Impact
About
Biruni University is committed to advancing sustainability through education, research, and community engagement. Our sustainability vision is rooted in the principles of environmental responsibility, social equity, and ethical governance. We aim to integrate sustainability into all aspects of university life by supporting the global Sustainable Development Goals while addressing local an...
Education
Innovative Curriculum
Biruni University integrates sustainability principles across its undergraduate and graduate curricula, reflecting its commitment to educating responsible and future-oriented graduates. Sustainability-related courses are designed to embed environmental, social, and ethical perspectives into education, ensuring that students develop a holistic understanding of sustainable development within their respective disciplines.
The curriculum includes a wide range of courses addressing key sustainability themes such as environmental sciences, public health, sustainable healthcare systems, renewable energy, climate change, ethics, social responsibility, and societal well-being. Through these courses, students are encouraged to think critically, develop interdisciplinary perspectives, and engage with real-world sustainability challenges that extend beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.
In total, 193 courses offered across different faculties and academic units have been identified as contributing to sustainability education at Biruni University. These courses span diverse academic fields, demonstrating the university’s comprehensive and cross-disciplinary approach to sustainability integration in education.
Each course has been mapped to its primary Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to better illustrate Biruni University’s educational contribution to global sustainability efforts. This mapping highlights thematic strengths, faculty-based distributions, and areas of academic focus, while also demonstrating the university’s institutional alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through its curriculum structure.
Track Progress & Achievement
Biruni University offers sustainability-focused track programs designed to guide students in developing specialized competencies. These programs support continuous learning pathways that combine academic coursework, research exposure, and applied projects. Track programs enable students to monitor their academic and practical progress in sustainability-related fields and to prepare for careers aligned with sustainable development.
Experiential Learning
Biruni University adopts an experiential learning approach that emphasizes learning through practice. Students are encouraged to engage with real-world sustainability challenges through project-based courses, internships, field studies, community initiatives, and campus-based sustainability projects. This approach allows students to apply theoretical knowledge, develop problem-solving skills, and contribute directly to sustainable solutions.
Research of the Month
Sustainability in Action
Green Campus Operations
Smoke Free Campus
Waste collecting and recycling bins and Awareness programmes
Accessibility
Refill stations and awareness programmes
Energy Conservation Applications
Sensor-operated faucets and Sensor-operated Led Lights
Solar Power Plant Project:
Biruni University has implemented a large-scale Solar Power Plant (SPP) project as a key component of its sustainability strategy, aiming to increase the use of renewable energy and reduce its environmental impact.
The solar power plant is installed on an area of approximately 150,000 square meters and has a total installed capacity of 16 MWp (DC) with 12.8 MWe (AC) grid connection power. The system is designed using high-efficiency monocrystalline N-Type TOPCon bifacial solar panels with a glass-glass structure, ensuring long-term durability and optimized energy generation.
With an annual electricity production capacity of approximately 25 million kWh, the solar power plant is capable of meeting nearly 70% of the University’s total annual electricity consumption. This significantly contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering the University’s carbon footprint.
Beyond energy production, the project also serves as a living laboratory that supports education, research, and awareness-raising activities related to renewable energy and sustainability. It plays an important role in aligning Biruni University’s practices with global sustainability frameworks, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), as well as international higher education sustainability rankings.
Through this investment, Biruni University reinforces its commitment to clean energy transition, environmental responsibility, and data-driven sustainability management.
Rain water harvesting:
Rainwater Harvesting System
Biruni University has implemented a Rainwater Harvesting System as part of its commitment to efficient water management and sustainable campus practices.
The system includes a rainwater harvesting reservoir with a storage capacity of 3,000 liters, designed to collect and store rainwater for reuse. Harvested rainwater is utilized primarily for non-potable purposes, such as landscape irrigation and maintenance activities, helping to reduce the demand for mains water resources.
