The 3rd UNTA Sustainability Course, which was jointly organized by the International Affairs Office and the Department of Tropical Agriculture, started on March 23 (‘22) and ran for a nine-week period. The online course covered a variety of themes, including energy, greenhouse gases, animal vaccines, and ecological conservation. International and inter-university in its design, teachers from different countries and different universities were invited to give lectures throughout the course. These teachers lectured from IPB University (IDN), University of Brawijaya (IDN), RMUTI (THA), Meizhou University (THA), Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (VNM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (MYS) and National Pingtung University of Science and technology (TWN). The course provided students with a better understand the meaning behind the Sustainable Development Goals and promoted the spirit of the United Nations’ 17 SDGs.

As it continues to gear itself towards university sustainable development, NPUST is combining the resources of all of its administrative units and seven colleges for the purpose of implementing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And at Times Higher Education (THE) 2022 World University Ranking, the university’s efforts have been recognized once again.

At the 2022 Global Views University Social Responsibility Awards, a new category for “Comprehensive Performance” was added to the mix—and right out of the gates, NPUST was named “Top Technical and Vocational School” in the category. Meanwhile, the university’s “Golden Waves of Rice Reconcile with the Land” project won the “Model Award” in the Ecological Common Good category.

With climate change and carbon emissions causing concern around the globe, agriculture is being looked to as the optimal path towards carbon sequestration and carbon neutrality. At National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), where agriculture gets primary focus, teachers are being encouraged to invest in the promotion of agricultural net zero and carbon sink technology as soon as possible. To further this agenda, Dr. Ho-Hsien Chen, the dean of the College of Agriculture, has put together intercollege and interdepartmental teams, and established the “College of Agriculture Office for the Promotion of Net Zero and Carbon Sink Tropical Organic Agriculture”. By harnessing the research energy of the members, the goal is to help the agro-industrial ecosystem achieve carbon reduction goals at lowest cost on all levels of production.

On March 3rd, Director Jie-Lun Chiang and four students of the NPUST Department of Soil and Water Conservation set up shop at Pingtung County’s Min Park to hold educational activities for visitors who came for the 2022 Environment & Disaster Prevention Results Exhibition. The exhibition included 40 booths which gave visitors a chance to view the results of work being done on environment and disaster prevention education in Pingtung and it also allowed them to participate in activities designed to share the experience of study in this field.

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.