Campus Initiatives

Campus-Wide Recycling

The Office of Sustainability leads the Clean and Green Committee, a group of dedicated faculty and staff members who work towards creating an efficient recycling system on campus. The committee spearheaded AUC’s campus-wide recycling program that includes 48 sorting stations on the New Cairo Campus for collecting plastic, cans and trash.

Treated Wastewater

AUC uses treated wastewater to irrigate the landscaped areas on campus, which has reached almost 100% over the past years. Treated wastewater is a low-cost alternative to drinking-grade water and has a lower carbon footprint. Treated wastewater also reuses water that otherwise would have gone to waste, which helps protect Egypt’s water sources. These efforts help us reduce our impact and hopefully serve as a model for other institutions to switch to treated wastewater landscaping.

On-Campus Drinking Water Stations

To reduce plastic water bottle usage on campus, the Office of Sustainability has upgraded the on-campus drinking water stations by installing water dispensers that supply filtered, chilled drinking water for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to fill their reusable bottles. Currently, there are 35 filtered drinking water stations on the New Cairo campus, three stations in the faculty residences, and 23 stations located on the AUC Tahrir Square campus. There are plans to add more chilled water dispensers in other heavily trafficked areas on campus soon. 

Map of current water dispensers on campus

Energy-Efficiency Practices

• The American University in Cairo is profoundly concerned with global warming and its serious effects on all aspects; consequently, Variable Speed Drives (VSD) are widely used in HVAC types of equipment and 2-way modulating valves with actuators changing their opening in dependence on the changing load as well. Besides, Inverter technology in AC split units is growing throughout the campus and all newly installed AC units don’t use R22 refrigerant.
• All the newly renovated Chilled Drinking Fountains are Green spec listed.
• To limit electricity waste, AUC uses exclusively LED lights on all outdoor light fixtures. Corridors are lit with high-efficiency TL5 tube lights. Occupancy sensors are installed in classrooms and meeting rooms across campus to adjust temperature settings and ensure lights are off when rooms are not in use.
• Lutron software is used to control lights across the campus
• A Building Management System (BMS), a computer-based control system, is used to control and monitor buildings’ mechanical and electrical equipment, such as ventilation, power supply, fire systems, and security systems. 

• Ongoing awareness campaigns across campus to get students, faculty, and staff to turn off lights when they leave a room or when enough natural light comes through windows.

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Jogging, Cycling and Pedestrian Paths on AUC Campus

AUC’s plaza is a completely pedestrian zone. Biking and club carts are prohibited on the main plazas. Pedestrian paths campus-wide are designed for safety and convenience, and are provided with disabled–friendly features, such as ramps and handrails for the safety of all pedestrians. Bike paths are around campus and end at bike racks/stations, where students can lock their bikes and continue on foot. Paths are also available for runners and joggers. 

Sustainable Commuting