Leading University Creating Innovation for Sustainable Future
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
2026 International Green Gown Award: Student Engagement
Finalist: Green from Within
Since 2023, The Green from Within: Building Green Habits and Transforming Communities through Student-led Sustainability Action has been a continuously evolving, multi-year initiative at Siam University’s Faculty of Nursing. It rests on the idea that genuine sustainability begins with individuals adopting consistent, science-informed “green habits” that then extend outward into communities. Nine fourth-year nursing students launched the project at Khlong Ladpachee community in 2023, with mentorship from faculty. The first year focused on the campus. The students established a baseline carbon footprint of 3.94 kgCO₂e per person per month and produced peer-made educational videos and QR-based surveys. They also ran campaigns such as the Energy Saving Challenge and One Green for One World. In total, 256 students took part voluntarily, and the project achieved a statistically significant 4.5% reduction in carbon footprint, approximately 1,097 kgCO₂e over three months (p < 0.05). In 2024, the project expanded to the Khlong Lad Phachi community. It set up PET bottle collection systems in two dormitories housing about 480 residents and gathered more than 50,000 bottles, over one ton in total. Working with community members, the students co-designed branded textile products made from this material. The resulting circular economy model raised community income by 80%, to between 3,000 and 5,000 THB per month. In 2025, the initiative grew further through peer-to-peer dissemination. It also deepened its partnership with the Government Savings Bank (GSB) under the Youth for Community Development Programme. The team co-presented its work at the Siam Fair Market, where it received recognition from the Deputy Governor of Bangkok. The project also gained institutional support as a possible framework for a sustainability curriculum aligned with the university’s UI GreenMetric strategy. Across all three years, the project has aligned with SDGs 12, 13, and 17. It offers a scalable, replicable model that links behaviour change on campus with tangible economic and environmental benefits for the community.
Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Sustainability
Siam University, together with a network of academic institutions and partner organisations, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS); Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, China; Thai–Chinese Commerce Association; Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Germany. hosted the 19th International Conference on 23-24 July 2026. The theme was “Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Sustainability: Innovations for Resilience, Responsible Growth, and Sustainable Futures.” The conference was attended by 159 academics, researchers, faculty members, students, and other interested participants. It provided a forum for exchanging knowledge, research, and innovations on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to environmental sustainability and responsible development. The conference addressed the following key themes:AI for environmental management and climate change adaptation, Green innovation and the transition to sustainable business, Smart cities, sustainable infrastructure, and digital technologies, the circular economy and resource efficiency,ESG: sustainability reporting, and data analytics, Renewable energy, smart grids, and digital transformation, AI ethics and responsible innovation, AI-enabled biodiversity conservation and environmental monitoring,
Love Siam, Love the Planet: Year 9
In the ninth year of the “Love Siam, Love the Planet” activity, 30 students and lecturers from the Hotel, Tourism and Hospitality programme in the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Siam University spent two months collecting plastic waste. The waste was given to Wat Chak Daeng, which recycles it into fibre that is woven into robes for monks.The activity aims to instil environmental responsibility in students through volunteer work, to raise their awareness of the need to address global warming, and to build the moral and ethical values that will enable them to serve society and the nation. As a result, students, as members of the nation’s younger generation, came together in a positive collective effort to help conserve the environment.
“Gen Z Cares for the Planet” Initiative
Students and faculty members from the Department of Animation and Creative Media, Faculty of Information Technology took part in “Gen Z Cares for the Planet,” a volunteer activity organised by the Wonder Kids Club in collaboration with the Red Cross Volunteer Alliance Project of the Thai Red Cross Society. The activity invited children, young people, and members of the public to contribute creatively to environmental protection. Activities included painting reusable cloth bags to help reduce global warming and a campaign to reduce electronic waste (e-waste). The bag-painting activity, titled “Painted from the Heart, for Patients’ Medicine Pick-up Points,” was held from 23 to 25 January 2026. It included workshops on drawing and colouring techniques, as well as sessions on art as a means of personal development.
Electric Motorcycle Waste Collection
On 12 April 2026, Siam University’s School of Engineering formally handed over an electric motorcycle garbage collector to the Director of the Thawi Watthana District Office and the Advisor to the Governor of Bangkok. Developed by the School of Engineering, the vehicle is intended to support waste management in parts of the district that are difficult to reach. The garabage collector will operate in areas with narrow access paths, such as communities alongside railway lines and canals, where conventional waste collection trucks cannot enter. Its compact design allows waste to be collected directly from households in these areas. Because it is built for separated collection, different types of waste can be kept apart from the point of collection, which supports recycling and proper disposal. As an electric vehicle, it also produces no exhaust emissions during operation, so it contributes to cleaner air and lower carbon emissions in residential neighbourhoods. The handover reflects Siam University’s commitment to applying engineering knowledge to practical urban challenges. It also strengthens the university’s collaboration with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in promoting sustainable waste management and improving quality of life in local communities.
