April 23,
2017, Cairo – The American University in Cairo (AUC) celebrated Earth Week,
marking the University’s annual participation in international Earth Day on
April 22. This year’s festivities focused on cleaner and greener ways to live
on a day-to-day basis, while simultaneously celebrating the Earth’s natural
beauty. The theme for the week was inspired by the three main pillars of
sustainability at AUC: operations, research and academia. Combined, these
pillars encapsulate an appreciative attitude toward the environment, and Earth
Week’s activities aim to demonstrate this appreciation and awareness.
“Earth
Week provides the AUC community the opportunity to better inform themselves and
participate in activities that increase sustainability awareness,” said Yasmin
Mansour, AUC’s sustainability officer. “Every little effort we make contributes
greatly toward our sustainability progress. Earth Week gives us the chance to
be more conscious of our impact on the beautiful world around us.”
“Egypt
is facing an inevitable water, energy and food crisis,” added Peter Nasr,
adjunct faculty at the Center for Sustainable Development. “Approaching each
problem individually will not provide a sustainable solution given their
interconnectedness. The Center for Sustainable Development’s activities and
research aims to provide sustainable solutions contributing to solving present
and future challenges of water, energy and food.” In addition to research, the
Center for Sustainable Development’s strategy has two other main dimensions:
education and community service.
This
year, for the first time ever, AUC’s Earth week is a collaboration between the
Office of Sustainability, Center for Sustainable Development and the Research
Institute for a Sustainable Environment (RISE).
This
year’s Earth Week kicked off with an urban agriculture demonstration in New Cairo campus to encourage people
to green their homes.
Last
Wednesday, AUC hosted a session titled “It’s Not About Infrastructure; It's
About You! How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, Save the Earth and
Save Money.” The session featured a presentation by RISE researchers about
research on sustainable cities in Egypt and in Dubai, in addition to a game to
estimate our carbon footprints. A
panel titled “Addressing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus,” was held last Thursday.
The panel was followed by a tour of the Center for Sustainable Development
Water-Energy-Food Nexus lab. Peter Nasr also moderated a panel with three
sustainable development graduate students presenting their research work
related to water, energy and food.
Throughout
the day today, members of the AUC community took a short survey for the Go
Green Go Bus initiative. The AUC community also had a chance to learn more
about the University’s carbon footprint at “Tracking AUC’s Climate Impact: Five
Years of Data.” Khaled Tarabieh, assistant professor of sustainable design in
the Department of Architecture and co-author of the report, moderated a panel
on climate change in Egypt and AUC’s role. Panelists included Hassan El-Fawal,
dean of the School of Sciences and Engineering; Salah El-Haggar, chair of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering and associate professor in the Social
Research Center; and Hania Sholkamy,
associate professor in the Social Research Center.
Concluding
this year’s Earth Week will be a sunset safari today with Richard Hoath, senior
instructor in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition and supervisor of the
Core Curriculum, through AUC’s gardens, stopping along the way to tell the
story of the local plant and animal life on campus.
For
more information about the university news and events follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/aucegypt
And
Twitter @AUC
The American University in Cairo (AUC) was
founded in 1919 and is major contributor to the social, intellectual and
cultural life of the Arab Region. It is a vital bridge between East and West,
linking Egypt and the region to the world through scholarly research,
partnerships with academic and research institutions, and study abroad
programs. An independent, nonprofit, apolitical, non-sectarian and equal
opportunity institution, AUC is fully accredited in Egypt and the United States