This initiative supports the conservation of water, enhances resilience against water scarcity, and contributes to lowering the University’s overall water footprint. By integrating rainwater harvesting into campus operations, Biruni University promotes responsible water use and increases awareness of sustainable water management practices.
The project aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and reflects the University’s broader sustainability vision focused on resource efficiency and environmental stewardship.
Landscape and Environmental Applications
Biruni University adopts a water-efficient landscape design approach to enhance green areas while minimizing water consumption across the campus.
The landscape design incorporates grass areas, dwarf plants, dwarf pines, and ornamental pine trees, selected for their suitability to the local climate and lower water requirements. To further optimize water use, the irrigation system is equipped with rotating sprinkler heads, which ensure uniform water distribution and reduce unnecessary water loss.
Irrigation is carefully managed with a controlled schedule of 30 minutes per day across a total of 2,500 m² of green area, divided into short irrigation cycles of approximately 3 minutes per zone. This system results in an average water consumption of approximately 1,500 liters per day, corresponding to around 45,000 liters per month.
Through efficient landscape planning and smart irrigation practices, Biruni University reduces water consumption, supports healthy green spaces, and reinforces its commitment to sustainable campus management. This initiative contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
Biruni Student Movement for a Sustainable Future
At Biruni University, we view sustainability not just as a concept, but as an integral part of our campus culture and educational philosophy. The activities led by our student clubs are the most vivid evidence of this perspective. Our students, with an awareness of environmental sustainability, collect trash along the Marmara Sea coast, distribute organic seeds, and create artwork from recycled materials. Through awareness events on topics such as "Plant-Based Nutrition" and "Water Efficiency," they draw attention to the critical impact of individual consumption habits on the future of our planet. These efforts aim to place sustainable living practices at the center of daily life.
We also do not forget the social and societal dimensions of sustainability. In line with the principles of social sustainability and inclusion, our student clubs organize support visits to schools in disadvantaged areas, providing health screenings and hygiene education to children. They strengthen the culture of solidarity through projects addressing the needs of disabled individuals, the elderly, orphaned children, and stray animals. They contribute to the protection of public health by organizing awareness campaigns and fundraising events on issues such as leukemia, autism, and addiction. At Biruni, every student is trained not only with professional expertise but also with a sense of social responsibility, becoming an individual who takes action for a sustainable world.
Some of our events:
Tree Planting Event Held
https://topluluklar.biruni.edu.tr/index.php/duyuru/fidan-dikme-etkinligi-gerceklestiildi/
Event Name Link
Marmara Sea Day Coastal Clean-up Event (Climate and Energy Society) (Listed in Annual Activity Report) https://www.biruni.edu.tr/doc/Biruni-Universitesi-2023-2024-Egitim-Yili-Faaliyet-Raporu.pdf
Ekoyaşam Promotion Stand and Awareness Activity (Ekoyaşam Society) https://topluluklar.biruni.edu.tr/index.php/ekoyasam-toplulugu/
“The Voice of Nature” Piano Recital (Climate and Energy Society) https://www.instagram.com/iklimenerji_biruni/
Recycling Tree Project (Art and Design Society) https://www.instagram.com/birunisanatvetasarim/
Route of Kindness – Mardin Midyat Acırlı Fatih Primary School (USET) https://www.instagram.com/rotamiziyilikprojesi/reels/
Route of Kindness – Eyüp Akpınar Primary School (USET) https://www.instagram.com/rotamiziyilikprojesi/reels/
Talk with Medical Doctors: Plant-Based Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (Ekoyaşam Society) https://topluluklar.biruni.edu.tr/index.php/ekoyasam-toplulugu/
Darülaceze Nursing Home Visit (Biruni Occupational Therapy Society) https://www.instagram.com/p/DJTxc01sbII/
