Green Campus Paradigms for Sustainability Attainment in Higher Education Institutions-A Comparative Study

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to explore the current Green practices implemented in Malaysia higher education institutions towards sustainability attainment by developing a multi-disciplinary comprehensive policy framework to further extend the collaboration among sustainability practitioners in providing integrated data on Green indicators linked to economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability in higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach Primary data which comprises of sustainability archival documents from sixteen universities in Malaysia was employed to explore the extent of Green practice for sustainability. In addition, this study also utilized secondary data from existing literature on sustainable development in Malaysia higher education institutional context. Findings Findings from the examined sixteen universities and prior sustainability studies in Malaysia universities suggest that higher education institutions in Malaysia are presently implementing Green practices in their university campuses towards attaining sustainability. Research limitations/implications Qualitative data is only collected from higher education institutions in Malaysia. Hence, findings from this study cannot be generalized to universities in other countries. Practical implications This study provides insights towards infusing Green campus paradigms from technological perspective to facilitate the exchange of information between sustainability practitioners in order to produce innovative solutions for addressing sustainability challenges. Social implications This research developed a policy framework that provides trans-disciplinary approach to be adopted by higher education institutions in Malaysia and further beyond towards attaining sustainability. Socially, this study provides Green indicators that act as reference manual and road map towards sustainable development in higher education institutions. Originality/value A novel multi-disciplinary comprehensive policy framework is developed grounded on identified Green indicators integrated to provide information on how sustainability practitioners can implement Green practices paradigms across universities. Furthermore, the Green indicators can be employed as metrics to provide data for Green practice measurement and monitoring in higher education institutions