Today, as the world faces such challenges as climate change, financial inequality, and trade imbalances, saving the planet is a matter that cannot be delayed. NPUST and the Taiwan Soka Association jointly organized the “Soka SDGs x Seeds of Hope and Action Exhibition” holding the opening ceremony on December 20th at the first floor of the NPUST Library and Exhibition Hall. The event was used to introduce the United Nations SDGs to people together with details about the “Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and the “Earth Charter Initiative”. Through the diversified, interactive content of the jointly-organized exhibition, hopes are that the related issues will resonate with more members of the public and together, people will focus on sustainable development.
NPUST President Chang-Hsien Tai said “NPUST has agriculture at its core. Today, global climate change is causing rapid climate changes, and for the school it is a mission that cannot be delayed. In recent years, our school has been promoting smart agriculture and hopes to use smart technology, big data and the Internet to integrate all aspects of knowledge and machinery in order to improve agricultural development. Yet still, mutually beneficial sustainability work cannot be done alone as it is closely connected to all fields. Therefore, we must rely on everyone’s joint efforts. We also hope that by laying the roots through education, there will be a sense of empathy for the situation and we will be able to promote positive development this generation.”
The core theme of the exhibition is “its starts with one, it comes from the heart.” The idea that it “starts with one” expresses that with one sentence and one action, everyone’s strength can be exerted. And “it comes from the heart” is a hope that from the bottom of people’s hearts they will recognize that together with the environment they are a community of life— both you and I have the ability to make changes for sustainable development. The exhibition is divided into 4 major areas: the “Entrance Area”, “Theme Area”, “Interactive Area”, and “Achievements Area”. The “Entrance Area” introduces the origins and philosophy of the exhibition and ideas behind the SDGs. The “Theme Area” presents the stories of eight activists from Taiwan and abroad and calls on the public to take action to change the surrounding environment. The “Interactive Area” uses entertaining and educational activities to demonstrate ways to implement SDGs into one’s own life. And finally, the “Achievements Area” exhibits the achievements of college and graduate students who have been practicing the SDGs in their own lives. For example: students who have exerted creativity and taken action through such activities as mountain garbage collection, interviewing foreign migrant workers about their lives and work, and sharing with the community. The presented materials aroused enthusiastic responses among visitors.
NPUST has cooperated with Soka many times over the years, holding such activities as the Gandhi, MLK Jr., and Daisaku Ikeda Exhibition, the Symbiosis in Nature Exhibition, and a number of Soka performances. In 2004, on the university’s 80th anniversary, Prof. Chang-Hung Chou (an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) was serving as president of the university. At the time he awarded an “Honorary Doctor of Agriculture” to Daisaku Ikeda, the president of Soka Gakkai International in recognition of his dedication to campaigns for culture, education and peace as well as his contributions to global sustainable development.
The teachers and students of the school are sparing no effort to fulfill their social responsibilities. Since 2014, the university has been awarded first place in the country on the GreenMetric University Ranking every year for eight consecutive years—and in 2020, it came 31st worldwide. In 2020, NPUST was also awarded USR University Social Responsibility “Life Co-Prosperity” and “Eco-Benefit” awards from Global Views Magazine. In 2021, the school won first prize in the “Eco-Benefit Group” of the same awards. In the 2021 World University Impact Evaluation published by the Times Higher Education (THE) in the United Kingdom, NPUST ranked 400 worldwide and came first in the Taiwan among universities of science and technology. In 2021 the university also won the “14th TCSA Taiwan Enterprise Sustainability Award-University Category-Platinum Award”.
Soka Gakkai Taiwan is committed to cultural, educational and peace-seeking activities with the aim of creating the highest quality of life and promoting the friendship and peace for mankind. This humanistic organization has been awarded the “Executive Yuan Award” and the “Religious Public Welfare Award” (formerly Outstanding Religious Organization Award) from the Ministry of the Interior 19 times. It has also received the “National Social Organization for Public Welfare Contribution Award” (formerly Excellent Society Award) from the Ministry of the Interior 22 times. For contributions to education, it was awarded the “Social Education Contribution Award” (formerly the Social Education Contribution Award) 9 times and the “Art Education Contribution Award” twice. Adding to this, another four times the organization was awarded the “Arts & Business Award” by the Ministry of Culture (Website http://www.twsgi.org.tw). This year, in order to deepen members’ understandings of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the association invited Dr. Eugene Chien, chairman of the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), to give a keynote speech on the “Paris Agreement × SDGs Starting the Global Transition” in March.
