Cultivating Green Hearts: KMUTT's Journey to Sustainable Impact

In this exclusive interview, we sat down with Associate Professor Dr. Yossapong Laoonual, Assistant to the President for Sustainability at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT). As a leading institution in Thailand, KMUTT has long been at the forefront of integrating sustainable development into its core mission, operations, and academic endeavors. Dr. Laoonual shares insights into KMUTT’s comprehensive approach to sustainability, from its alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy to its ambitious carbon neutrality targets and innovative community engagement initiatives. We delve into the strategies that embed sustainability throughout the university, the impactful research projects fostering a “green heart” in future leaders, and the challenges and opportunities that define KMUTT’s path toward becoming a truly sustainable university.

SDSN Thailand: What do you think is the role of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi as a leader in sustainable development within Thailand?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yossapong: The role of sustainability at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) has been a continuous and integral part of the university’s mission, not a recent addition. KMUTT has long embedded sustainability principles into its operations, education, and research. When the United Nations introduced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), KMUTT recognized that its existing efforts were well aligned with these global objectives.

KMUTT is a medium-sized university in Thailand specializing in science and technology. Its vision emphasizes creating national value through meaningful change, particularly changes that contribute to societal and global development. The university’s core missions–education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship development–are all geared toward this vision. KMUTT aims to be a leader in science, technology, and innovation (STI) and has set ambitious goals to become one of the top three universities in ASEAN in this field by 2026. Looking further ahead, KMUTT aspires to be the most impactful university in STI within the next decade.

The university president has clearly committed to making KMUTT a leader in sustainability across all university activities. This commitment spans internal management, teaching, and research. KMUTT strives to be a green and sustainable university, serving as a model in areas such as energy and environmental management. A key focus is nurturing sustainability leadership, especially by encouraging students to become “Change Agents with green hearts” who can help improve community and societal quality of life.

KMUTT’s approach to sustainability is deeply influenced by the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, rooted in the teachings of His Majesty King Rama IX. This philosophy promotes moderation, reasonableness, and self-immunity, and forms a foundation for KMUTT’s sustainability efforts alongside the SDG framework. The university also prioritizes energy and environmental management as tools to engage all stakeholders in collective sustainable development.

In practice, KMUTT has developed a comprehensive strategic plan for sustainability covering six core areas, including green infrastructure, energy innovation, waste management, water conservation, sustainable transportation, and integrating sustainability into education and research. These initiatives transform the campus into a living laboratory where students and staff learn and apply sustainable solutions.

KMUTT’s sustainability goals include achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, increasing student engagement as sustainability change agents, demonstrating impactful research aligned with SDGs, fostering community partnerships, building green infrastructure, and establishing a sustainable management system. These goals reflect KMUTT’s commitment to contributing to national and global sustainability agendas while enhancing its role as an educational leader.

In summary, KMUTT’s longstanding dedication to sustainability, strategic vision, and comprehensive actions position it as a pioneering university that not only educates future leaders but also actively drives sustainable development in Thailand and beyond.

SDSN Thailand: What strategies do you believe are essential for integrating sustainability into the university’s core mission and operations?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yossapong: The university has set a goal to become a sustainable entrepreneurial Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) university, guided by six strategic objectives. These objectives build upon the university’s ongoing work in research and teaching, structured into six key areas:

1. Developing new learning models.
2. Enhancing the university’s research capabilities.
3. Fostering innovation that creates social impact.
4. Driving digital transformation within the university.
5. Focusing on personnel development.
6. Advancing sustainability by applying the “3P” principles: People, Planet, and Prosperity.

I am part of the team responsible for these initiatives. When we talk about sustainability at KMUTT, we use the 3P framework to guide our impact in two dimensions. First, focusing on People, we prioritize developing “change agents with green hearts” – leaders who drive sustainable change not only in environmental terms but across all sustainability contexts. At the national and global level, we emphasize working closely with communities through what we call community-based social labs. We have established coordination centers in targeted areas to facilitate these social labs, ensuring that sustainable development within the university also generates positive external impact.

Second, regarding Planet, the university aims to be a model green institution. As our president has stated, KMUTT strives to be a “Green University” and a “Smart Campus,” serving as an example for staff, students, and the public. Our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2040 reflects our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and address global warming.