Rectorate Cup: Fight Against Addiction Tournament (Biruni Young Green Crescent Society) https://topluluklar.biruni.edu.tr/index.php/duyuru/bagimlilikla-mucadele-rektorluk-kupasi-voleybol-turnuvasi-basliyor/
Disability Awareness Week Stand and Awareness Activity (Barrier-Free Biruni Society) https://www.biruni.edu.tr/haberler/haberler/3-aralik-dunya-engelliler-gunu-nde-erisilebilirligin-onemi-vurgulandi
Paw Friends Festival (Animal Rights Society) https://www.instagram.com/p/DIOHHIqN131/
Orange Cookie Workshop (LÖSEV Benefit Society) https://www.instagram.com/p/DJbqRQWo46f/?hl=am-et
May 9 Gluten-Free Nutrition Seminar and Workshop (Nutrition and Dietetics Society) https://www.instagram.com/p/DJUAAbKs7kI/
Disadvantaged School Project (Preschool Teaching Society) https://www.instagram.com/p/DG5YHWmt9yI/
One Book One Film Project (USET – for disadvantaged groups) https://www.instagram.com/hayhakbiruni/
World Autism Awareness Day Event (Occupational Therapy Society) https://topluluklar.biruni.edu.tr/index.php/etkinlikler/otizm-farkindalik-etkinligi/
Bridge to the Future Project (Biruni Psychological Counseling and Guidance Society) https://www.instagram.com/p/DIj1cuINavp/
Maroon Hearts, Blue Future (Biruni University Trabzonspor Society) https://www.instagram.com/p/DPRi8xNjIFl/
Water Efficiency Awareness Conference (Climate and Energy Society) https://www.instagram.com/iklimenerji_biruni/
Transforming Seeds Workshop (Climate and Energy Society) https://www.instagram.com/iklimenerji_biruni/
Communities
BUDSA - Biruni University Dental Students' Association
Our community aims to be by the side of students, both socially and professionally, throughout their challenging academic lives. It aims to integrate the latest developing technology into your lives as much as possible and, as a result, to make you the best in your fields. The philosophy of our community stems from the spirit of solidarity of our togetherness and our 12 core community values that light our path. Additionally, through social responsibility projects we organize with you, we will encourage you to fulfill your responsibilities toward the society we live in and the world we share. If you want to be the changing side in your faculty life and want to be a part of that change, there is a big place for you in our community. We look forward to seeing you in our community this year. Ad Lucem!
Dance Community
Our Dance Community aims to inform students under the roof of Biruni University about dance training and activities, to develop the talents of dance enthusiasts, and to bring dance lovers together. It also aims to activate various styles of dance that students can engage in outside of class within the framework of social and cultural activities, catering to their individual interests.
Sports Community
Sports is an important factor in maintaining physical health. Therefore, the aim of the Sports Community is to instill a love of sports in students and help them develop regular exercise habits. The university has Men's and Women's Volleyball, Men's Basketball, Men's Futsal, and Men's-Women's Muay Thai teams. School sports teams that participate in the Unilig league and various competitions represent our university.
Cinema Community
The aim of the Cinema Community is to bring together students who are interested in cinema to create a platform for collaborative work, to understand and convey the culture that cinema brings with it, and to organize film screenings.
Art and Design Community
The aim of the Art and Design Community is to contribute to the development of relations between university students as well as between students and professionals in the sector, to organize various trips for architectural purposes, and to prepare a suitable environment where engineering faculty students can freely and contemporarily express themselves around their common interests and ideas.
Ergotherapy Community
The Ergotherapy Community was established with the aim of raising awareness and informing people, both within and outside of school, about physical and mental disabilities. In this context, the goal also includes advancing the Ergotherapy department to a further level through congresses, symposiums, and panels.
Biruni PDR Community
The aim of our community is to grow in our field with the awareness that we are the future of science and the future Biruni graduates, to prioritize activities that benefit society, to organize training sessions, seminars, and community events in the field of Psychological Counseling and Guidance (PDR), and to participate in social responsibility projects.
