Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has launched the Green Campus Movement: From UGM to the World as part of its commitment to creating a safer, more comfortable, healthier, more orderly, and sustainable campus environment. Through the movement, the entire academic community is encouraged to build a more environmentally friendly mobility culture by walking, cycling, using UGM electric buses, and using private vehicles more responsibly.
UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia said the Green Campus Movement encourages the academic community to use various mobility options available on campus, depending on their needs.
“Through simple changes in our daily activities, we hope to create a campus area that is more comfortable for pedestrians, cyclists, campus transportation users, and motor vehicle users, while also contributing to efforts to reduce carbon emissions,” Professor Emilia said Tuesday (September 15) at the UGM Campus.
To support more sustainable mobility on campus, UGM continues to develop various supporting facilities. Since 2023, pedestrian pathways have been gradually improved to make them safer, more comfortable, shaded, and accessible to the entire academic community.
“UGM also provides campus bicycle services and electric buses that can be used to support mobility within the campus area,” she said.
Vice Rector for Planning, Assets, and Information Systems, Arief Setiawan Budi Nugroho, Ph.D., explained that these services are integrated through Simaster VNext. Through the application, members of the academic community can access various campus mobility support services, including information on campus transportation, bicycle services, and other features that support daily activities.
As part of the Green Campus Movement, UGM is also organizing access and encouraging responsible vehicle use through the gradual implementation of UGM Gate.
“This system is designed to support more orderly, safe, and efficient traffic and parking management while improving the convenience of mobility on campus,” he explained.
Through UGM Gate, members of the academic community are encouraged to register the vehicles they use through Simaster VNext so the system can automatically identify them at access points where it has been implemented.
“The implementation is being carried out gradually to allow members of the academic community to become familiar with the system, register their vehicles, and adjust to the new access patterns,” he said.
For Professor Emilia, the Green Campus Movement is part of the university’s commitment to supporting sustainable development while improving campus life. This is because major changes always begin with small steps taken consistently.
“Through this movement, we want to invite the entire academic community to work together to build a mobility culture that is safer, more comfortable, healthier, more orderly, and environmentally friendly,” she said.
In addition, UGM will continue to ensure that campus mobility meets the needs of the academic community and members of the public with business or other interests at the university. Various mobility facilities and services will continue to be developed so the transformation toward a greener campus can take place gradually and inclusively, benefiting all users of the campus area.
“The campus not only serves as a center for education and research, but also as a space for social learning that can set an example in building a more sustainable lifestyle. With the spirit of From UGM to the World, the university invites the entire academic community to become part of a collective movement toward a greener, healthier, more comfortable, and sustainable future,” she concluded.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Post-Editor: Jasmine Ferdian
Photograph: UGM Public Relations Documentation