Fo Guang University responded to "International Forest Day" on March 20 by holding an MOU signing ceremony and carbon reduction declaration event. The university's Vice President, Ma Yuanrong, represented the school and officially signed a cooperation memorandum with Wang Shengyuan, General Manager of Leadership Enterprise Management Consulting Company. The two parties will collaborate to promote various environmental sustainability programs and foster green development.
During the ceremony, several sustainable education partners from learning cities jointly signed and witnessed the event. Among them were Chen Yuhua, founder of Green Jiquan; Lin Hongda, manager of Touceng Leisure Farm; Xu Zhenyu, chairperson of the River Education Alliance; Luo Shutang, lecturer at Taoyuan Lushan Community University; and Wu Xuemei, section chief from the Charity Organic Agriculture Development Foundation in the Northern Region, along with other colleagues. Together, they signed the Net-Zero Carbon Action Declaration, demonstrating their commitment to working toward sustainable development.
Vice President Ma Yuanrong stated that Fo Guang University actively promotes campus transformation with the aim of rooting and expanding the concept of net-zero sustainability, creating a net-zero learning environment, and enhancing the practice of green living among students and faculty. The university aspires to become a key driver of the net-zero transformation. Fo Guang University is not only a green university but also a forest university, with a unique ecological environment and excellent learning resources. Moving forward, the university will uphold the concept of "global thinking, local action" to promote intelligent innovation and green sustainable development, striving to become a leader in higher education toward a sustainable future.
Director of General Affairs Liu Jincai further emphasized that in response to the government’s "2050 Net-Zero Transformation 12 Key Strategies" and the "Net-Zero Green Living" initiative, the university is actively building a green campus covering all aspects of life, including food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, recreation, and shopping. The university advocates healthy vegetarian diets, energy saving and carbon reduction, and promotes a circular economy for renewable resources. Through courses, research, educational outreach, and environmental creation, Fo Guang University deepens net-zero education. The university also strengthens collaboration among departments, reducing carbon footprints and emissions, saving energy and water, ultimately building an international green university that integrates ESG standards, AI intelligence, and environmental sustainability concepts.
At the event, participants gathered at the sustainable forest area and used their mobile phones to take location-based photos while planting 40 Taiwan cedars and 20 cowberries, demonstrating their commitment to reforestation and carbon sequestration. This also commemorated the 10th anniversary of "Green Jiquan." Professor Zhou Hongteng explained that from 2021 to 2024, the university and Green Jiquan social enterprise carried out 10 tree-planting events to achieve carbon neutrality. The planted native trees included cowberry, small-leaf camphor, hairy persimmon, Fo Guang tree, arborvitae, Cinnamomum japonicum, oil pine, and willow, totaling 569 trees. If each tree sequesters an average of 12 kg of carbon, the average annual carbon sequestration will reach 6,828 kg, and in 20 years, it will total 136,560 kg. This initiative successfully translates the SDGs into immersive teaching practices, such as "location-based tree planting," creating a link between knowledge, awareness, and action, which helps empower students and faculty to adopt sustainable living on campus and in the community.
The United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) address urgent global issues. Fo Guang University’s Sustainable Planning Office will continue to promote the "Sustainable Living Lab," combining ecological resources with societal needs through field investigations, interdisciplinary collaboration, and hands-on courses. The goal is to guide students in learning how to address climate change and environmental challenges, cultivating sustainable literacy and social responsibility. The university will continue to deepen sustainability education and nurture talent in the fields of AI and sustainable development, establishing itself as a practical base for higher education's transition to a sustainable future.
