The Center for Environmental Protection and Occupational Health of National Chi Nan University was established on Dec. 26, 2001 as a department-level unit responsible for promoting the health of the campus environment and its employees.

Objectives

The Center is committed to maintaining the sustainable operations of the university campus while ensuring the occupational safety and health of its employees. NCNU is built upon the core values of sustainability, environmental consciousness, comfort, and safety as a certified green university.

Mission Statement

The Center is entrusted with the mission of researching and drafting environmental and safety laws pertaining to the health of the campus and its employees. Administrative duties include following up on the university's implementation of related regulations set forth by the government.

Key Initiatives

Upon the twin pillars of formulating and implementing the green development of this campus, the Center follows the blueprint outlined by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals to achieve a better and more sustainable future for the university.

From embarking on international exchanges to promoting domestic awareness and servicing local communities, the Center combines research and lifestyle advocacy with administrative control to effectively lower emissions and energy consumption and instill the values of sustainability and service. The Center hopes to foster a true sense of comradery among students and staff that will unite neighboring schools, adjacent communities, and regional governments.

The Center aims to help the NCNU campus prioritize:

1. Environmental friendliness

2. Circular economy

3. Environmental education

4. Safety and comfortability

5. Regional sustainability

6. International partnerships

• Water recycling plan

NCNU has well-designed rainwater recycling systems. It currently has building-rainwater recycling systems, on-ground water-collecting tanks, and ecological pools in place. All of the buildings in NCNU built in 2009 and later have rainwater recycling systems to collect rainwater for watering purposes, so as to diversify the water sources.

The reclaimed water recycling system includes two ecological pools, namely Sun Pool and Moon Pool, which are excellent rainwater recycling pools and allow NCNU to leverage rainwater efficiently.

NCNU’s reclaimed water recycling system was financed by the Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan; the construction cost was 11.5 million NTD. Currently, the 600-m3 domestic wastewater produced daily by the university’s students and staff is first treated to obtain the water quality required by the environmental protection laws and then used for purposes other than drinking and human-contact water. The daily recycled water amount is 480 m3; this is reused for toilet flushing, gardening, ground sprinkling, tree watering, green-land irrigation, and fountains to conserve water resources and reduce the pollution load of water. The annual water saved amounts to about 132,000 m3, equivalent to 2.11 million NTD of water charge. Not only are the resulting economic benefits fruitful, but the contribution to ecological education and sustainability is enormous as well.

• Production of campus renewable energy

To reduce energy use, NCNU has actively increased the use of renewable energy on campus. It now has solar photovoltaic power generation equipment with a capacity of 64.6KW. In March 2007, the 10kWp solar photovoltaic system was installed in the Science & Technology Building III, with an annual output of 12,000kW. In December 2009, 54.6kwp solar photovoltaic systems were installed in the Science & Technology Buildings II, III, and IV, contributing to an additional 60,000 kW of electricity. The power generated using renewable energy is directly delivered to campus buildings for use, leading to a reduced use of the grid. By doing this, NCNU has set a great model for environmental protection and invites the community to visit the university to observe the solar photovoltaic systems and learn about the importance of renewable energy.  

CNU installed a wind power system at the Science & Technology Building I. The wind turbine is turned as wind passes through its blades. Aided by an accelerator, the turbine converts the kinetic energy into electrical energy, which directly supplies power to the buildings on campus, reducing the university’s overall electricity demand from the grid. By doing this, NCNU has set a great model for environmental protection and invites the community to visit the university to observe the solar photovoltaic systems and learn about the importance of renewable energy.

NCNU is sponsored by the Central Region Water Resources Office (of the Water Resource Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs) to construct a rainwater retention facility, which consists of a micro-hydroelectric power system. As rainwater flows through the pipeline, it turns the generator, which produces electricity for the buildings on campus, reducing the university's overall electricity demand from the grid. A display area has been set up on site to help visitors obtain an understanding of the facility.

When installing the new (accessible) elevator in the Multi-Purpose Classrooms Building B, a regenerative energy device was also installed to reuse the energy emitted by the elevator by feeding it back to the building, effectively reducing the overall electricity demand from the grid.