Initiatives related to SDGs

Message

Thinking about and building a sustainable future from the ground up

SDGs have been proposed as a set of issues for the entire world to address in the face of a global paradigm shift from a society of mass production and consumption to one in which sustainable development coexists with the environment. However, even if we share the same set of goals, there is no single path to achieving them. Japan has endured a series of natural disasters following the Great East Japan Earthquake, and it is precisely in this period of instability that we need to think about creating a sustainable future from the ground up. This webpage introduces Hirosaki University’s SDGs initiatives in education and research, those relating to the environment, as well as more distinctive initiatives.

Director (in charge of planning) / Vice President Koichi Wakabayashi

What are SDGs?

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of international goals designed to achieve a better world through sustainability by the year 2030. They are described in the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” which was unanimously adopted by the member states at the United Nations Summit in September 2015, building on the Millenium Development Goals (MDFs), formulated in 2001. They consist of 17 goals and 169 targets, and pledge that “no one will be left behind.”

Education

In order to overcome the various issues that threaten social and ecological sustainability, there is a need to shift to a “co-creation education model” (the basic” principle of which is collaboration between teachers and learners about their pedagogical project) that works toward sustainability across all areas of society. Hirosaki University has set SDGs as one of the pillars of its liberal arts education, as they were conceived as common goals for the international community. The university plans for students to undergo a cross-disciplinary education integrating various academic fields, such as social welfare (concerning poverty and hunger), mental and physical health, education, gender equality, global health, and economics and industry. Through this program, students pursue both theoretical and practical learning for the creation of a sustainable society.

For details, please see the Hirosaki University Education Information website.

Research

Hirosaki University has positioned the environment, energy, radiation, food and nature, the extension of healthy life expectancy, the improvement of regional capabilities, and the utilization of cultural resources as important themes of the university, and promotes their systematic research. Hirosaki University’s researchers are engaging with the problem of how to achieve the sustainable development goals through their daily research activities.

For details, please refer toHirosaki University Seeds Vol.1 (Hirosaki University Institute for the Promotion of Research and Innovation).

Environment

Hirosaki University students, faculty, and staff are engaged in many environmental activities, including a significant number of SDGs initiatives. The various initiatives contained in the university Environmental Report are labeled with the corresponding SDGs icons to raise awareness of these problems. In addition, using SDGs as a starting point, the university has joined the critical global effort to achieve a fully decarbonized society by 2050 and is participating in the ” University Coalition for Carbon Neutrality.”

For details, please refer to the “Environmental Report, Hirosaki University”.

Radiation exposure medicine

Hirosaki University has been dedicated to developing a system for medical care in cases of radiation exposure, as well as to education, research, and the development of human resources in the field of radiation exposure medicine since fiscal year 2008. This dedication predates the Great East Japan Earthquake and is established within the framework of the region’s nuclear facilities.

Details:
Radiation Emergency Medicine and Cooperation Promotion/ https://remcp.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/about/
Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine/ https://irem.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/gaiyo