Dr. Golda Edwin of APSCC addressed the 7th Annual ISCN Conference at the National University of Singapore — presenting on what a sustainable campus looks like in a developing country in the plenary “Growth vs. Sustainability: Are These Mutually Exclusive Goals?”
The International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) convened its 7th Annual Conference in June 2013, co-hosted with the National University of Singapore. Gathering university leaders, sustainability practitioners and researchers from across the world under the theme “The Future is Now,” the conference examined how higher-education institutions can turn sustainability ambitions into concrete campus practice.
A developing-country perspective in the plenary
Representing APSCC, Dr. Golda Edwin delivered a plenary presentation titled “Growth vs. Sustainability: Are These Mutually Exclusive Goals?” Her contribution addressed a question too often absent from campus-sustainability discourse: what does a sustainable campus actually look like when it is built in a developing country, where budgets are tight and growth pressures are acute?
Drawing on APSCC's on-the-ground experience, Dr. Edwin argued that growth and sustainability need not be mutually exclusive. She set out an approach grounded in three pillars — cost-effective solutions that work within real budget constraints, community engagement that roots sustainability in local ownership, and sustained education and awareness that changes behaviour over the long term.
Voices on the plenary stage
Dr. Edwin joined a lineup of distinguished keynote speakers who framed the conference's dialogue on sustainability and cities.
Campus Sustainability Awards
The conference also recognised leading institutions through the ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Awards, celebrating excellence across four categories.
- Excellence in BuildingUniversity of Gothenburg
- Excellence in CampusLappeenranta University of Technology
- Excellence in IntegrationChatham University & Anglia Ruskin University
- Student LeadershipZhejiang University
“Growth and sustainability are not opposing forces — in a developing country, cost-effective solutions, community engagement, and education can make them one and the same goal.”
Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals
APSCC's contribution to ISCN 2013 advanced several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals — embedding quality education, resilient and sustainable cities, climate action, and global partnership at the heart of the campus-sustainability agenda.
