Examiation of the environmental sustainable campus model in the case of Ege University

The concept of sustainability, which has been the subject of numerous scientific researches in recent years, means to meet the needs of present and future generations and while ensuring that the balance of ecosystem is not disturbed. Universities can be defined as educational institutions that have emerged in order to meet the needs of societies. Universities are among the most important institutions that enable the society and the country to get developed. University campuses are in constant interaction with the city. Since the university campuses have more than one unit, they offer similar features to cities and offer the opportunity to experiment for the realization of new applications, and enable the adoption and development of new applications. Within the scope of this study, the concept of sustainability and criteria for sustainable campuses were examined; the international certification systems that are the control mechanism for university campuses in terms of sustainability criteria were investigated, the campuses that can be named as the pioneers in sustainability from the world and Turkey have been analyzed and criteria for sustainable campus were determined. A survey was conducted with academicians working at the university in order to measure whether the Ege University Campus, which is chosen as a sample area, carries sustainability characteristics. According to the results obtained by examining Ege University campus in terms of sustainability criteria; it has been determined that the campus is in a good condition according to the criteria of "sustainable transport system"; while there is a need of improvement according to the "ecological landscape, sustainable waste management, education and progress" criteria and that the campus doesn't ensure the criteria of "energy and resource conservation, community participation and providing partnerships". As a result of the study; short, medium and long term proposals have been developed for Ege University Campus to reach sustainable campus qualifications using all the data obtained through the research.