1 November 2024: Bringing together students, researchers, industry experts, and sustainability advocates to address pressing environmental challenges, the AIT Office of Sustainable Campus organized the Sustainability Research Trends Workshop and SDG Research Trends Competition on 31 October 2024.
Attracting over 100 participants, the event highlighted AIT’s commitment to sustainability through technology, innovation, and alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The event featured three sessions focused on promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility across various domains. Encouraging participants to take an active role in supporting sustainability, Prof. Nitin Tripathi, Vice President for Academic Affairs, emphasized AIT’s goal of attaining Net Zero emissions by 2030, pointing to key campus-wide initiatives such as solar installations, recycling, and e-waste management.
Session 1: Drones Contribution to SDGs
Dr. Donald M. Ugsang, President of International Business, and Ms. Pranamya Yashavantha, Business Development Manager of DroneEntry (Thailand) Co., Ltd., showcased how drones can transform environmental monitoring, agriculture, disaster management, and infrastructure development. The presenters demonstrated how drone technology facilitates data collection and analysis, offering real-time insights for sustainability.
Session 2: Recycling for a Sustainable Campus
Led by Mr. Russell Rein, Vice President of Administration, this session underscored AIT’s vision of creating a “Botanical Campus” as part of its Net Zero 2030 goal. He highlighted the importance of collaboration and AIT’s commitment to impactful research for sustainable change. Mr. Brian Caraway, head of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program at the Yunus Center, Thailand, presented a framework for AIT’s zero-waste campus initiative. Focusing on recycling and EPR, he shared insights into AIT’s recycling programs and discussed sustainable waste management practices that benefit the environment and the community.
Session 3: Digital Carbon Footprint & Mitigation focused on the digital world’s environmental impact. Introduced by Mr. Voravate, Executive Director of AIT Extension, inaugurated Session 3 of the AIT Sustainability Research Trends Workshop, emphasizing the critical link between technology and sustainability. He highlighted the vast potential of digitalization, balanced by its environmental responsibilities. This session, led by Ian Chew from Greenie Web, delves into decarbonizing the digital landscape—a vital yet often overlooked field. Mr. Voravate Chonlasin underscored AIT’s dedication to sustainability and urged participants to adopt sustainable digital practices, reinforcing AIT’s role as a leader in environmental responsibility.
In the final segment, Ian Chew, Founder of Greenie Web—an award-winning ClimateTech startup in Singapore that develops low-carbon software solutions—introduced participants to digital sustainability, focusing on minimizing the carbon footprint of digital infrastructure. He addressed the environmental impact of common digital activities, such as email and data storage, providing practical steps to reduce digital carbon emissions. As digital platforms proliferate, Mr. Chew stressed the importance of sustainable practices in tech development and encouraged programmers and coders to integrate these methods into their work. Through UNESCO’s “29 by 29” initiative, Mr. Chew demonstrated practical techniques to lessen digital environmental impacts. He shared Greenie Web’s successful projects as examples of sustainable digital transformation across sectors.
Special keynote speaker Dr. Rajendra Shende, Founder Director of Green Terre Foundation and former UNEP Director, shared his insights on universities’ essential role in realizing a net-zero vision. He emphasized how universities can lead in skill and capacity development by utilizing sustainability resources and tools to actively reduce emissions. Dr. Shende highlighted that universities have the unique potential to act as living laboratories for sustainability, modeling practices and innovations that contribute meaningfully to a sustainable future.
The SDGs Research Competition showcased 15 innovative projects across 14 SDGs, covering topics from sustainable agriculture to digital health solutions. Winners included:
- First Prize (20,000 THB) – Biochar and Alternate Wetting and Drying Irrigation in Rice Production (Subesh Dhakal, Aliza Adhikari)
- Second Prize (15,000 THB) – Agro-meteorological Forecasts through Mobile Application (Shubham Anil Gade, Kathleen Auxtero)
- Third Prize (10,000 THB) – Vaccination of Nile Tilapia (Andrea Nathaly Pardo Valarezo)
Ms. Sireesha Bantu, Director of the Office of Sustainable Campus, called on participants to apply the insights gained to advance sustainability goals. The event reaffirmed AIT’s dedication to achieving Net Zero by 2030 and demonstrated the essential role of collaborative research in building a sustainable future.
