Environment Policy

The Özyeğin University Çekmeköy Campus Facilities, as a goal and a principle, encourage all their faculty, staff, students, visitors, on-campus businesses/lessees, neighbors, affiliated contractors, and suppliers to take the necessary actions, meet the necessary requirements, and provide all of the necessary information and resources in order to protect the environment.

The Energy Management System is an integral part of the Environmental Management System, and energy management is addressed within the scope of environmental management. To that end, Özyeğin University aims to contribute to sustainability by continuously improving its energy performance across various dimensions, including energy efficiency, energy utilization, and overall energy consumption.

In all of its activities, Özyeğin University strives to carefully evaluate any potential environmental hazards to reduce environmental risks to acceptable levels, satisfy the requirements of internal and external authorities, and turn these requirements into opportunities.  Likewise, Özyeğin University guarantees that it will protect the environment, help reduce environmental pollution, increase energy efficiency, comply with the effective legislations, satisfy the compliance requirements, analyze its environmental dimensions and impact, and continuously improve its environment management system to increase its environmental protection performance.

Sustainable resource use for environmental protection entails recycling, putting emphasis on water quality, air quality, and energy performance, minimizing climate change, and protecting biodiversity and ecosystems.

Özyeğin University senior management guarantees that they will duly fulfill all of their commitments, take the lead for the Environmental Management System, and ensure quality assurance for all of these processes.

Environmental Protection and Risk Management 

Özyeğin University factors in environmental criteria when making investment decisions. Due caution and care are exercised against the potential environmental impact of all activities.

The Özyeğin University campus houses green and sustainable buildings. The University also makes sure that all its new buildings are environmentally friendly.

Environmental hazards are identified, starting from the planning stages to the completion of all facilities, new construction projects, academic activities, or any events in which Özyeğin University is involved.

Environmental hazards are identified, and necessary precautions to minimize environmental risks to acceptable levels are planned in compliance with the effective laws and legislations.

Reactive, proactive, and preventive approaches are adopted to minimize the risks. To that end, faculty, staff, students, visitors, and subcontractors constitute the key stakeholders of the risk identification and analysis process.

In an effort to effectively identify environmental hazards, communication channels are created to notify all of the stakeholders of any close calls or incidents as well as any potential threats.

In selecting materials, equipment, and systems, more environmentally friendly options are preferred. Necessary precautions are taken against any spills and leaks that may occur during the transportation, storage, and use of environmentally hazardous materials.

Third parties (i.e. neighbors, the public) that may be affected from our operations will be informed about potential threats, if any, and the precautions taken against such threats.

Environmental Awareness 

The environmental management system must be designed in a way to ensure that it is adopted by students, faculty and staff, and made an integral part of their lives. Therefore, Özyeğin University sees environmental awareness as a key element of its organizational culture. Hence, it is the primary responsibility of all academic and administrative directors to create and develop a mutual understanding, as well as shared beliefs, habits, and values pertaining to environmental awareness among all stakeholders.

Özyeğin University’s environmental awareness is firmly grounded on ensuring and encouraging all stakeholders to safely share and exchange environmental knowledge, effectively distinguish acceptable behavior from unacceptable, always question and target for excellence, take personal responsibility and accountability for all their actions.

Özyeğin University promotes and supports organizing training programs, seminars, events, and other similar activities to increase environmental awareness.

Waste Management 

Özyeğin University endeavors to minimize, reuse and /or recycle any potential waste in order to prevent environmental pollution. In selecting materials, systems, and methods, careful attention is paid to the selection of more energy efficient options in order to reduce waste at the source, and minimize waste or loss. Embracing the zero waste approach, waste is minimized, reused, recycled, and disposed of in accordance with the effective laws and legislations. Technological developments are closely monitored to identify the best methods for waste management.

Hazardous waste resulting from the construction of new buildings as well as the University’s academic and administrative activities are identified, collected, transported, and disposed of using the most convenient methods, without causing any harm to human health and the environment.  All waste resulting from academic and administrative operations in the University’s facilities is sorted and properly disposed of.

All students, subcontractors, on-campus businesses/lessees, affiliated subcontractors and suppliers, as well as faculty and staff are informed about the University’s efforts towards environmental protection and waste management, and are encouraged to effectively assume their own share of environmental responsibility.

Energy Management

Energy efficiency at Özyeğin University is maintained through an energy management system in which all administrative decisions and end user behavior are well-planned and continuously monitored with a robust and well-organized facility infrastructure. To that end, the University adopts a comprehensive approach to energy management. This approach covers energy management,  facility infrastructure and facility management. The University uses its energy resources effectively, shows due care and attention for renewable and alternative energy resources, recycles waste energy, and minimizes its energy losses. Furthermore, the University closely follows up on technological developments, and places a special emphasis on energy efficient technologies. In all new investment, purchasing, and improvement projects, energy efficiency and environmental friendliness are always prioritized as key considerations.

Water Management

Özyeğin University is committed to minimizing water consumption and reusing water. To ensure the preservation and sustainability of water resources, water consumption is monitored, reported, and minimized through a continuous improvement approach. The University aims to improve its water efficiency and performance, and adopt innovative technologies to minimize environmental impacts related to water throughout its life cycle. Drinking water is also obtained using technological solutions.

Sustainability 

The University’s environmental management system must be sustainable. The system must be designed in a way that will be easily adopted by students, faculty, and staff, and be an integral part of their lives. Therefore, it will be ensured that the environmental management system is rational and practical, continuously evolving and developing to incorporate the latest global and technological developments.

Communication and Awareness Management 

Özyeğin University builds the necessary organizational structure to inform its stakeholders, and obtain their opinion about the environmental impact of its activities and how the University manages this impact. This organizational structure entails providing information to the relevant parties and taking the necessary actions based on the feedbacks received. 

Özyeğin University also offers training to all students, faculty, staff, subcontractors, and on-campus businesses/lessees in order to raise their awareness about their share of roles and responsibilities in ensuring the effective implementation of the environmental management system. 

Moreover, students, faculty and staff also closely follow technological developments about environmental protection, preservation of biodiversity, reduction of environmental pollution, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Furthermore, they endeavor to raise the public’s awareness through campaigns, events, posters and brochures.

Change Management 

Prior to implementing any changes that might affect the current processes and services, Özyeğin University promptly takes the necessary actions to maintain its environmental performance. The University identifies and implements a list of rules to review, replace, or terminate any risk controls that are no longer needed or that have become ineffective due to any changes to its operation, location, and activities.

Monitoring and Improvement of Environmental Performance 

Özyeğin University develops and monitors its key performance indicators to keep track of and continuously improve both the environmental impacts of its processes and the performance of its environmental management system, with the ultimate goal of improving its overall environmental performance. To that end, careful attention is paid to select objective and guiding indicators.

Reviews and Inspections

Compliance with the rules in place is systematically reviewed and inspected. Such reviews and inspections are conducted by the authorized staff, and the results are objectively recorded and evaluated. Following the reviews and inspections, the necessary actions are promptly taken with due diligence to resolve any identified issues or to achieve the set goals.