Every two years National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) publishes a Sustainability Report to keep its stakeholders and the general public informed about its efforts and performances in sustainable governance, financial management, environmental sustainability and social co-prosperity. The school also responds to the interests and concerns that stakeholders raise when it comes to sustainability issues. NPUST’s “2022 Sustainability Report” was submitted to the 2023 TCSA Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards, where it won the gold medal for the “University Sustainability Report” category. Such an honor is a clear affirmation of the efforts the university is making in environmental sustainability (E), social responsibility (S) and school governance (G).

For the past several years, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has been actively promoting various ‘sustainable development’ related measures as part of its effort to help implement Taiwan’s sustainable development goals and achieve its 2050 net-zero emission objective. This year, the university was a candidate for the Executive Yuan’s 2023 Annual National Sustainability Development Award on account of its “Smart Agriculture Sustainable Development Plan”. After the rigorous preliminary review of the plan and an on-site briefing consultation and examination, NPUST stood out among the contenders and won this year’s award in the Education category. On November 30, President Chin-Lung Chang personally accepted the award, which was presented by Taiwan’s Premier, Chen Chien-jen.

On December 1 (‘23), the NPUST Department of Forestry and Ching Jinglin Education Foundation held their annual tree-planting activity at the NPUST’s “Baoli Practice Farm”. The cooperative project, which began in 2019, has become a model for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and university social responsibility (USR). Over the past five years, 4,000 saplings have been successfully planted as a result of the activity, with a survival rate of over 90%. Taking account for biodiversity, the tree species planted this year include such native species as Philippine drypetes, Cinnamomum reticulatum, and persimmon.

National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), the Association of Taiwan Organic Agriculture Promotion, and the Agricultural Technology Park Administration Center (Ministry of Agriculture), held a conference on November 16 and 17 (2023) at the NPUST Convention and Exhibition Hall. For the two-day “Organic Agriculture Production and Marketing Strategy Seminar”, experts in the field, including Chung-Ching Huang, head of the Agricultural Resources Section of the Agricultural and Food Agency (MOA), and Ting-Lin Chang, director of the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station (MOA) were invited to discuss “Taiwan’s Organic Agriculture Promotion Strategies” and “Taiwan’s Organic Seed Mass Production Strategies”, respectively. The seminar included discussions on the application of microbial preparations, organic crop cultivation production management technology, organic crop pest control, organic agricultural product processing, organic agricultural product marketing, and carbon emission reduction cultivation technology of organic farming. A fruitful exchange of research results took place between experts and scholars at the seminar, in what was a rare opportunity for such a group of people with grand ideas for the development of organic agriculture in Taiwan to get together in one room.