Finally, Prosperity at the university level is understood as a possibility – ensuring sustainable operations with sufficient funding from government and external sources. Our work aims to create social, environmental, and economic impacts aligned with SDGs.

Our strategic plan integrates these three pillars. Some initiatives are already underway, while others require greater integration. For example, under People, we have teams focused on cultivating change agents with green hearts and managing social labs. Under Planet, we have a team dedicated to carbon neutrality, targeting 2040 but emphasizing immediate action. Even infrastructure planning must consider sustainability from the outset, as it is impossible to achieve rapid change without long-term preparation.

All in all, I would like to say that KMUTT’s sustainability strategy is comprehensive and forward-looking, combining education, research, innovation, community engagement, and operational excellence to become a leading sustainable entrepreneurial university in ASEAN and beyond.

SDSN Thailand: What are some of the most impactful research projects or tools developed at KMUTT that promote sustainability?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yossapong: The concept of “change agent with green heart” at KMUTT is based on the USDP for SDG framework. The university views itself as a developer of human resources, placing great importance on people. While students must complete their academic curriculum to earn degrees and professional qualifications, KMUTT also focuses on cultivating these students to become change agents with green hearts-leaders who embody sustainability values across all contexts, not just environmental.

A clear example of this commitment is KMUTT’s target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, a globally recognized goal. The university acknowledges that completely eliminating carbon emissions is impossible because human economic activities cannot cease. Instead, the aim is to minimize emissions as much as possible and offset the remainder through activities that absorb CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

Since setting this goal in 2019, KMUTT has tracked its carbon footprint, which was initially about 16,000 tons per year. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily reduced emissions due to decreased campus activity, but levels have since risen again as normal operations resumed. 

To address this, the university developed a carbon management plan focusing on three scopes:

Scope 1: Direct emissions, such as from university-owned vehicles and fuel combustion, as well as certain fertilizers and chemicals.

Scope 2: Indirect emissions mainly from electricity consumption, which is the largest contributor.

Scope 3: Emissions related to partners, staff, and students commuting or activities indirectly linked to the university.

KMUTT’s strategies to reduce emissions include installing solar panels to replace grid electricity, upgrading to energy-efficient lighting and equipment, and transitioning to electric vehicles for transportation. Behavioral changes are also emphasized to reduce energy waste and promote efficient use.

Additionally, KMUTT benefits from large land areas, including a 1,000-rai forested site in Ratchaburi and donated land where reforestation projects help offset carbon emissions. These ongoing activities form part of the university’s comprehensive plan to continuously reduce its carbon footprint and promote sustainability.

KMUTT’s “change agent with green heart” initiative integrates education, practical action, and environmental stewardship, empowering students and the university community to contribute meaningfully toward global sustainability goals.

SDSN Thailand: How does KMUTT engage with surrounding communities to promote sustainable practices and what are some of the successful cases?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yossapong: Right now, we’re discussing how our social lab implements what we call “community-based learning,” which relates significantly to the SDGs. In Thailand, we can see that health problems are quite significant issues. Problems in remote areas still persist. Therefore, these are challenges where universities can use their existing knowledge and try to help develop solutions alongside our networks. This helps improve living conditions in these areas and increases income. At the same time, we’re also looking at energy usage, waste reduction, and environmental preservation. We believe these efforts must work hand in hand.

For health-related projects, we support village health volunteers (VHVs), but KMUTT has developed what we call “Super VHVs.” The remote areas we’re talking about are often in mountainous regions that are difficult to access. Sometimes these communities are ethnic minorities who don’t even have national ID cards. Government agencies don’t reach them effectively because they might not even be considered Thai citizens. However, from KMUTT’s perspective, they are living within Thailand’s borders. We’re paying more attention to this issue, but I still think they face shortages and problems. That’s why we need to develop these Super VHVs to help take care of them in order to be volunteer leaders who can assist particularly with public health matters and support healthcare facilities. So, we’re working together with them on this.

