Home>Environmental and Energy Initiatives>Steps towards Becoming Environmentally Friendly

Steps towards Becoming Environmentally Friendly

April 2001ISO14001 Certification Student Committee was formed by students interested in obtaining ISO14001 certification.
Work began towards certification in response to the students' proposal.
April 2002Chiba Gakuen Inc. Environmental Policy was established.
March 2003CUC became the first university in Chiba Prefecture to obtain ISO14001 certification. Started working towards an environmentally friendly Eco Campus.
April 2004Started using CUC original recycled toilet paper.
April 2004Ichikawa City, Ichikawa City Board of Education, and Chiba University of Commerce signed a three-way memorandum on implementing environmental education and started promoting environmental education in local elementary and junior high schools.
September 2004The campus sports ground was completely re-covered with artificial turf.
December 2004Exhibited at the Eco Products Exhibition for the first time
April 2005CUC was selected for the Support Program for Distinctive University Education (Distinctive Good Practice).
January 2006Reconstruction of Building No.1 was completed.
February 2006Chiba Gakuen Inc. Environmental Policy was reviewed.
June 2007CUC held the First National High School Student Speech Contest on the Environment.
July 2007Set the goal of reducing CO2 emissions on campus by 10% from 1990 levels by 2010.
March 2010Achieved the reduction of CO2 emissions on campus by 10% from 1990 levels.
2013Built on university-owned land in Noda City in Chiba Prefecture the largest Mega-Solar Farm in Japan built by a single university.
November 2013Held the CUC open lectures at the Marunouchi satellite campus on the theme, 'Considering Sustainable Environment and Energy Policies' (6 lectures).
2014 Dr. HARASHINA Sachihiko became the Dean of the Faculty of Policy Informatics and started a joint seminar combining the seminars of HARASHINA Sachihiko, AYUKAWA Yurika, and SUGIMOTO Takuya in the spring of 2014. People from outside the university were also invited to participate in this seminar, including members of the NPO Eco-league. As a result, it was found that the Noda Mega-Solar Farm was estimated to be producing over 60% of the total energy consumed by the university at the time. Announcing these results, Dr. HARASHINA, as the Dean, declared that he wanted to make CUC a 100% renewable energy university.
April 2014 Using the government's FIT scheme, which supports the introduction of renewable energy, CUC began a solar power business which sells electricity generated at Noda Mega Solar Farm to TEPCO.
July 2015Energy saving and generating project started by the Faculty of Policy Informatics.
Started studying the possibility of realizing a net zero energy campus.
April 2016Expanded the faculty project to the whole university and started a Net Zero Energy Campus project.
May 2016Established CUC Energy Inc.
July 2016The first Uchimizu event, Cool Down by Sprinkling Water.
April 2017Dr. HARASHINA Sachihiko, Dean of the Faculty of Policy Informatics became President and began the President's Projects.
The Net Zero Energy Campus Project was chosen as President's Project 4: Environment and Energy.
November 2017Declared new environmental goals towards a 100% renewable energy university.
November 2017First Japanese university to be registered on the 100% Renewable Energy Platform.
December 2017Awarded the Prize for Excellence by the Ministry of the Environment COOL CHOICE LEADERS AWARD.
March 2018Student Organization for Natural Energy (SONE) formed.
March 2018Installed more solar panels at Noda Mega-Solar Farm.
March 2018Changed all the lighting on the Ichikawa campus to LED.
March 2018Introduced Energy Management System (EMS).
July 2018Installed a green screen outside The University DINING.
December 2018Started solar sharing in a field converted from the former pitching practice ground on campus.
February 2019Achieved RE100 University. The latest annual renewable energy rate for electricity was 101.0%.
February 2019Installed more solar panels on the rooftops of 10 buildings on the Ichikawa campus. The electricity generated is to be consumed on campus.
August 2019Switched the power used on the Ichikawa campus to electricity from renewable energy sources.
Due to this switch, the renewable energy rate of power used on the Ichikawa campus became 100%.
October 2019Became the first university to participate in Renewable Energy 100 Declaration RE Action.
October 2019Issued Urgent Message Concerning Intensifying Climate Change as a Climate Emergency Declaration from the University.
December 2019Awarded the Minister of the Environment Award of the 22nd Global Warming Prevention Activities Award 2019 (in the Category of Environmental Education) by the Ministry of the Environment.
January 2020Awarded by the Energy Conservation Center a Special Award from the judging committee of the 2019 Energy Conservation Grand Prize in the category of Energy Saving Examples.
January 2020Awarded the Asia-Pacific Triple E Award “Green University of the Year 2019” by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU).
March 2020Became the first university in Japan to sign the document, "Global Universities and Colleges for the Climate" agreement, issued by three international higher education institutions working on environmental issues, EAUC (UK), Second Nature (US), and Youth and Education Alliance (UNEP).
July 2020Changed the year for achieving the environmental goals to 2023.
August 2020Became the first educational institution in Japan to approve the proposal by RE-Users (Corporate Renewable Energy Users Network) to expand the use of renewable energy.
January 2021Awarded the “New Energy Foundation Chairman's Award of the New Energy Award 2020” by the New Energy Foundation.
July 2022Awarded the "2030 Climate Action" by the International Green Gown Awards 2022.

Back

Return to Top