The vision of the Technion Sustainability Frontier: The Technion will provide an exemplary model for local, national and global sustainability through its education and research programs and through its organizational conduct and community behavior.
The Technion, as the oldest and main technological institution in Israel, bears the responsibility of educating engineers and scientists and acting at the forefront of research and development to promote environmental issues.
Israel is facing serious problems to preserve the environment; we must protect water sources from pollution, we must maintain clean air that will allow breathing without disease, we must preserve the landscapes of the homeland, the rivers, its mountains and the natural flora and fauna populations – and ensure sustainable development, that is sensitive to the needs the environment and the possibility of damage to its delicate fabric.
Science, technology and engineering are essential means to ensure preservation of the environment and ensure development that does not damage and destroy the environment. As an institution that educates engineers and scientists, the Technion is obliged to include the environmental aspect in its work, recruit the best knowledge and talent and all this in order to develop the country without harming the environment in which we live.
In May 2000, Prof. Yoram Avnimilech, together with Dr. Ofira Eilon and under the leadership of the Samuel Neaman Institute, initiated the “Green Campus” project out of a deep conviction that it is not enough to talk about environmental conservation – one must also take action. This pioneering project laid the foundation for what would become a true revolution in sustainability within academic institutions in Israel.
In 2013, Prof. Daniel Orenstein from the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning established the Sustainability Center and developed it into a leading research hub, with the goal of transforming the Technion into a green campus that not only integrates sustainability into its thinking but also implements it as a model for everyone who enters its gates. The initiative gained momentum, and a decade later, the Sustainability Frontier was established as part of the vision of Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan, aimed at promoting interdisciplinary research, breaking down barriers between faculties, and creating collaborative research centers that would drive scientific and technological breakthroughs.
In 2021, the Sustainability Center was restructured under the Operations and Infrastructure Division. This framework provides targeted responses to a wide range of sustainability areas related to organizational management, in full cooperation with all campus stakeholders, particularly the Building and Maintenance Division, Procurement and Tender Division, Human Resources, Safety Unit, Entrepreneurship Division, Social Incubator, Student Dean’s Office, Student Union, the Ecological Garden, the Central Library, and more.
The Sustainability Frontier is led by the Sustainability Council, composed of representatives from the faculties, the Operations and Infrastructure Division, the Deputy of the Senior Vice President for Sustainability, Prof. Avner Rothschild, and the Sustainability Frontier Manager, Orly Mulla. This organizational structure ensures maximum coordination among all Technion units and enables optimal use of resources and talents.
The Front operates horizontally across various campus units, administrative and academic staff, faculties, the Student Union, and other stakeholders, centralizing sustainability activities throughout the campus.
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