Evaluating the performance of Green- University based on the UI GreenMetric: A case study of Esfarayen University

Introduction: In the past few decades, Iran has been affected by major environmental problems due to the dominance of industrial and economic development policies and short-term planning. Many researchers believe that applying and following sustainable development patterns can provide a way out of these issues. In the meantime, universities are recognized as educational and research centers because of their important role in culture building and educating society in the areas of social economy and environmental responsibility. The term "green university" has also been introduced in relation to this role. A Green University is a university that considers health, safety, and environmental protection issues in all its educational, research, transportation, construction, reconstruction, and service activities and works with optimal use of resources to achieve sustainable development criteria. The concept of a green university emphasizes the integration of sustainability in all aspects of university life, creating a model for other institutions. Universities play a pivotal role in raising awareness and fostering an environmentally conscious culture among students and staff, which can lead to broader societal impacts. Supporters of this plan believe that within the framework of the green university, we can move towards a green city and world.

The initial ideas of creating a green university can be traced back to the 1970s and earlier. For the first time, the idea of a green school was proposed in 1997 at the Stockholm Convention, and now, after several decades, the idea of green management has surpassed the level of schools and universities in European countries. In 2015, green management guidelines were sent to all universities and science and technology parks in the country. Based on the mentioned instructions, all universities, research centers, and science and technology parks were required to form a green management strategic council. Considering that the university is considered an investment in human resources, it plays an essential role in realizing the prospects of sustainable development and a healthy society. Therefore, in this research, considering the current conditions of the country, the region, and the university, steps will be taken towards the realization and expansion of sustainable development.

Materials and methods: The present research was developed to provide the necessary conditions for achieving and aligning the plans with the goals of green development in the Esfarayen Technical and Engineering Higher Education Complex. Esfarayen Technical and Engineering Higher Education Complex is one of the young universities of the country and is located in North Khorasan, Esfarayen city. This university has 79,900 square meters of infrastructure and nearly 2000 students are studying there. To achieve the goals of the Green University in this complex, the target areas were determined, and to achieve these goals, various standards such as BREEAM, LEED, CASBEE, GreenStar NZ, and UI GreenMetric standards were examined. The mentioned standards are among the prominent standards for the evaluation of green buildings. They first determine the different areas of green building implementation and use different indicators to evaluate each area.

Among the reviewed standards, the UI GreenMetric standard is the only standard that examines universities in a specialized way. This standard was created in 2010 by the University of Indonesia (UI) as a standard for ranking universities based on sustainable development criteria. The purpose of developing this standard was to create an online database to display various policies and programs in the field of sustainable development for universities around the world. The classification system is based on the environment, economy, and the same conditions, and the indicators, categories, and weightings are selected in such a way that it is possible and accessible for most universities as much as possible without orientation and bias. In 2010, this standard was able to issue certificates for 95 universities from 35 countries, while the scope of this organization has increased to 912 universities in 84 countries in 2020. Therefore, it can be claimed that this ranking system has become the only ranking system of universities in the world based on sustainable development criteria. In 2021, a version of this standard was published in the context of the Corona epidemic, which widely affected the activities of universities around the world. Considering the above conditions, this standard was chosen to evaluate the basic condition of Esfarayen University.