ACG 150

Overview

The Center of Excellence in Sustainability (CoES), a pioneer Center in Greece, was established in 2011 with the aim of promoting sustainability on the ACG campus and beyond.

The CoES is serving all ACG entities (Deree – Pierce – Alba) and supports all academic programs. During the 11 years of its operation, CoES is connecting academic offerings with research, initiatives and operations on Campus.

An innovation element is the fact that the CoES is connected with 2 Programs of Studies through the Program Specifications, the Environmental Studies Program and the Biomedical Sciences, under the Department of Science and Mathematics. Sustainability elements are incorporated and taught in most courses of the two Programs, while they are served by four (4) recently renovated Labs. The CoES is also linked with the International Honors Program (IHP) course ‘Greening the Campus.’ Through their studies, ACG students have the opportunity to:

  • engage in sustainability-related projects
  • become involved in sustainability-related research
  • establish and enhance a sustainability culture on campus and become future sustainability leaders

ACG is the only academic institution in Greece to have received a STARS Gold Rating by the internationally acclaimed US AASHE [Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education] in recognition of its best practices in five categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, Planning & Administration and Innovation & Leadership. The Center of Excellence in Sustainability works within the academic, civic and private sectors to

  • Promote environmental awareness, education for sustainable development and sustainability research on campus and beyond;
  • Coordinate educational programs and activities while promoting experiential learning;
  • Facilitate faculty and student collaboration between disciplines;
  • Connect with other stakeholders and actors in the wider community in collaboration and coordination with the Office of Public Affairs.

Make sure to connect with us on:

Email: [email protected] 

Room: CN 3110

Tel: 210 600 9800 ext. 1764

Mission

To support sustainability via education, research and related initiatives as well as social action, ultimately aiming to empower ACG students and Greek society as knowledgeable, proactive and responsible citizens.

Vision

The CoES aims to make ACG a leading institution in supporting and promoting sustainability in Greek academia and society at large with the goal of fostering a new era of responsible environmental, economic, social and cultural change.

 

Impact

The CoES supports the development of a more conscious and responsible society committed to addressing the local, national, and global environmental, economic and social challenges, through:

Informed academic programs inspired by the challenges and opportunities offered by the latest science and pressing cultural concerns, aiming at preparing tomorrow’s leaders and citizens
Active support of and engagement in research on local, national and global challenges, with measurable impact on the Greek society, environment and economy
Strategic collaborations between academia, business, industry and the public sector
Modeling the best sustainability practices for academia, Greek society and the global community

 

Research

Atmosphere, Remote Sensing & Climate

  • ACG is associated member of the CLIMPACT Network
  • Total Ozone monitoring

Biodiversity, Ecosystems & Conservation

  • Mapping Campus Biodiversity
  • Lesvos Mission Blue project:

1. Helidoni Foundation supports CoES

2. Lesvos Mission Blue Project Activities supported by ACG students

3. Open Day Event Invitation

4. CoES co-powered Open Day with Lesvos Mission Blue Project in Petra, Lesvos

Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness

Heritage Science

  • KERNOS Heritage Science Lab

Sustainable Communities & Practices (Sustainable Resource Management, Cities, Arts)

  • ACG is educational partner of the New European Bauhaus
  • AI footprint
  • Wear your origins

Wear Your Origins is a global initiative that believes in a fashion industry that respects the planet and promotes sustainable and circular fashion practices. We are joining forces to offer educational programs and events for women participants to inform them on current topics of our generation, such as gender equity and sustainable development goals.

 

– On April 27, 2023, Dr. Stella Apostolakis participated in a panel discussion on Sustainable and Circular Fashion as part of the Earth Dialogues Vol. 3: Fashion Revolution Week and Circular Fashion, K44-Organization Earth.

 

– On May 16, 2023, the Wear Your Origins (WYO) Award brought together 30 designers from all over the world, who have experienced violence and social exclusion, by offering them the opportunity to design and launch from scratch their own Capsule Collection, using only sustainable, recycled fabrics and innovative circular fashion techniques. The winners will have the opportunity to attend a 4-month free educational program, mentored by renowned personalities and fashion industry experts and supported with valuable knowledge to create their own eco-sustainable, signature Capsule Collection. Their collections will be brought to life at the zero-waste fashion studio of SOFFA Tailoring Studio and presented on international catwalks, open studio events, and international platforms.

