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Focus on Sustainability

Sustainability is a core value of Carnegie Mellon University, and the Qatar campus embraces this value wholeheartedly. Our community is composed of faculty, staff and students, and together we are on a mission to work the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into every aspect of campus life.

First university in the MENA region to receive FEE Green Flag

In November 2024, CMU-Q was awarded the prestigious FEE EcoCampus Green Flag designation, becoming the first university in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to achieve this recognition. 

“For the last four years, our entire campus community—faculty, staff, and students—have embraced positive change and worked together to make CMU-Q a model for environmental stewardship.”
Michael Trick
Dean, CMU-Q

Based in Denmark, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is one of the world’s largest environmental education organizations, with more than 100 member organizations in 81 countries. The EcoCampus program empowers students to lead sustainable change, bring awareness to their peers, and encourage operational efficiency at their campuses.

sustainable-garden-cmuq

The heart of learning and life on campus

Sustainability is multifaceted and touches on nearly every aspect of campus life. Students can take specific courses in a variety of fields to learn more about the environment, ethics and equity, and many choose special projects to investigate specific angles and solutions.

Outside of the classroom, faculty, staff and students work continually to find new ways to reduce the carbon footprint, adopt more sustainable operational practices, and inspire others to make changes with the planet in mind.

 

Dean Trick signed a Sustainability Charter on Earth Day 2024, committing CMU-Q to environmental and social responsibility.

The EcoCampus Initiative

CMU-Q embarked on its ambitious EcoCampus journey in September 2020 under the leadership of Chadi Aoun, teaching professor of information systems, and the guidance of Ruba Hinnawi, technical lead at Qatar Foundation’s Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future, the national operator for EcoCampus. A committee of students, faculty and staff created a comprehensive plan to integrate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into all aspects of campus life.

In 2022, Jennifer Bruder, associate dean of research, and Elissar El-Akra Hajjar, director of facilities, became co-directors of the EcoCampus initiative. They mobilized a large community effort to transform the campus, focusing on three key areas: food equity, climate change, and campus waste management.

On Earth Day 2024, Michael Trick signed a Sustainability Charter on behalf of the CMU-Q campus community, and in November, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) audited the campus and awarded it the Green Flag designation.

“Genuine change can stem from a single individual, and I believe students need to remember the impact they can make when working together as a community.”

Faisal Al-Thani, EcoCampus student leader, Information Systems, Class of 2024