If we look at remote provincial areas, including familiar areas like Ratchaburi province where we already have a campus, we’re monitoring the situation there. Or areas in the North, like Chiang Mai, which is actually the region where the university has consistently been working with the Royal Project. As a matter of fact, we’re an organization that uses scientific and technological knowledge to work with the Royal Project, which we believe is already doing good work. We also help extend and develop their capabilities and continuously work with communities in those areas. In fact, we have specific goals, such as targeting 50 sub-districts each year where our personnel can work in the field.

SDSN Thailand: What are the biggest challenges facing KMUTT in its pursuit of sustainability and what are the opportunities?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yossapong: The challenge in universities is that when we consider impact, we need to ensure KMUTT itself is sustainable while working on sustainability for others. This question comes up constantly. The challenge is that we’re trying to change the role of universities that might be self-focused or self-centered. I believe that for universities to advance, they need to play a greater role in society. This might be a different context from foreign countries. In developed countries, universities typically play a role in helping high-technology companies and advanced industries to help them innovate further. I think that’s necessary because universities must do this to help the country compete with other nations.

At the same time, universities must also work hand in hand with communities. Otherwise, the gap will become even larger. If we help industries advance, create jobs, and generate wealth while society and citizens remain far behind in their living conditions, we’ll create an even bigger gap. Therefore, the challenge for universities is that they must work in dimensions where we develop STI (Science, Technology, and Innovation) while not leaving other groups behind. I see this as a genuine challenge for not just us but every other university.

We really need to look at the S-curve of universities. From being institutions focused on teaching and learning, universities must conduct research and elevate their standards. In the past, we were outside the system, then we entered the system, and now we’re moving outside the system again. We see lifelong learning as something important.

Ultimately, it’s about addressing the development of university personnel who have gone through the process. Traditionally, we required everyone to enter degree programs from bachelor’s, then master’s. Now we’re looking at non-degree learning where everyone should have the opportunity to learn, and even after graduating, they should be able to return to learn more if they wish to. This is one of the opportunities that universities are seeing.

However, the current situation the university is facing is now difficult because these days, student numbers are decreasing which is the main challenge. And government budgets remain the same or might even decrease from time to time.

SDSN Thailand: What motivates your personal commitment to sustainable development, and how does this influence your leadership style?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yossapong: I was previously a student at Thammasat University. During my studies, the so-called ‘Thammasat values’ were consistently instilled in me. I was very active in student activities as well from being a cheer leader, worked on the traditional football event, organized other sports activities, and was always deeply involved in student activities. Through this involvement, I could see that there is significant inequality in our society. This is something I’ve always observed. The activities we did as Thammasat students allowed us to see these realities on the ground, although I didn’t have many opportunities to do much about it at that time.

Later, I had the opportunity to study abroad, where I saw developed countries and observed many aspects of them, though I still didn’t have much chance to take any action. I studied in England, and one thing I noticed was the difference in social inequality which was less pronounced. There were wealthy people there too, but people at the basic level had a fairly good standard of living. As a result I started having an imagination that I wanted to see Thailand develop in this direction.

When I returned to Thailand and started working as an engineering professor focusing on energy and environmental issues, my research role has been, from a technical perspective, finding ways to reduce vehicle emissions to continuously focusing on the PM 2.5 dust problem, which led me to work with electric vehicles, which I believe are part of the solution.

I began taking on a role in overseeing the university’s sustainability work. During this time, I started making field visits to provincial areas. I had the opportunity to follow several university executives and witnessed their dedication to working more closely with communities. This made me think about what we could do with this opportunity. Working with many team members on sustainability initiatives and consulting with university administrators, we felt that KMUTT should take a leadership role.

While classroom learning follows the curriculum, we wanted to develop students to become change agents and good social leaders. I had opportunities to connect with and understand communities and consider environmental issues. This led us to develop strategies and work towards ensuring that everyone who graduates from the university carries these values with them. When students graduate, they will remember that their four years, or in the future what we call lifelong learning, at KMUTT taught them to consider the balance of sustainability, whether it’s social issues, people, communities, or the environment, rather than focusing solely on business profits. Maintaining this balance will allow humans to continue existing on our planet.

If we have the opportunity to help the country improve, I believe the country will support the university to move forward and ensure the university’s continued existence. If we do good work, the university can be the answer for the country, and if we perform well at the global level in the future, the university can be the answer not just for Thailand but at the global level as well. However, we need to progress gradually.