Newcomers Community
The aim of the Newcomers Community is to create an umbrella organization and provide infrastructure support for the social, intellectual, and cultural activities that university students can carry out in order to freely express themselves around their common interests and ideas across all fields.
Ombudsman Community
The aim of the Ombudsman Community is to spread the concepts of rights, law, the rule of law, fairness, and the sense of justice among university students.
Software - Blockchain Community
The aim of the community is to teach Blockchain technology, the technology of the future, to students and members, to help them produce new projects as a team, and to bring those projects to life.
Nature Activities Community
The aim of the Nature Activities Community is to explore and research the natural beauties of our country through all kinds of outdoor sports, to work toward preserving and promoting them, and to organize social and academic events for this purpose.
Quality Community
The aim of the Quality Community is to instill a quality mindset in students and increase their participation in quality processes, to carry out quality studies at both national and international levels involving students, and to ensure the sustainability of the quality culture at our university.
Wrestling and Judo Community
The aim of the Wrestling and Judo Community is to help individuals who love self-confidence, cooperation, and sharing reflect the team spirit in the best possible way through technical practice, and to assist individuals who aim for a sociable and strong future in continuing their great steps toward personal development, enabling healthy thinking and stress-free sports activities. Among their goals is to inform people that wrestling is our ancestral sport and deserves to be cherished and promoted, and to represent the school in national and international tournaments.
Biruni Young Goodness Community
As a community, our aim is to recognize and cherish the values of goodness, helping, sharing, and solidarity. In line with these goals, various projects will be developed, and panels, conversations, and conferences will be organized. Regular visits will be made to nursing homes and children's homes.
Community Volunteers Community
The Community Volunteers Community, with the participation of our university students, aims to carry out voluntary activities on every kind of topic on a non-profit basis for the benefit of future generations. We also aim to go beyond local organizations by participating in national and international events, thereby expanding the chain of volunteerism.
ERASMUS Community
The aim of the Erasmus Community is to support incoming exchange students throughout their relevant processes, to inform and assist students from our university who will be going abroad for study or internship through the Erasmus Program, to best introduce our country, city, and university through social events, and to work in coordination with the International Relations Directorate and the Health, Culture and Sports Directorate in order to maintain and improve our university's success in the Erasmus student exchange program.
YediHilal Community
The aim of the YediHilal Community is for us, the youth who are the source of hope for the future, and our fellow students at the university to grow into individuals who can think clearly, make sound decisions, take responsibility, read and articulate what they have read, fulfill their duties in society, and be aware of themselves and their surroundings; and to help our peers in developing these qualities while maintaining a spirit of solidarity.
Pre-School Community
The aim of the Pre-School Community is to raise more active and highly aware individuals, both socially and personally, among students of the pre-school education department or students interested in the field, and to instill the necessary professional knowledge and skills by organizing social and academic events in every area involving children.
Our community aims to be by the side of students, both socially and professionally, throughout their challenging academic lives. It aims to integrate the latest developing technology into your lives as much as possible and, as a result, to make you the best in your fields. The philosophy of our community stems from the spirit of solidarity of our togetherness and our 12 core community values that light our path. Additionally, through social responsibility projects we organize with you, we will encourage you to fulfill your responsibilities toward the society we live in and the world we share. If you want to be the changing side in your faculty life and want to be a part of that change, there is a big place for you in our community. We look forward to seeing you in our community this year. Ad Lucem!
Dance Community
Our Dance Community aims to inform students under the roof of Biruni University about dance training and activities, to develop the talents of dance enthusiasts, and to bring dance lovers together. It also aims to activate various styles of dance that students can engage in outside of class within the framework of social and cultural activities, catering to their individual interests.
Sports Community
Sports is an important factor in maintaining physical health. Therefore, the aim of the Sports Community is to instill a love of sports in students and help them develop regular exercise habits. The university has Men's and Women's Volleyball, Men's Basketball, Men's Futsal, and Men's-Women's Muay Thai teams. School sports teams that participate in the Unilig league and various competitions represent our university.