 

– On June 12, 2023, at the premises of the Athens University of Business and Economics, ACG prepared and delivered a Workshop on ‘Women empowerment and the impacts of fashion on the environment and society.’ The workshop was powered by Dr. Stella Apostolaki and Dr. Chryssa Zachou, Head of the Department of Sociology. The themes of the workshop included an analysis of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on the Goals most relevant to the fashion industry, as well as Gender issues in fashion at all levels (production, consumption, marketing, society involvement, human and labor rights).

Education on Sustainability

Human Health & Wellbeing

ΦStem

ΦStem in CoES

 

At the Center of Excellence in Sustainability (CoES), among the many challenges currently facing humanity and the world, we are passionate about tackling the issue of underrepresentation and challenges faced by women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). While progress has been made, several barriers still exist, which can deter or limit women’s participation, success, and retention in STEM careers.

 

Femme in STEM (ΦSTEM) aims to create a supportive and inclusive community at ACG that promotes women’s leadership, growth, and professional development in STEM fields. Through mentorship, networking, skill-building programs, and advocacy, we seek to bridge the gender gap, promote diversity and inclusion, and encourage a culture where all women can thrive as leaders in STEM.

Science Labs

The Science courses linked to the CoES are served by four (4) Labs:

Chemistry & Cell and Molecular Biology Lab-611

The Chemistry & Cell and Molecular Biology Lab (molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry) supports the needs of the chemistry science modules.

 

The lab upgrade was completed in Fall 2020 and included the addition of vacuum and gas installation (to all fume hoods and also in all 6 student working areas).

 

  • Additional fume hoods were acquired to accommodate the needs for chemistry courses as well as an HPLC system, analytical balances, a rotary evaporator, melting point apparatus, and other materials like bomb calorimeters, general-purpose glassware.
  • In matters of Cell Molecular Biology courses a Biosafety cabinet Class II was acquired along with other equipment such as: Thermocycler for PCR, microplate spectrophotometer, refrigerated centrifuge, shaking incubator, tissue homogenizer additional electrophoresis systems (horizontal and vertical), gel imaging system and an autoclave.
  • Additionally, an individual room was created to accommodate a -80°C freezer, liquid nitrogen tanks, and additional refrigerators.
  • An office for the lab technician was also created

 

The Chemistry & Cell and Molecular Biology Lab currently hosts the Office of the Center of Excellence in Sustainability.

Biological Sciences Lab-615

The Biological Sciences Lab presently supports the needs of Biology modules (introductory biology, human biology, environmental ecology and anatomy/physiology).

 

 

A core renovation took place in summer of 2020 that totally recreated the laboratory space for educational and also research purposes.

 

  • The changes included the purchase of an Anatomy Table, gas and vacuum installation to the fume hoods, as well as new floor and windows. A cell-culture room was created with a Biosafety Cabinet Class II, additional germicidal UV light, a CO2 incubator and an inverted microscope (with the prospect of adding parts for fluorescence).
  • A separate space was created to be used as research area, containing all basic equipment.
  • The faculty office was also fully renovated.

The Physical Sciences/Earth Sciences Lab-710

The Physical Sciences/Earth Sciences Lab (710) supports the needs of environmental and earth sciences modules as well as physics.

 

Full renovation of the Physical Sciences Lab took place in 2019 which hosts Physics courses along with all Earth and Environmental Science courses.

 

  • The lab has been equipped with 3 big benches with working areas for 6 groups of 4 students, PC stations, a research room, a fume hood and a chemical cabinet for safe storage.
  • New equipment has been acquired for the new physics courses with various experiments on Mechanics, Waves and Acoustics and Thermodynamics and more to be soon acquired on Electromagnetism, Optics and Modern Physics.
  • Offices for faculty and staff, fully equipped, were also created.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STEM Labs (1 & 2)

 

The STEM Lab 1 & STEM Lab 2 funded by USAID, opened in September 2021 and serves as a general-purpose lab for science, technology, engineering and mathematics on the ACG campus.

 

The purpose of the STEM Labs is to serve as multi-disciplinary labs for a variety of topics related to Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. These state-of-the-art facilities are already equipped with top-notch technological equipment. The lab contains benches and equipment for experimentation in electronics, embedded systems, digital signal processing, robotics and biomedical systems, among others. It will cover research activities related to innovative ways of teaching and learning strategies in STEM disciplines, active and experiential learning including sustainability initiatives in higher education.

Real-Time Data

ACG Weather Station Data

Real-time data on renewable energy production on Aghia Paraskevi Campus