The University of Sri Jayewardenepura is proud to announce that it has become the “First Carbon Neutral University in South Asia” by insetting its Greenhouse Gas emissions in accordance with The Carbon-Inset® Guideline.
Recognizing the importance of climate action, many leading universities around the world have pledged to become carbon neutral by ensuring that there is no net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, using mechanisms such as carbon offsetting and insetting.
In light of this, USJ became the first University in South Asia in October 2022 to report its GHG emissions in accordance with the ISO 14064-1 Standard. The 1000-acre forest restoration project of the University in Karuwalagaswewa, Puttalam District, was recently awarded the ISO 14064-2:2019 Certification.
With this certification, and following the requirements of the Carbon-Inset® Guideline, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura is now certified as a Carbon-Inset® Institution according to globally accepted standards.
This achievement positions the university as a leading “Green University” in South Asia and Asia, while setting a new standard for environmental sustainability among Sri Lankan universities.
The “Carbon Neutral USJ” project was initiated in 2019 by the Center for Sustainability of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, and the road to carbon neutrality involved setting up a Carbon Management Team to report and manage the university GHG inventory.
The development of a carbon sink to inset the GHG emissions of the university via restoration of 1000–acre forest land was led by Prof. Priyan Perera (Director, CFS), Mr. Kosala Gunawardene (Forest Manager), Mr. Oshan Ratnapala and Mr. Rajitha Rupasinghe and many student volunteers of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science. The third-party verification of the GHG inventory and forestry project was performed by the Sustainable Future Group; a leading Validation and Verification Body in Sri Lanka which is accredited by The International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
The Center for Sustainability of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science further expects the fullest support of the USJ community in implementing future “green practices” in the university to reduce the university carbon footprint.
The University of Sri Jayewardenepura is now eligible to use the “Carbon-Inset® Institution” logo and is encouraged to incorporate it into university affiliated websites, prospectus, advertising and promotional materials, and official documents.
Click here to download the guidelines for use of ISO Logo
Click here to download image “Carbon-Inset® Institution Logo (Full BLACK on Transparent Background)”
Click here to download image “Carbon-Inset® Institution Logo (Full Colour on White Background)”
The official ceremony for the award of the ISO 14064-2/3 certificates will be announced in due course.
