By Edmar Delos Santos, STRATCOM Correspondent
 

Sustaining its position as a leading educational institution for environmental sustainability, MMSU maintained its first rank among Philippine State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2024 and placed second among higher education institutions (HEI).

With the university’s initiatives on green campus and environmental sustainability, MMSU outperformed other universities as it ranked first among Philippine HEIs in Energy and Climate Change and placed second in Education and Research indicators. Globally, the MMSU ranked 231st, improving its 251st placement in 2023 and 356th in 2022.

Headquartered in Universitas Indonesia in Indonesia, the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings ranks top universities globally based on the six criteria and indicators. MMSU received an overall score of 7875, scoring 1200 in setting and infrastructure, 1850 in energy and climate, 1125 in waste, 650 in water, 1400 in transportation, and 1650 in education and research.

 
This year, 1,477 institutions from 95 nations entered the ranking system, 63 of which are Philippine HEIs, “making it the global university ranking system dedicated to assessing the sustainability performance of the institution,” according to the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings website.

The global ranking system collects basic information about universities, green spaces, and their carbon footprints, aside from the set criteria and indicators. “Beyond these indicators, we would like to get a picture about how the university is responding to or dealing with the issues of sustainability through policies, actions, and communication,” the UI GreenMetric website reads.

Dr. Arlene L. Gonzales, Sustainability and Futures Thinking director and UI GreenMetric lead at MMSU, said that the improved performance of the institution manifests itself in becoming a green university in the future. 
 

“There are gaps that need to be addressed yet, and this is where we ask for more support from our community so we will be successful in making MMSU a model institution where sustainability learning and practice is at its best,” Dr. Gonzales added.

MMSU OIC-President Prima Fe R. Franco said that the university’s performance in the global ranking system manifests its commitment to cultivating environmentally conscious individuals who are equipped to drive a sustainable future. 

In its 15th edition, UI GreenMetric World University Rankings launched a new theme “Instituting UI GreenMetric World University Rankings: The Way Forward.” The global ranking system is said to commit itself to encouraging more universities worldwide to participate to foster more sustainable campuses for the future.

In recent years, the university has consistently ranked itself as one of the Philippine leading institutions in various university ranking systems, such as ranking fifth in the country and 600-800 globally in the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.