Cairo University, led by University President Dr. Mohamed Othman Elkhosht and under the supervision of Dr. Mohamed Sami Abdel Sadiq, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development, announced the launch of the Carbon Literacy Initiative in cooperation with the German Hans Seidel Foundation, to spread awareness and promote sustainable environmental practices within and without Cairo University.

According to Dr. Elkhosht, the Carbon Literacy Initiative aims to raise awareness and educate university employees about the concept of the carbon footprint and its environmental and climate impacts, and to introduce them to the measures that can be taken to reduce this footprint in order to achieve sustainable development The initiative, he added, encourages participants to innovate and find practical and sustainable solutions to the environmental challenges around them.

The President of Cairo University pointed out that carbon literacy means understanding the causes and effects of daily carbon emissions with a view to making a real difference in the way we deal with climate change; developing a culture of carbon reduction is crucial to achieving Cairo University’s goals for sustainable development. The initiative, he explains, comprises a variety of activities and events including interactive lectures and workshops on our carbon footprint, the effects of climate change, and the importance of renewable energy and sustainability; in addition, a magazine and podcast will be produced on sustainability and climate change issues and solutions to them.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mohamed Sami Abdel Sadiq, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development, said that the Carbon Literacy Initiative reflects the crucial and pivotal role played by Cairo University in raising awareness about the importance of sustainability and environmental protection in Egypt and combating climate change, in addition to encouraging innovation and creative thinking to address various environmental challenges. He pointed out the university’s recent launch of a new carbon literacy project through the Sustainability Office of the Community Service and Environmental Development Sector, with the aim of achieving net zero emissions and avoiding the effects of climate change: this is one of the university’s most important priorities currently, being one of the university’s strategic goals as a fourth-generation university with a view to achieving SDS (Sustainable Development Strategy) Egypt Vision 2030.

Dr. Suhair Ramadan Fahmy, General Coordinator of the Sustainability Office at Cairo University, explained that the Carbon Literacy Initiative will effectively contribute to spreading awareness and promoting sustainable environmental practices within Cairo University and outside it, and will constitute a valuable contribution to moving towards a more sustainable society and a better environment, noting that access to all the activities and resources provided by the initiative is free of charge for all participants.
Also worthy of note is that for the second time in a row, Cairo University won first place in the Most Environmentally Friendly University competition organized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in cooperation with the relevant governmental bodies. Cairo University established an office for sustainability among Egyptian universities in 2020, and ‘green offices’ were also established within the university’s various colleges and institutes with the aim of achieving the provisions of the university’s strategic environmental plan within the framework of SDS Egypt Vision 2030.