Cinema Community
The aim of the Cinema Community is to bring together students who are interested in cinema to create a platform for collaborative work, to understand and convey the culture that cinema brings with it, and to organize film screenings.
Art and Design Community
The aim of the Art and Design Community is to contribute to the development of relations between university students as well as between students and professionals in the sector, to organize various trips for architectural purposes, and to prepare a suitable environment where engineering faculty students can freely and contemporarily express themselves around their common interests and ideas.
Ergotherapy Community
The Ergotherapy Community was established with the aim of raising awareness and informing people, both within and outside of school, about physical and mental disabilities. In this context, the goal also includes advancing the Ergotherapy department to a further level through congresses, symposiums, and panels.
Biruni PDR Community
The aim of our community is to grow in our field with the awareness that we are the future of science and the future Biruni graduates, to prioritize activities that benefit society, to organize training sessions, seminars, and community events in the field of Psychological Counseling and Guidance (PDR), and to participate in social responsibility projects.
Newcomers Community
The aim of the Newcomers Community is to create an umbrella organization and provide infrastructure support for the social, intellectual, and cultural activities that university students can carry out in order to freely express themselves around their common interests and ideas across all fields.
Ombudsman Community
The aim of the Ombudsman Community is to spread the concepts of rights, law, the rule of law, fairness, and the sense of justice among university students.
Software - Blockchain Community
The aim of the community is to teach Blockchain technology, the technology of the future, to students and members, to help them produce new projects as a team, and to bring those projects to life.
Nature Activities Community
The aim of the Nature Activities Community is to explore and research the natural beauties of our country through all kinds of outdoor sports, to work toward preserving and promoting them, and to organize social and academic events for this purpose.
Quality Community
The aim of the Quality Community is to instill a quality mindset in students and increase their participation in quality processes, to carry out quality studies at both national and international levels involving students, and to ensure the sustainability of the quality culture at our university.
Wrestling and Judo Community
The aim of the Wrestling and Judo Community is to help individuals who love self-confidence, cooperation, and sharing reflect the team spirit in the best possible way through technical practice, and to assist individuals who aim for a sociable and strong future in continuing their great steps toward personal development, enabling healthy thinking and stress-free sports activities. Among their goals is to inform people that wrestling is our ancestral sport and deserves to be cherished and promoted, and to represent the school in national and international tournaments.
Biruni Young Goodness Community
As a community, our aim is to recognize and cherish the values of goodness, helping, sharing, and solidarity. In line with these goals, various projects will be developed, and panels, conversations, and conferences will be organized. Regular visits will be made to nursing homes and children's homes.
Community Volunteers Community
The Community Volunteers Community, with the participation of our university students, aims to carry out voluntary activities on every kind of topic on a non-profit basis for the benefit of future generations. We also aim to go beyond local organizations by participating in national and international events, thereby expanding the chain of volunteerism.
ERASMUS Community
The aim of the Erasmus Community is to support incoming exchange students throughout their relevant processes, to inform and assist students from our university who will be going abroad for study or internship through the Erasmus Program, to best introduce our country, city, and university through social events, and to work in coordination with the International Relations Directorate and the Health, Culture and Sports Directorate in order to maintain and improve our university's success in the Erasmus student exchange program.
YediHilal Community
The aim of the YediHilal Community is for us, the youth who are the source of hope for the future, and our fellow students at the university to grow into individuals who can think clearly, make sound decisions, take responsibility, read and articulate what they have read, fulfill their duties in society, and be aware of themselves and their surroundings; and to help our peers in developing these qualities while maintaining a spirit of solidarity.
Pre-School Community
The aim of the Pre-School Community is to raise more active and highly aware individuals, both socially and personally, among students of the pre-school education department or students interested in the field, and to instill the necessary professional knowledge and skills by organizing social and academic events in every area involving children.
