About
Tongji University was founded in 1907 by a German doctor in Shanghai. Today Tongji University is a comprehensive university which offers a wide range of programs in sciences, engineering, medicine, arts, law, economics, management and education. As a university which had established a reputation for its research, Tongji became one of the first groups of universities which were authorized by the China State Council to establish a graduate school.
The university now registers near 40,000 students at all levels and offers diverse courses with 82 Bachelors Degrees, 218 Masters, 94 PhD programs and 16 post doctoral stations. The university adheres to the coordinated development of four major functions, namely, personnel training, scientific research, social services and international communication. It is also making an effort to strengthen the function of serving the community.
Strategy
The name Tongji signifies “cooperating by riding the same boat,” and Tongji University certainly understands that we are all part of a global “boat” that needs to deal with the rising tide of climate change. The university offers a School of Environmental Science and Engineering and an Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development, which was created in partnership with UNEP. The university has also begun planning how reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon emission reduction strategy
The strategy of carbon emission reduction attempts to bring up the high-level green talent of students, carry out a high level of green technology research, and construct a high-quality green campus.
Specific actions and results：
1）Economize the construction of the campus through research of “green technology”
Tongji University has developed rapidly in recent years with a lot of new construction projects in addition to renovating existing, older buildings. The university has applied the concept of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and environmental protection in infrastructure constructions during the new building projects. The methodology of the construction integrated energy-saving, water-saving, land-saving, materials-saving and environmental protection technology according to local conditions. In particular, the university has decided to use an automatic control system for temperature and lighting control to enable greater energy savings.
In addition, Tongji University also uses solar energy, reuses water, and has energy-saving technologies in the students’ bathrooms. In the Wenyuan Building, the university does not only maintain the historical features of the building, but also builds the concept of eco-building by using technologies such as geo-heat pumps, thermal insulation systems, rainwater collection and recycling systems. In 2006, the university saved 12 million Yuan due to energy savings, among which management savings in energy costs accounted for 74 percent and technical means for about 26 percent.
2）Spread information about the universities "carbon footprint", establish the concept of energy conservation, be an advocate of green campus life, and start the work of clear emission reductions
Tongji University encourages its students to conserve energy and to understand their individual energy costs and carbon footprint. The University also incentivizes environmental action through the initiatives like “Green Tip”. In addition, the school has also set up a special energy-saving management committee, and established the Office of Energy Management. Teachers and students also play a key role to develop various kinds of energy-saving systems, and the Office of Energy Management often collects innovative energy-saving ideas from students.
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