Duke Kunshan University (DKU) welcomed its Class of 2028 with the introduction of the innovative Climate and Sustainability initiative, enriching the traditional orientation experience with eco-conscious activities and hands-on learning opportunities to embed sustainable living practices into campus life.
As part of this initiative, students explored DKU’s eco-friendly sites and installations, attended a Green Living Station training module, and participated in a campus-wide sustainability treasure hunt.
Led by Dr. Coraline Goron, Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy, and Dr. Christopher Van Velzer, Dean of Student Experience, the initiative employed the campus as an open classroom, allowing students to gain practical knowledge in energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, biodiversity, environmental health and sustainable lifestyle choices.
“We wanted to create something that would involve all the students at orientation and introduce them to the topic of sustainability as a part of their identity at DKU,” Goron explained, “something they could participate in, experience and explore the campus in a different way.”
First-year students toured eco-savvy facilities such as solar panels, the efficient energy center, rooftop gardens, air purification systems, animal shelters, as well as the water harvesting and purification landscaping design. Students also learned about drinking water production, bottled water’s environmental impact, and community agriculture’s role in waste management and ecological cycles.
The initiative featured a Green Living Station where students were educated in calculating and reducing their carbon footprints. Students also learned about and practiced waste sorting following Kunshan City regulations.
The campus-wide treasure hunt enabled students to discover and understand DKU’s key ecological features, including bird-collision prevention window designs, advanced air quality monitors, LEED certification, as well as discover the field of environmental humanities.
Zhuo’er Chen, a Class of 2028 undergraduate, said the day was profoundly meaningful. “It inspires me to make conscious lifestyle choices and to create a more sustainable future. “
Before the activities, Professor Goron highlighted DKU’s green milestones. DKU’s campus, the first LEED-certified campus in China, integrates solar, geothermal, and other energy-efficient technologies with advanced air and water purification and filtering systems and a campus-wide sponge city design.
DKU has rolled out 27 courses on environmental policy, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem management in its undergraduate program, including the new Let’s Talk About Climate Change, listed in the course catalog as DKU102 and modeled after the Duke course of the same name. This fall, 19 professors co-teach this course to over 150 students using a blended, interdisciplinary approach to raise awareness of and discuss the implications of climate change for all fields of study.
Last year, a student club guided by faculty and staff issued DKU’s first sustainability report in collaboration to assess and suggest pathways to further improve the green credentials of its campus.
