September 2024 - Sustainability Newsletter

!Together - leading sustainability on campus

Partnership for Sustainability Conference

The preservation of the environment and the prevention of the worsening climate crisis are growing challenges for all of humanity.
The "Partnership for Sustainability" conference, held on June 17, 2024, by "Sustainability Front," aimed to bridge academia and industry to create innovative solutions for environmental and climate challenges.
The event, attended by over 100 researchers, entrepreneurs, government representatives, and students, had a practical focus, demonstrating to the audience how academic research can be harnessed to develop eco-friendly technologies and how existing resources can be maximized optimally to benefit the environment and successfully address the climate crisis.

Summary and Photos from the Event

Transition to Renewable Energies in Israel

A seminar on the transition to renewable energies in Israel, viewed from different perspectives, was held at the Technion and organized by Ohad Schindler, Head of Academia at Ignite The Spark and a civil and environmental engineering student at the Technion, in collaboration with the interdisciplinary graduate program in energy (GTEP) and the Technion Sustainability Center.
The event featured speakers from various sectors of the energy industry, providing a comprehensive and diverse perspective on the future of renewable energies in Israel.

For the full conference program

Student Events

This year (2023-2024) was a very challenging one, with a delayed start due to the war operation. Despite this, the Technion Sustainability Center, in collaboration with the Technion Student Association (ASAT) and the Human Resources Department, organized a variety of events and enrichment opportunities for the Technion community (students and staff) focusing on sustainability.
Wednesday Afternoons: Second-hand market on Valentine’s Day, Tu Bishvat (Israeli Arbor Day), A lecture series on FoodTech, Student Enrichment Lecture: Hydrogen as the fuel of the future, Staff Enrichment Lecture: Global warming.

Participation in the Hult Prize Competition

The Hult Prize is a global competition where student ventures solve the world's problems (SDGs), with the first-place winner receiving $1 million!
This is the first year Israel is participating, with teams from the Technion taking part.
A campus-wide call for proposals was announced, followed by a local competition to select the winning team.
The team chosen to represent us in Europe is Harmony, which focuses on hormonal monitoring for women to improve pharmaceutical research tailored to them.
The second-place team was CommU, and we all hope the global foundation selects them to advance to the next stage as well.
For more information about the competition, feel free to visit the Hult Prize website.

Earth Day at the Technion

Throughout the year, the Technion promotes technological solutions for advancing a sustainable world, but that alone is not enough!
If each of us becomes aware of our impact on the environment, together we can be part of the solution!
Watch the video and get some tips on how to be eco-friendly on the Technion campus.

Watch the video

Campus Carbon Emissions Survey

Since 2017, the Technion has been reporting Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. In 2023-2024, the Technion calculated Scope 3 emissions for the first time.

Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from the campus, such as the Technion's security vehicle fleet.

Scope 2 emissions result from the purchase of electricity and fuels used on campus to generate power.

Scope 3 emissions relate to all services and goods consumed on campus, as well as products generated from local activities such as waste, food, and commuting.

Events Without Disposable Utensils

In our daily routine, the Technion has already transitioned to reusable utensils. Offices, faculties, and various units are equipped with reusable dishes and dishwashers in their kitchenettes.
The campus challenge: addressing the use of disposable utensils at various events.
Now, we offer you a solution...
Planning an event for up to 50 participants?
ASAT has purchased a set of reusable utensils available for you to borrow!
For more details, contact: [email protected]

Joining Forces

The Technion Sustainability Front strengthens and promotes interdisciplinary collaborations to create initiatives that lead to a sustainable world.
Climate-Tech Magazine published
Calcalist published
Aren't you curious to read?

For the full article

Education for Sustainability

The Technion has the power to lead the sustainability challenge as a leader in education, research, and innovation, becoming a "green campus" that serves as an example to the entire Technion community and demonstrates creativity and innovation to those around us.
During both semesters of the 2023-2024 academic year, the campus Sustainability Center supported the course "Innovation, Creativity, and Happiness" (Course No. 324518), focusing on new initiatives and means to transform the Technion into a green and sustainable campus.
"Be the change you want to see in the world." If there are things that bother you, come and change them with close support and guidance all the way to practical solutions.

Bicycle Repair Stations

To all members of the cycling community,
The steep inclines on campus present a challenge for creating bike paths that meet traffic standards. However, efforts to make the campus bike-friendly are paying off, and a comfortable bike path with a gradual slope now stretches from the entrance gate to the heart of the campus.
For the convenience of cyclists, bicycle parking facilities are available near selected buildings and key points on campus. Additionally, the Facilities and Maintenance Department has now set up bicycle repair stations across the campus.
Ride safely!

Call for Proposals: "The Campus as a Living Lab"

The Technion Sustainability Front (TSF) aims to advance sustainability efforts across the Technion with the goal of harnessing the Technion's capabilities and resources for advanced, significant, and inspiring environmental outcomes.

To promote the development of solutions for a sustainable world through basic and applied research and to support new research activities at the Technion aimed at using the campus as a living laboratory to reduce harmful environmental and climate impacts, the TSF issued a call for proposals. Twelve research proposals were submitted, with nine projects receiving a total of 900,000 NIS in funding.

The TSF supports and promotes new collaborations between researchers from various fields and departments, in the form of seed projects with the potential to evolve into larger projects with external funding.