Institute for the Advancement of Sustainability launched

Pursuing a Sustainable Future

Hokkaido University officially announced the establishment of the University’s Institute for the Advancement of Sustainability in a press conference held in the Centennial Hall, Hokkaido University on June 29, 2021. The new institute was launched and is active from August 1, 2021.

Hokkaido University’s enduring journey towards sustainability officially started in 1996, far before The United Nations (UN) set up the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the precursor of the running Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in 2001. The Hokkaido University’s 1996 Campus Masterplan sowed the seeds of a practical long-term plan to realize a sustainable campus. This plan has been evolved several times, each time adjusted to the local and global demands. In 2008, concurrent with the 2008 G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Hokkaido University hosted the first G8 University Summit in Sapporo.

With this new Institute, the University is determined to further progress in this area and “offer solutions to global problems through contributions towards SDGs”. This initiative anticipates more engagements and cooperation with various stakeholders: citizens, local governments, companies, and also national and international universities.

President Kiyohiro Houkin will preside over the Institute for the Advancement of Sustainability. Under the Institute, a new office called SDGs Initiative Office has been established, headed by Executive Vice President Atsushi Yokota; the existing Sustainable Campus Management Office is now headed by Executive Director Nobuyoshi Sugawara. Both offices will work in tandem to oversee SDGs-related initiatives by the University.

Executive Vice President Atsushi Yokota (second from left), Head of the SDGs Initiative Office, at the press conference announcing the Institute for the Advancement of Sustainability.