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It has been so exciting to observe how our ‘Biking Habitat’ project on the sustainable development of our university has grown up from a small students’ project into a reality, with the first trendy cycling station open on campus, and our representatives out riding the bikes and promoting sustainable transportation.
The cycling station was not only fully designed by my classmates, but also funded by money fundraised through our activities. This project had started as a small case study of the MDP/Global Classroom Program on sustainable development here at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
Our supervisor, Prof. Rafis Abazov, has not only overseen the project, but also spent evenings working with us on design, dealing with bureaucracies, contributing to strategies for fundraising and helping to create a buzz. Our message? It’s cooler to ride a bike than a Lexus SUV on our campus.
I learned many things from my sustainable development classes and experience, but the following five are probably most important:
1. Start small
Global environmental problems and the future of the whole planet begin on our streets and in our campuses – so we should always start small.
2. Communicate both online and off
Communication is very important to scale up projects – including communication not only on the internet and social networks, but also through ecological training and face-to-face communication.
3. Learn the rules of the game
Sustainable development is not just a boring exercise – it is also a kind of ecological game, with heroes, leaders and intrigues in dealing with different groups and corporate leaders. To succeed, you have to learn the rules of the game.
Sustainable development is a process which has starting points and also very concrete benchmarks and achievements. We can see not only real outcomes like a cycling station on campus, but also the networks of people who will continue to together work despite all the challenges.
5. Stay visible!
The ecological literacy of the population will gradually increase and people will know more about sustainable development. But for this to happen, it needs visible projects like us building biking stations, having our representatives out riding the bikes and us organizing events to raise not only money but also awareness.
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Sustainable Development on Campus: Five Lessons
Guest Writer
Updated Aug 08, 2016Save
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Guest post: Ainash Sagyndykova
It has been so exciting to observe how our ‘Biking Habitat’ project on the sustainable development of our university has grown up from a small students’ project into a reality, with the first trendy cycling station open on campus, and our representatives out riding the bikes and promoting sustainable transportation.
The cycling station was not only fully designed by my classmates, but also funded by money fundraised through our activities. This project had started as a small case study of the MDP/Global Classroom Program on sustainable development here at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
Our supervisor, Prof. Rafis Abazov, has not only overseen the project, but also spent evenings working with us on design, dealing with bureaucracies, contributing to strategies for fundraising and helping to create a buzz. Our message? It’s cooler to ride a bike than a Lexus SUV on our campus.
I learned many things from my sustainable development classes and experience, but the following five are probably most important:
1. Start small
Global environmental problems and the future of the whole planet begin on our streets and in our campuses – so we should always start small.
2. Communicate both online and off
Communication is very important to scale up projects – including communication not only on the internet and social networks, but also through ecological training and face-to-face communication.
3. Learn the rules of the game
Sustainable development is not just a boring exercise – it is also a kind of ecological game, with heroes, leaders and intrigues in dealing with different groups and corporate leaders. To succeed, you have to learn the rules of the game.
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4. Track your progress
Sustainable development is a process which has starting points and also very concrete benchmarks and achievements. We can see not only real outcomes like a cycling station on campus, but also the networks of people who will continue to together work despite all the challenges.
5. Stay visible!
The ecological literacy of the population will gradually increase and people will know more about sustainable development. But for this to happen, it needs visible projects like us building biking stations, having our representatives out riding the bikes and us organizing events to raise not only money but also awareness.
Ainash Sagyndykova is an undergraduate student at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
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