UGM has long been popularly known as Blue Campus, made famous by the novel written by one of its lecturers, Ashadi Siregar. This campus now goes green.
The matter of "blue" and "green" is certainly not just a matter of color. Green campus that is constantly being built is the concept of educational areas that pay attention to environmental issues. It is not surprising that UGM is now implementing a number of policies, which are directed to support the effort to become an environmentally friendly campus.
UGM does not just jump on the world bandwagon, UGM’s concern for the environment was among the first instead. Evidentially, the green campus concept had been developed in the former leadership of (the late) Rector, Prof. Dr. Koesnadi Hardjasoemantri, S.H, ranging from street vendors improvement, reforestation and nurseries of rare tree around campus, to the traffic arrangements of vehicles and Kaliurang road closure plans.
As a form of the greening program, Prof. Koesnadi even made the decree to form UGM Green Campus Team. Resources obtained from the University Archives Office recorded that the task of the team, among others, was to determine the types of plants based on their habitat and make the design of planting and landscaping on campus.
Especially for rare tree nursery, this is done gradually to replace the trees in the forest between campus buildings, in addition to reforestation. Replacement of the rare tree has another meaning for the conservation of the plant itself. In turn, it can also address noise pollution and air pollution. At the time publlic vehicles still passed through the campus. In the Rector Memorandum period 1986-1990 was also mentioned the policies to make education areas at UGM as pollution and noise-free campus.
For now, the concept and implementation of green campus that has been followed up, among others, include the vision of educopolis campus , which is an environment that is conducive to the learning process in the context of the development of multidisciplinary collaborations and responsive to ecological issues in order to achieve the university vision. One of the efforts made to realize the vision of development and management of the aforementioned educopolis campus is to control the flow of motor vehicle traffic in UGM through disincentives. This pattern is expected to reduce access for the public who have nothing to do at the university. It is necessary to keep the tranquility of the learning process and reduce the potential of traffic accidents, air pollution, noise pollution, and lawlessness in the area of campus.
Therefore, guard portals were established. In addition, all academicians who use motor vehicles have also register for a Vehicle Identity Card (KIK). In addition, the use of KIK also aims to: (1) reduce use of paper (tickets) in order to control the safety of motor vehicle from acts of theft, (2) control the number of vehicles (especially cars) that park in crowded parking locations