PROMOTING CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

Campus  sustainability is an effort taken by universities almost throughout the world to ensure mutual prosperity in the future. Similarly, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has initiated efforts to achieve a sustainable campus at the university level. This article aims to develop a framework for a manual on campus sustainability assessment suitable for UKM. This framework will be developed based on several well-known sustainability frameworks such as the Campus Sustainability Assessment Framework (CSAF), Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS), Green Matrix UPSI, and Sustainable UKM. These frameworks include various types of assessment elements, its sub-elements, and indicators. Meanwhile, based on the results of previous studies, the researchers have developed a more concise framework for assessing the elements of sustainability in UKM in terms of economy, design, and social. This framework includes three main elements and seven sub-elements of Economy (energy management, water management, waste management), Design (infrastructure and facilities, transportation), and Social (landscape and recreation, and safety). This framework can be used to assess whether the facilities or services provided on the UKM campus ensures sustainability. Furthermore, a survey was conducted to test the knowledge and practice of campus sustainability as a part of the formation of this assessment manual.