Green university campus diagnosis model

Abstract

Sustainability is a topic that has proven to be the pillar for future development and growth. Worldwide, the initiative has already peaked and is constantly being improved throughout almost every sector. Particularly, in higher education establishments, campuses following Green Building strategies and sustainable solutions are beyond important as their direct influence on the community impacts the environment, the society and the economy. In Lebanon, the case is still new and rare to find within universities, making the issue of green facilities and sustainable measures essential to focus on. The impediment in this initiative is the lack of reliable green building rating models in Lebanon due to the conditions and unavailable options. This research aims at developing a model that evaluated the sustainable score or index of universities based on the set of criteria presented. The Green University Campus Diagnosis (GUCD) model is used to assess the availability of sustainable solutions and eventually provide a detailed ranking methodology of the alternatives considered. The model first evaluates campuses on a basis of public space, water management, energy, waste management and quality of life which compose the set of criteria. The methodology is built using the Shannon Entropy tool for evaluating criteria weights and the final ranking is based on the Preference Ranking Organization Method of Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE). The first of its kind model is based on analyzing four local, top tier and ranked universities. Results have been reviewed and overall, the sustainable initiative is available on a strong format, however improvements are required. The model targets managers, university directors, engineers and any practitioner related to the field as it provides a systematic multi-criteria rating and ranking methodology for any existing university campus.