Planning process for the 2018-22 period. The 2018-22 Strategic Plan was the first official document to lay out the strategies for a sustainable practices across the METU Campus. The Plan is accessible at http://sp.metu.edu.tr/system/files/odtu_sp_2018_11_01.pdf

Objectives 16 and 17 constitutes the backbone of the METU Climate Action and Sustainability Plan:

O.16: To protect the integrity and bio-diversity of the campus's rich forest, steppe, and Lake Ecosystem

G.16.1: Preserving the rich natural and ecological values of the campus

S1: Implementing METU Conservation Development Plan approved in 2015, and abiding by the preservation decisions concerning the forests, natural and archaeological sites, and Lake Eymir

S2: Implementing the Lake Eymir Management Plan throughout the Strategic Planning period

S3: Ensuring that conservation of the natural ecosystem (lake, steppe and forest ecosystems) remains as priority for METU

S4: Providing a recreational ecosystem service, which takes the people of Ankara into the natural environment and increases their life quality, by retaining their entrance to Lake Eymir

S5: Continuing and expanding the forestation organizations and tree planting festival

G.16.2: Exploring the rich natural and ecological values of the campus, and promoting them considering the conservation-utilization balance

S1: Setting up a committee for the exploration, conservation, and conservation-utilization balance of the campus rich forest, steppe, and Lake Ecosystem integrity and biodiversity

S2: Making an inventory of the ecological values and the biodiversity of the campus

S3: Continuing the education programs, such as Lake delegates and other awareness training activities, held at Lake Eymir to the end of bringing together science and society

S4: Organizing nature conservation trainings, and training activities that will increase awareness and allow for sharing of knowledge

O.17: To meet the needs related to spatial use within the framework of sustainable, intelligent, durable, and unobstructed campus approaches by preserving the unique spatial and architectural structure of the campus

G.17.1: Enhancing the campus built-environment in accordance with the current legislation and by preserving its unique architectural qualities

S1: Preparing a master plan for physical enhancement

S2: Making improvements in accordance with the legislation about the disabled, energy and fires

S3: Rendering the use of built-environment efficient, comfortable and secure by making use of intelligent systems

G.17.2: Improving the on-campus transportation system in an environmentally sensitive, energy efficient, intelligent, unobstructed, accessible, safe manner with a mass transportation system by reducing private vehicle traffic; providing the necessary physical infrastructure to encourage pedestrian and bicycle circulation

S1: Improving pedestrian access conditions

S2: Renewing on-campus mass transport vehicles so that they are environmentally sensitive, energy-efficient and unobstructed

S3: Completing the campus bicycle network project, supporting this with the bicycle sharing system project

S4: Implementing the systems of intelligent bus stops, intersections, parking lots and vehicle sticker recognition

G.17.3: Renewing and improving the education, research and technical infrastructures of the campus in an environmentally sensitive, energy efficient, intelligent and economical manner

S1: Supporting the digital transformation of the library by effectively using both information technologies and physical resources

S2: The improvement of the library building to include common and individual study spaces, meeting areas and digital media studios

S3: Supporting education and research units by effectively using both information technologies and physical resources

A new Strategic Plan for 2023-28 period is currently being prepared.

 

Steps in the creation METU Climate Action and Sustainability Plan

Appointment of the Sustainable Campus Executive Committee consisting of academic researchers who study sustainability in environmental issues.

The formation of the Climate Action Task Force with voluntary members form relevant academic and administrative units as well as student societies and, of course, from all interested members of the METU community. The task force drafted a Climate Action Plan trying to pave way to METU's pioneering role in climate action.

Highlights

The plan consists of a set of ambitious but realistic strategies that places METU in a leadership role locally and nationally. The ultimate goal of the plan is to reduce Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy) and Scope 3 (all indirect emissions not included in scope 2) emissions to become a Net Zero university by 2040. The interrelated steps are as follows:

- Reducing campus energy demand and consumption by %30, by 2030. Introducing new construction standards and integrating resiliency best practices into renewal and construction projects will help improve energy efficiency across the Campus. (Scope 1)

- Shifting from fossil fuels to renewable sources. The installation of a new solar panel is scheduled for 2022. METU aims to expand its renewable energy palette to include wind turbines before 2030. The aim is to supply 100% of the University's electricity consumption with renewables by 2040. (Scope 2)

- Transitioning METU's vehicle fleet to electric by 2035 and developing the necessary infrastructure to host electric vehicles used by the community members on campus, such as installation of charging stations (in addition to two charging stations are already installed in 2020). (Scope 1, 2 and 3)

- Sustainable purchases to support our social and environmental objectives, as well as local producers and markets. METU Sustainable Food Policy prioritizes suppliers with sustainable production practices, especially in food (http://sustainablecampus.metu.edu.tr/en/policies) (Scope 3)

- METU has a Zero Waste goal of diverting %50 of our waste from landfill and incineration by 2025.

Education & Research on Climate Change and Sustainability

METU Climate Action and Sustainability Plan underlines that issues of climate change and sustainability be incorporated into part of every student's learning experience, as part of the curriculum and campus experience, as they take part in research projects and student society activities.

In addition to sustainability related curricula of related degree programs, including that of Environmental Engineering, Biology, and the graduate programs offered by Institute of Marine Sciences METU offers hundreds of courses that cover sustainability topics.