American University in Cairo
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The AUC Office of Sustainability was established in 2011. The office is responsible for addressing AUC’s environmental challenges, including climate change, resource scarcity, pollution and waste management.

Mission

The Office of Sustainability objective is to integrate environmental and social sustainability into the culture and structure of the University. It strives to reduce the University’s use of natural resources and operating costs, and to instill a mindset for sustainability within the AUC community by supporting University programs in education, research, and operations.

Vision

To weave sustainability into the University’s culture, mission, and activities and gain international recognition for its successes.

Yasmin Mansour is the Sustainability Director at The American University in Cairo (AUC), with over 15 years of experience in facilities and operations, focusing on environmental challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, and waste management. She leads AUC's Office of Sustainability, promoting sustainable development and improving the university's environmental responses. Mansour has expertise in writing technical and sustainability reports and is certified as a Sustainability Facility Professional (SFP) and Facility Management Professional (FMP). She holds a master's degree in construction management from AUC.

Mansour is also involved in community service, serving on the board of the Egyptian Facility Management Association and as a member of the ISO/TC 267 facility management committee. She is a certified instructor and course developer at AUC and has joined the advisory committee of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Her work enhances AUC's operations, finances, and reputation in sustainability across the MENA region.

She holds a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering from Ain Shams University (2002), graduating with high honors.

Sahar El Ghandour is the Sustainability Manager at AUC and co-teaches the Strategic Facilities Management course at the Engineering and Sciences Services (ESS). She holds Facility Management Professional (FMP) and Sustainability Facility Professional (SFP) certifications from IFMA and chairs the Standards Committee at the Egyptian Facility Management Association (EGYFMA). El Ghandour is also a member of Egypt’s mirror committee for ISO Facility Management (TC/267).

El Ghandour joined AUC in 2009 as the facility manager for the Heliopolis facility and later became the operations sustainability manager at AUC's Office of Facilities and Operations in 2013. She earned her master’s degree in public administration (MPA) with honors from AUC, where she also published her thesis on pedestrian-friendly streets in Cairo. She recently co-authored a policy paper on mitigating climate change impacts in Egyptian cities through sustainable building. 

Before her career at AUC, El Ghandour worked as a logistics manager at Ciba Specialty Chemicals and Huntsman from 2000 to 2008.

Sustainability office team link: https://www.aucegypt.edu/sustainability/office/meet-team

About the Office

The office portfolio consists of issuing the biennial carbon footprint report, biennial sustainability report, AUC green guide brochure, and the monthly sustainability e-newsletter, in addition to the responsible management of the University’s natural resources, including energy, water and natural gas reduction programs, waste management, campus outreach and awareness of the environmental concerns through various channels. The Office of Sustainability celebrates international sustainability and ecological events on campus, such as earth week, campus sustainability month and other events. The office maintains a global focus by positioning AUC at the forefront of green, sustainable universities according to international rankings. It is a division of the Office of the University Architect.​​​​ 

Campus-wide Recycling Program

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 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 at. 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 Initiatives

• The American University in Cairo is profoundly concerned with global warming and its serious effects on all aspects; consequently, Variable Speed Drives “VSD” is 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 the 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. 

Carpooling Support

Carpooling is a well-known method for reducing the number of cars on the road, air pollution, and carbon emissions. It essentially enables one car to do the work of multiple cars and also helps reduce the traffic congestion ubiquitous in Greater Cairo. In late 2012, the University adopted a policy of waiving on-campus parking fees for carpoolers, it states that “Carpooling with another member of the AUC community will allow you to park on campus for free."

AUC incentivizes carpooling to campus by allowing carpoolers to park for free as stated within the University’s parking policy. As of September 2023, designated parking spots for members of the community who carpool to campus were introduced on campus. Carpoolers may park in special reserved slots available at parking lot G near Gate 5 and Omar Mohsen Gate. Check AUC's statement on reserved carpool parking.

For more information here is a link for sustainability at AUC: https://www.aucegypt.edu/sustainability